I stepped into my gray wool trousers and zipped them up, then pulled a black silk blouse from its hanger. “That's right. You need to get some writing done. This will be a good thing for both of us.” I only got one button done before Eamon was standing right in front of me, drawing a finger down my chest and popping it out of its hole. “Hey…” My voice faded as he stole a kiss, pressing his bare belly against mine. Trying to dress yourself while a super hot rock star, one who could start a fire with his voice, was kissing you, was exactly as difficult as it sounded.
“Sorry. I'm distracting you.”
“Honestly, you're just feeding my ego right now, which under normal circumstances would be great, but my new boss is an asshole and I don't want to piss him off any more than I probably already have.”
A bit dejected, he puttered over to the chair and grabbed his jeans. “I understand.”
I managed to get my blouse buttoned and even tucked it in. “I’ll be home by six. I promise.” I grabbed my black pumps from the bottom of the closet and worked my feet into them. “The extra key is on the kitchen counter in case you decide to go out. There's a ton of food in the fridge.”
“I’m a big boy. I can figure it out. Just go. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back.”
I smiled and kissed him one more time. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He swatted me on the ass as I walked out of the room.
I made the subway with zero seconds to spare, having to stand for the ride to my office, which was always a challenge in heels. Part of me almost wished Eamon had been successful at keeping me home, which said a lot considering how much I loved my job. Perhaps it was just the Miles effect—everything had been great until he arrived.
As expected, I had about five million emails waiting for me, and people lining up at my office door almost as soon as I got in.
“We missed you, Katherine. What were you up to?” Maria from the marketing team wanted me to troubleshoot the typography for ads for a new meal delivery company.
“I have an old friend in town and we haven't seen each other in a long time. It just seemed like a good idea to spend some quality time together.”
“Sounds fun. The office doesn't run the same without you though. I hope you know that.”
“Thank you so much. I really, truly appreciate it.”
She smiled. “I wouldn't say it if it wasn't the truth. Thanks for your help on this.”
I craned my neck to see if anyone else was lurking at my doorstep, but I'd worked through the queue, so I returned to the endless job of answering email. A few minutes later, another knock came at my door, I looked up and my stomach sank. “Hello, Miles. How are you today?”
He waltzed into my office and sat in the chair opposite my desk. Sure, being the boss affords you certain privileges, but it would've been nice if he’d asked if he could have a seat. “I see that you're back. You'll forgive me for not quite knowing the landscape of the office yet, but is it a habit of yours to miss three days of work with no notice?”
“Actually, aside from when I had food poisoning two years ago, I've missed exactly zero days of work since I've been here.”
He nodded, but in no way seemed satisfied. “I see.” He crossed his giraffe-ish legs, bright striped socks peeking out between the hem of his pants and his walnut brown wingtips. How clever of him to pair a rainbow with his dull gray suit.
“You can ask Summer. She'll tell you.” I hated that I sounded like a teenager making excuses, but this was what he was bringing out in me—the worst.
“I’ll have a look at your file as soon as I leave.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Siri, remind me to check Katherine Fuller's personnel file in an hour.”
I sat there listening to the automated voice repeat his request back to him. Miles was a certifiable jerk. At least he'd given me permission to think that of him.
“Summer adores you, you know,” he went on. “She's convinced that you are one of the most crucial people on the team.”
He was just waiting for me to ask what he thought of me, which I already knew, so I wasn't about to take the bait. Still, I was trembling with a mix of fear and anger I couldn't quite wrap my head around. “Summer is the best boss anyone could ever want.”
“Yes. Well, now that I've been here a good month or so, I think we're going to do some restructuring.”
“What does that mean?”
“Shifting of personnel. A few changes.”
From out in the hall, came the sound of a woman squealing.Oh my God.Then another.Oh my God.And another.It's you.
“What in bloody hell is going on out there?” Miles shot out of his seat and bolted into the hall.
I followed him to the door, but hung back, clutching my phone. If someone was out there with a gun, somebody was going to need to call 911. A steady stream of my coworkers were filing out into the central space that led to reception. The chatter was non-stop, the volume building. At that point, it was clear that whatever was going on, no one was getting shot, so I ventured out to see for myself.
