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I knew he was just ribbing me, but it was still rubbing me the wrong way.
"Look, I just met her, and offered her the use of my spare bedroom, because she's currently homeless and I hate to see her being taken advantage of any more than she already has been. She's – well, she's kind of naive."
"Shit, man, you move fast. I was thinking you'd be asking her out for coffee or drinks, not to live with you. Speaking of taking advantage..." He grinned. "Is she going to take you up on the offer?"
"I hope so," I replied, opening a file, hoping he'd get the hint that I had work to do and stop with the ribbing. "You know my weakness for damsels in distress."
"That I do, that I do. She's pretty."
"Very. Long hair. Big green eyes. Nice smile. Perky little body that a man could imagine riding him all night..." I mimed holding her nice curvy torso over my hips and moving her up and down.
"Ha!" Keith said and shook his head. "You're a goner."
I laughed. "You're an idiot."
I opened the file drawer to my desk and took out a file I needed with recent financial data.
"Haven't you got anything better to do than give me a hard time?" I asked, when he seemed unable to take a hint. "Like prepare quarterly financial reports or something?"
"Speaking of which," he said, and leaned on my desk. "We just signed a big contract for that book by former Special Agent James Arthur."
"The tell-all about his time in the FBI? Great," I said, glad to see we were signing more non-fiction book contracts. I motioned to the door. "That should keep you busy and out of my hair."
I gave him a huge shit-eating grin and he laughed.
"Make sure to introduce me to this pretty little filly you're sniffing around."
"Not likely," I replied, and opened my file. I hoped he'd take off and leave me to my work, but he was enjoying ribbing me too much to go quickly or willingly.
"I'm serious, Josh. It's good to see you smiling again. I know this year's been hard."
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks, and all that. I'm a big boy. I can look after myself."
Keith winked at me and finally left my office, leaving me alone to try to fill the rest of the afternoon with enough work to keep my mind off Ella. I wasn't sure whether she'd show up at the penthouse and would be coming to live in my apartment temporarily. I also wondered whether anything more would develop between us.
I couldn't deny that I hoped it would – and when I wanted something, I did everything in my power to make it reality.
I mentally kicked myself in the head. I would be busy as hell over the next few weeks before my trip to California, tying up all the loose ends of my work. Once I was caught up, I'd take a flight to LA and set to work getting our new office set up and start working on making contacts in LA.
I loved building things – whether it was a new business or renovating an old building. Escaping Manhattan for a few weeks in LA promised to give me exactly what I wanted – escape and something meaningful.
Keith enjoyed ribbing me about a pretty little thing like Ella tempting me to get tangled up in some new woman's life, but there was no way I was going to make that mistake again.
I might make a mistake once, but not twice.
Chapter Eleven
Ella
I went right to reception and flashed my temporary badge at the young woman sitting there, a phone to her ear. She smiled and pointed down the hall, covering the receiver with one hand.
"Sharon's waiting for you in her office. Far corner," she said quietly. Then she returned to her phone call.
"Thank you," I mouthed and followed the hallway to the door at the end. I knocked on it, noting the name tag which read Sharon Rogers, Manager, Acquisitions.
I was finally here. Sharon was real and my job was definitely real, too.
"Come in," a voice called. I recognized it as Sharon's and opened the door. Inside was an unsurpassed view of the city. Floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides of the room, a huge mahogany desk facing the door, and behind it sat my new boss, Sharon Murphy. Middle-aged, salt-and-pepper hair in a tidy bob, and thick dark-rimmed glasses perched on the end of her nose. She had a phone to her ear and nodded to me when I entered. She kept speaking but motioned to the chair in front of her desk.
