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It took seven ridiculous hip thrusts and creaks of the chair to move him as close as he wanted to my desk—I counted.
“This is unique, as far as interviews go,” he whispered after a few moments of silence. “Usually they ask questions.”
“Why are you here?”
“Well, fashion has always been an interest of mine. I think it started when I was five and I tried on my dad’s—”
“Why are you in my office? How? What the fuck?” I caught my heart racing again and my stomach was doing its best circus acrobat impression. I placed my palms on the desk and took another calming breath, except his damn scent was in the air. You do not like that scent. You are not thinking how nice it is. It was a clean, neat smell, and I wasn’t even sure how that made sense.
“I’ve got to admit, I thought we might brush shoulders working together. I had no idea you’d be giving the interview. But, yeah, I’m applying for work. What do you think?”
“I think you need to get out. Now. Before I call security.”
“You should at least look at my credentials before you kick me out.” He slid an embossed leather folder across the desk toward me. The front had some golden pressed outline of a boulder with the initials B.B. in big, obnoxious letters. I studied them, then raised my eyes to Travis.
He shrugged, but looked like he was trying not to smile.
The phone on my desk buzzed, but I ignored it. I needed to handle this Travis thing as soon as I possibly could. I knew how dangerous he could be if he got momentum, and I desperately needed to make sure that didn’t happen.
I opened it and stared at the name on the top of the resume. “Barry Boulders? What kind of joke is this?”
“Right, I thought you might wonder about that. The problem is I can’t actually explain that part. And I really, really need you to hire me anyway. I’m prepared to make you an offer you can’t refuse.”
I clenched my teeth. My eyes lingered on the name. I thought about the kiss at the elephant encounter. I hadn’t expected it, and I absolutely hadn’t expected to feel giddy for hours afterwards. It had taken me nearly an hour of aggressive meditation to stop dwelling on it, and I’d managed to almost clear Travis entirely from my mind until this moment.
Things had become dangerous when I started wondering if spending time with him was really the worst thing. I’d even thought maybe I could stop giving him such a hard time.
The phone on my desk buzzed again. I lifted it quickly and pressed it back down with a loud click.
I looked at his resume again, then snapped the ridiculously extravagant little folder closed and pushed it back towards “Barry Boulders.”
“This is where I work, Travis. You showed up at my door and forced me to go on a date with you. You convinced my mother we were moving in together. You even convinced me to be dumb enough to enjoy the elephant thing. But I will not let you come into my place of work and bring your chaos with you. Not here. This is where I draw the line.”
He leaned back in his chair, ran a hand through his hair, then blew out a breath. For once, he looked a little humble. Then he ruined it by speaking. “Would it help if I got on my knees?”
“No,” I said flatly. “That would make it worse. You need to leave.”
Travis got up and halfway turned like he was actually about to give up. He opened the door, hesitated, and closed it quickly. I had just stood from my desk to lock the door behind him.
He came straight for me, fell to his knees, and clasped my hands in his.
“What the hell are you—”
“Elizabeth,” he said, gazing up into my eyes like the handsome lunatic he was.
That was the moment my door opened. Mrs. Glass stood in my doorway. She took in the scene and her eyebrows creased. “What is the meaning of this?”
“I was just thanking Elizabeth,” Travis said. “When I explained what my family is going through, we shared a cry, and she told me she couldn’t possibly imagine turning me away from this job. She also mentioned how incredibly qualified I am, but we really connected on the whole personal tragedy part.”
I almost pushed him. He was doing it again. I needed to think fast. “Actually,” I said.
“Is this true?” Mrs. Glass asked. She came into the room, closing the door. She wasn’t a gullible woman, and I could tell she was one inch from tossing Travis out herself. She might be a little crazy and prone to odd decisions, but she was not gullible. She was not going to fall for his crap.
