Page 7 of Last First Date

"A lot of these pictures are old," I said. "He is thirty-two now. I'm guessing things aren't quite as hard as they used to be."

She raised an eyebrow. I realized the way it sounded and immediately blushed. "That's not what I meant!"

She giggled and sipped her wine. "Men that age are like fine wine. The pictures at the charity function over the holidays say he's still hot."

"He's wearing a tux," I countered. "Yes, he might be trim, but it's very unlikely he's still sporting washboard abs."

"I guess you can always ask him to lift his shirt," she smiled.

I grimaced. "That's the last thing I'd do."

"Just saying, you were so curious about his abs," Janie teased, scrolling through her phone to show me more of Knox's pictures. "See? Still ripped like a Greek god."

There was a picture of him sunbathing on a yacht last summer. Indeed, his abs were rock hard. His biceps were well defined without being ridiculously muscular. Sometimes, I believed God was a little sloppy with the gene disbursement. Knox was rich, hot, and possibly smart. The verdict was still out on the last bit.

I sighed, taking another sip of my wine. Was this what working with him was going to be like? A constant tug of war between my professional decorum and the temptation of his physical attractiveness?

"Let's change the subject," I suggested, closing my laptop. "This is getting us nowhere."

Janie laughed, topping off her wine glass. "Okay, okay. Let's talk about something else. How about we dream up the vacation we'll take when we finally get a break?"

"Suits me," I replied, relishing the thought of a far-off place where there were no spreadsheets and no Knox Williams to distract me.

We talked about going to San Diego for a week and hanging out on the beach. Even as we discussed the vacation we had been planning for five years but had yet to actually get to it, I thought about Knox. Not Knox, but my job. He was going to be starting next week. I was nervous as hell. If he was a cocky, arrogant dude, there was a good chance he was going to want some hot assistant he could flirt with. I knew his type.

"He's probably going to be arrogant and snobbish," I mused aloud.

Janie looked at me with confusion. "What?"

"Nothing," I muttered.

"You're still thinking about him!"

"Not him. My job. What it means for me and my future. I'll never find a job that pays this much. There's no way I can keep this place. My car. Everything. There's a lot riding on this. If he turns out to be an asshole, I don't know how I can work for him."

"Give him a chance," she said.

"A chance is a big ask."

"Don't be so serious, Waverly," Janie teased, swirling the last of the wine in her glass. "Maybe he's not all bad. And who knows? You might get to enjoy the view at the office."

I shot her a playful glare, knowing she was just trying to lighten the mood. "Janie, there is absolutely no way anything is going to happen between me and Knox Williams. I'm there to work, not indulge in some office romance."

She held up her hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. But just be careful. He's well known for loving and leaving the ladies. Just looking through these pictures and it's like looking at his very full little black book."

I scoffed, waving off her warning. "Janie, please. I'm not going to be one of his conquests. I'm there to do my job, and that's it. Besides, I seriously doubt a man like that is going to be interested in a woman like me."

"Stop," she chided. "You have a great ass and big boobs. You are every man's dream."

I burst into laughter. "Uh, thanks."

"I am serious! You are sexy and smart. I mean, you are an executive assistant at a multimillion-dollar company. That's no small feat. Stop letting that nasty little voice in the back of your head whisper you aren't pretty enough or good enough. We all have that voice. We have all learned to shut that bitch down. She needs to sit down, shut up, and let you live your life."

I appreciated her words, but I feared they were a bit inflated. "Well, if my sex appeal is what gets me through this job, it's going to be one hell of a rocky start," I admitted with a slightly bitter chuckle.

"There’s more to you than your physical attributes," she said, putting down the empty glass on the wooden table, her eyes serious. "You are dependable, hardworking, and have a big heart. Any boss would be lucky to have you as his assistant. And you're funny. You always turn my shitty day around. I know I can call you anytime day or night and you're going to be there for me."

Despite the humor in our conversation, I could feel the sincerity in her words. Janie had always been unapologetically honest, which was something I admired about her. And right now, I found it comforting.