Page 21 of Miss Treated

She chuckled, the sound hitting me directly in the solar plexus. Jesus, I had it bad. Then again, who could blame me? She was so naturally beautiful. Today she was wearing a burgundy dress which accented her curves and heels which had me staring at her legs. I had to remind myself that COOs did not imagine their contractor’s shoes on their bedroom floors.

“Seems you are popular in every food-and-drink establishment in a ten-mile radius.”

“What can I say? I have an unforgettable face.” I flashed her my dimples, but instead of laughing at my antics, she frowned. Ah, hell. I was only joking. I had a healthy ego and appreciated when women liked my looks, but my flirting was seldom serious. Although I dated, I hardly took advantage of all the phone numbers shoved my way. Especially those from the younger girls like Jen the barista or Megan the waitress. Or any of the women at work, for that matter. Especially Shauna. I needed to figure out a way to let her down easy as she’d gotten more aggressive in her pursuit.

“Nic, here’s your coffee,” came Jen’s voice.

“Thank you.” I took my coffee over to the station and tore open two sugars, pouring them into my cup.

“How did you get your coffee before mine?” she asked, shaking her head.

“I’d love to say it’s because I’m special, but—” I held up my phone. “It’s because I ordered it on the app before coming down.”

“Oh.” A blush stained her cheeks.

“How was your weekend?”

“It was good. My friends and I checked out Old Town like you suggested. We went to Casa de Reyes. It was terrific.”

“Great food. Did you try the margaritas?”

“We did. Which reminds me—since I expect to put in some late nights this week, I’d like to take you up on the offer to give me some food delivery suggestions.”

“Yeah, I’ll be sure to send you some. Or if I’m working late too, I could place an order for both of us.” I’d been serious about taking on this audit and learning more, helping out at the company wherever I could. Spending time with her was simply a bonus.

“What about your dog at home?”

“I only live a few miles away. When I work late, I pick her up and bring her back to the office with me. She has a bed under my desk. Hey, did you speak with my father yet about the audit?”

“I did. Seems you’re to be helping me.” Her smile was not reflected in her eyes. “I expect to be working late nights and early mornings.”

“With the exception of this Friday night, when I have to go to a charity ball, I’m happy to work alongside you, any hours. Look, I recognize I’m new to this job, but what I lack in experience, I make up for with hard work.” I tried not to appear defensive, but there were only so many times a guy could have his commitment questioned before developing a complex.

Her face turned red. “I never meant to suggest otherwise. My apologies.”

“No, mine for making you feel as if you needed to apologize.” I shouldn’t have inflicted my insecurities on her.

We were quiet as we went up in the crowded elevator together. The doors opened to show my father waiting for me.

Not the best timing. I’d wanted a chance to smooth things over with Kelsey.

“Dominic, can I see you in your office?” my father asked.

“Have a good day.” Kelsey gave a small wave to the man in charge before unlocking her own office door and going inside.

Feeling distracted, I walked into my office with my dad on my heels.

“What’s happening with you and Kelsey?” my father questioned the moment the door closed.

“Not a thing outside of working together.” Much to my disappointment.

“We spoke this morning, and she indicated she’s fine with you helping out. Did you see the paper today?”

“No, I haven’t.” Unlike my father, I preferred my reading on a tablet. But he held the Wall Street Journal business section in his hand.

“Looks like Juniper Communications and Arrow Communications are merging.”

“Which means what?” Juniper was where Gabe worked, but I was unfamiliar with Arrow.