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Damn, if he doesn’t look sexy like that…

“No, Krystina. It means I’m very busy, and I don’t like disruptions,” he said, sounding exasperated. “She knows to either buzz my phone or knock first.”

I immediately chastised myself for always being so suspicious.

“Sorry—paranoia can get the best of me sometimes. I just got nervous about someone catching us. That’s all,” I admitted, pushing aside the thought I might not have been the first woman to be kissed on that couch.

He stood up and began tucking his shirt back into his pants. Then, after his tie was straightened, he reached for me and pulled me against him.

“I’m the one who should apologize, but I can’t say I’m all that sorry,” he murmured into my hair.

“What do you mean?”

“I shouldn’t have done that. At work. In the office. Believe it or not, I do hold myself accountable to a certain level of professionalism. I should have restrained myself, but I…” he hesitated. “It was all that talk. And your damn highlighters. I had to have just a little taste of you.”

“It’s okay. I kind of liked it,” I said, resting my head against his shoulder. He pulled back and studied me.

“Yeah, me too,” he thoughtfully agreed. He sounded somewhat surprised by that fact.

“What’s the matter, Stone? Did you break another one of your rules?” I asked, playfully slapping him on the arm.

“I did, actually,” he admitted with a frown. “And if we keep this up, we’ll never get any work done. I still have a lot to go over with you today.”

Reluctantly, I removed my arms from his waist and took a step back.

“You’re right. So, what’s the next order of business?” I asked, focusing on why I was here in the first place.

“For starters, you still need to sign the salary and benefit information.”

He went over to his desk and retrieved the folder I had left there.

Taking the paperwork from him, I took a seat in front of his desk and got to work on reading over the necessary information. When I flipped to the second page, I let out a gasp of astonishment.

“Alex, this salary would feed a small country for a year. It’s too much!”

“Well, that’s a first. I don’t usually have people tell me I pay them too much,” he said with a laugh, taking a seat behind his desk. “Don’t sweat it, Krystina. I can afford it.”

“If you say so,” I mumbled, perusing the rest of the documents. Everything looked to be in order, including the health insurance and 401k benefits neatly outlined in detail. Only the salary was over the top. I picked up a pen from the desk and began scrawling my signature over the required documents.

When I was finished, he handed me another folder.

“Your first assignment,” he told me. I peeked at the contents, anxious to see where I would begin.

“Wally’s?” I asked in surprise.

“Yes. The grocer needs help boosting their sales. This campaign is pro-bono, at least for now. I took a big risk with them, which is something I don’t normally do, but I think it will be extremely profitable in the long run. Make sure you do it justice.”

“Of course, I will!” I exclaimed, eagerly looking through the information in front of me. The chance to help out Wally’s was exciting, but at the very least, it might help me move past the melancholy feelings I had over leaving.

“Wally’s is personal to you. That alone will be beneficial. I’m confident you’ll do well with it.”

I looked up, beaming at Alexander for the opportunity, and saw him holding yet another folder out for me to take.

“What’s that?”

“Last folder, I promise,” he said, placing it in front of me. “This is my clean bill of health, as you required on your list. I don’t suppose you scheduled a doctor appointment for yourself yet?”

Shit. I knew I forgot to do something.