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John sighed and looked over at me. “I have high hopes.” He smirked. “For the most part.”
John was a great judge of character. Within the first week, he could ferret out at least two candidates who had no business being in the company. The interns either quit, or he’d highly encouraged them to rethink their chosen career. He was by no means a prick, but he was tough, and he didn’t fancy wasting his time with anyone who wasn’t ready to work just as hard as himself.
I cleared my throat a little when Sean stood in front of Anna. He held her hand between his two palms and must have said something funny because she laughed, which proved to be the sweetest noise. Damn. What was wrong with me?
I still couldn’t believe that she was living at Les’s apartment. Les would have had a heart attack if he’d been there when Anna had come out of the bathroom in her tiny nightshirt.
My eyes wandered to the stain on her chest, and I tried not to crack a smile. Her embarrassment was cute. But I couldn’t afford to think about what she looked like beneath her shirt. She worked for the company now, and I wasn’t about to get caught up in a sexual harassment lawsuit.
Still, trying to wash away the memory of that night would require extra measures. Perhaps it was time I scrolled through my phone and called up an ex of mine.
“I think you should let them get back to it,” I hollered to Sean, who was now at the center of the pack of interns. Anna, however, was just in front of me. Her back was to me, and my gaze dipped down her back to her long legs.
I forced my eyes down to the floor.
Stop it! Lawsuit!
Our company never had so much as a whisper of indiscretion charged against our name in the hundred and fifty or more years we’d been open. Even as much as my twin liked to date women from the office, he didn’t hit on a woman within the walls of the building. I watched him like a hawk, too. Of course, I was no saint, either. We both had our faults.
Feck. I needed to get back in my office and away from Anna. Away from her at work, at least. I started to turn, but I could feel it—her eyes on me. I looked over at her, and she was staring at my arms. More specifically, the tattoo on the inside of my one arm.
I shot her a smile when she dragged her gorgeous greens up my torso and met my eyes. Her long lashes blinked a few times, her cheeks brightened red, and she looked away. She pushed her long, wavy, reddish-blonde hair to her back. It was . . . cute. And cute on someone as sexy as her was too much for me to handle right now.
With that, I nodded at John and darted back into my office. I loosened my tie all the way and yanked it off, tossing it alongside my vest.
“So?” Sean shut the door and leaned his shoulder against it, crossing his ankles and arms. My brother’s lips slanted into a smile. “Holy hell, thank God I’m not working directly with them. Did you see the blonde—or is she a redhead?” He shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. “And the other two? Three hot—”
“Stop.” I groaned. “I don’t want to hear it.”
He chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Oh come on.”
“Anna is off-limits. Not just at work. She’s off-limits everywhere.” I sank in my chair and moved the mouse, making my computer come back to life.
“Anna? You mean the blonde? Only her?”
I’d fecked up. I hadn’t meant to single her out. I looked up at Sean, and he squinted at me as if I’d lost my damn mind. Then his smile grew even larger. “Oh. Say no more. You have a thing for her.”
“What? No!”
“Well then, why is she off-limits?” He was pushing me on purpose, damn him.
“She just is,” I grumbled and waved my hands in the air like a fool. “End of story.”
* * *
I needed to get out of the office. I didn’t usually jet out at five, but I was suffocating today. Too much was on my mind, and I needed to breathe.
I got up onto my motorcycle but paused as I held the helmet in my hands. The interns were exiting the building, walking down the wide steps and to the parking lot.
One of the interns—I think her name was Kate—was talking to Anna, and I noticed her eyes laser focused on me. She elbowed Anna in the side, and I looked away. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk.
I pushed my helmet on, secured it, and sparked my bike to life as Anna and Kate parted ways. Just as I was about to jet, my damn phone began vibrating in my pocket.
I shut off the engine and propped my helmet between myself and the bike while reaching for my phone. It was Les.
“Hey, Mr. McGregor.” Kate wet her lips and stopped at my side.
“I’m sorry, but I have to take this call,” I explained. “Have a good night.”
