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“You’re Jay’s new secretary.” Kent grabs his stomach and laughs, “Oh, this is going to be fantastic.”
“Leave the poor girl alone. She is more than capable of taming you both. Don’t let her polite charm deceive you. It’s the shy ones you have to worry about.” Debbie comments.
Was that a compliment?
Debbie has no idea what is going on. Her phone rings, and she rushes to it. “Yes, Oh, for heaven's sake. Yes, I’ll be right there.” She slams the phone down, “You’d think they couldn’t wipe their own asses sometimes.” She growls and then levels her eyes on Julian. “Be nice to her because I’m not going to find you a replacement before I retire.” She barks as she leaves the office.
I inch forward. Let me come with you, Debbie.
Julian’s stormy eyes pin me in place.
The door closes, and Julian and I keep staring at one another. “I…um. I …I…” What other letters can I sound out?
“Is Harper still in town?” Kent interrupts as he leans on Debbie's desk, crossing his feet and looking all too relaxed.
“My office.” Julian barks at me. He storms past me, and I glance at Kent for help.
He just chuckles, grabs a Hersey’s Kiss, and pops it into his mouth. “This is going to be epic.”
I follow Julian into his office with Kent hot on my heels, “Close the door.” Julian orders Kent.
“Oh, come on, let me eavesdrop,” Kent whines. He looks down at me and pouts his bottom lip out like a puppy begging. If it weren’t at my expense, I’d let him. Who could refuse that face? Handsome yet adorable.
I look anywhere I can but at him. His office is huge, with a massive window overlooking the outside lake with the fountains. His desk is covered in paperwork, so much so that I feel antsy. I love organizing; it makes me feel calm and relaxed, the opposite of how I feel right now. There’s a seating area and a small bar with a coffee machine and mini fridge set up in the far corner, a private bathroom, and basically an entire high-end hotel suite.
Besides that, nothing personal is here; it could be anyone's office, and that makes me sad. This is where we work, and it should have some aspect of who we are, like Debbie and her candy dishes.
“I didn’t know,” I blurt out. My hands clutch my stomach, which feels so knotted not even an expert sailor could undo it.
Julian’s eyes watch me. Judge me.
I don’t like the feeling.
“I really didn’t,” I stress.
“I believe you.” He replies with a heavy exhale. Yet his stormy eyes don’t reveal the same statement as his lips do. “You look like you’re on the verge of a panic attack.”
He points to the chair, “Come sit down; we have a lot to talk about.”
I walk to the chair with numb legs. “I’m gonna kill her,” I mumble as I sink into the chair. I feel like a kid being sent to the principal’s office.
“Who? Debbie?”
“What!” I gasp, “No, not Debbie. Harper.”
He sits in his chair, his legs spread wide, dominating the room. Only the desk separates us. “Harper knew?”
Why did I say that out loud? Now, I look guilty by association.
I shrug, “She said she looked into you.” Clearly, I have no filter and will just confess under no duress.
I hold my hands up as if I’m caught. “I know it sounds crazy, but you've met Harper, and she’s far from normal, so it’s not shocking. She works for the NSA and looks into anyone I'm interested in. She must have pieced this together. It’s all a crazy mistake, a coincidence. You have to believe me.”
“Shouldn’t a friend tell you that?” He dips his chin, leveling those stormy eyes on me like a sniper.
“Not if she thinks it will benefit me. I wouldn't have shown up if she told me you were my boss.”
His jaw ticks. “Why?” He leans forward, his strong biceps making his shirt ripple.
