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“You have no formula calculation on this line,” I point out. “What happened to it?”
“Shit. I must have been so tired I forgot to set it in the spreadsheet. I’m sorry,” she says quietly.
I look her over, but this time I’m more critical. “Olivia, you look tired. How late are you working?”
“Usually until nine or ten. I need to concentrate on the code I’m working on, so it’s easier to stay later since it’s quieter. Cost projections make me nuts.”
“More than programming code? I feel just the opposite,” I reply, chuckling.
“We can add the calculations in now if you don’t mind.”
“Sure, I can do them in my head.”
“Seriously?”
“I’m a numbers guy. You can check them once you fix the formula for the cell. I’m sure they’ll be correct. Go ahead and write them in the space.”
Olivia wraps her hair around her hand and ties it in a bun on the top of her head. My pants tighten when I catch sight of how sexy her bare neck is, and I lean out slightly while she bends over the spreadsheet. What the fuck am I doing? Olivia is my subordinate, and I still love Cassie. But even so, I can’t help my want to kiss Olivia’s flesh.
“Lucian?”
Her voice wakes me up from my daydream. “Yes, I’m sorry.”
“Is there something wrong?”
“No, I was just thinking about a problem I’ve been having.”
“Oh. Can I help in some way?”
I clear my throat. “It’s nothing important. Let’s go over the spreadsheet.”
Olivia’s intoxicating perfume tortures my senses while I sit next to her, trying to concentrate. I’m attracted to her, sure, but the intensity of why is something that’s throwing me for a loop. I swore I wouldn’t have these feelings for her or any other woman, but after an hour, I can’t deal with being so close because it’s growing harder not to want to take her in my arms and kiss her. So I make up an excuse.
“Olivia, I have a meeting with Zane at four,” I say in a rush. “We can pick this up another time. Fix the formula, then email me the spreadsheet with your notes. I can complete my analysis in a day or two.”
“How do you have a meeting with Zane? He told me yesterday he was leaving the office at 3:30 today. He won’t be back until tomorrow.”
My mind blanks. Caught in a lie, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of it.
“Are you sure?” I ask, my mouth running. “I could swear he said four today. Maybe I heard wrong.”
Olivia cocks her head at me. “I’m sure. You must have heard wrong. Do you want to check in with him and finish up?”
The last thing I wanted was for her to spend more time with me. “I’m going to get coffee. Would you like one?”
“From the kitchen?”
“No. I was going across the street to that small café.”
“Oh, I haven’t had lunch. I could go with you.”
For a moment, my worries are put on pause. “Olivia, you shouldn’t go without lunch. No sleep, no food—that’s not a good mix. You need energy if you’re going to work late.”
“I know, but I want this project to be ahead of schedule.”
“It is so far. Zane isn’t that bad, is he?”
“Bad?”
