“I know, it looks bad out there.” I looked up when I heard the voice.
“Ayanda, you’re still here?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I had a few extra things to do. I was going to leave soon.”
I looked at her, and hoped she couldn’t see that I’d been crying. But clearly she could, because her face softened.
“That kind of day, hey?” she asked sympathetically.
I nodded at her.
“He can be very hard to work for sometimes. You never know what kind of mood he’s in,” she said, although I was sure she didn’t really know what was going on.
“Do you need a ride home?” she asked sweetly.
“Please,” I said with a sense of relief.
“Give me five minutes?” She smiled at me and I smiled back. I suddenly felt like crying all over again at her kindness.
“Thanks, really. That’s very kind of you.” I walked over to the chairs that I’d sat on before my interview.
“It’s the least I can do after the mix-up the other morning,” she said in a soft apologetic voice. “Which I haven’t really apologized for yet.”
I shook my head at her. “No need to, but I appreciate it. Thanks.” I sat down in The World’s Most Uncomfortable Chair (that should be its trademark). They should patent this design, because it must have really taken some work to make itthisuncomfortable. I should have taken the chair as a sign of things to come on the first day—a total pain in the ass. I waited patiently, watching the storm outside through the huge glass windows. It was beautiful; in the distance there was still a small patch of blue sky, but it was being eclipsed and swallowed up by the growing black clouds . . . kind of like whathiseyes had done a few moments ago when he’d looked at me, his hand holding my elbow. I squirmed at the thought.
Had that really happened, or had I imagined it?He’d fired me one minute, and the next minute was looking at me as if he was about to . . . I could barely think it. Had he wanted to kiss me? My lips tingled and I touched them. The sound of the elevator doors opening and heavy footsteps crossing the marble floor made me look up. It was him. He walked all the way up to me and then stopped.
“Miss Granger?” His voice sounded tentative.
“Mmm?” I mumbled, not daring to look up at him.
“What happened in my offi—”
“I’m waiting for a lift home. Ayanda is going to take me.” I cut him off quickly, hoping to put a massive full stop to this conversation. I didn’t want Ayanda to hear anything.
“Oh. She is, is she?” He sounded put out, but I couldn’t understand why. Surely it would be a relief that someone else was taking me home. That he didn’t need to be inconvenienced by me anymore.
He took a step closer to me. “I’d really like to talk to you, though.” He whispered that part.
I stiffened in response to his proximity. “Nothing to talk about,” I said back, looking up to make sure Ayanda wasn’t listening.
“Oh, I think there is,” he said, slightly louder this time. “And that’s why I’ll take you home.”
At that my head snapped up. “Ayanda is tak—” But before I could finish the sentence, he’d already jumped into action.
“Miss Ndaba . . .” His voice boomed through the open-plan space. “Don’t worry about taking Miss Granger home, I’ll do that. Thank you, though.”
“Uh . . . um . . .” Ayanda stuttered. “It’s not a problem, Mr. Stark, I don’t mind, I really do—”
“I insist, but thank you.” He cut her off again and then walked to the massive door. He stopped and turned around. “Miss Granger?” He held the door open for me.
I looked over at Ayanda, almost in panic. This was the last thing I wanted, especially given what had happened a few moments ago. Ayanda shrugged her shoulders. I’d been painted into an awkward corner and there was only one way out of it. So I stood up reluctantly and walked over to the door.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
Ryan
The drive back to her place was tense and awkward. She kept fidgeting in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her arms and legs and leaning as far away from him as possible. At one stage, her entire body seemed to be pressed up against the window. He kept opening his mouth, wanting to say something to her, but each time he did, he ended up closing it again. Because honestly, he had no idea what to say to her. How to explain what had just happened in his office? That he’d fired her one minute and almost kissed her the next. It was totally inappropriate and unprofessional and he didn’t want her getting the wrong impression about him. This was not something he ever did!
