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“You wait here,” Scott barked in my direction. “We’ll bring you in later.” He pointed to a chair in the lobby of the 16th floor, snapping his fingers when I didn’t move right away.
“Do you have the RFP?” I asked as I sat down.
“No,” Scott shook his head. “You were supposed to remember to bring it!”
“I brought an extra, just in case,” I said, digging one out of my bag and handing it over. “And here’s a copy of the client bio, and some of their vital stats.”
Scott narrowed his eyes at me before snatching the paper out of my hand and walking away. Another fun day at work! I thought miserably.
“Hey, thanks Lily,” Damien said, glancing down at me. “He would have really fucked this up.”
“Of course,” I said, smiling. Damien smiled back at me and I was caught off guard by how dazzling his good looks were. And while normally I would have thought that he was a cocky jackass, compared to Scott he was practically a saint.
“You’re appreciated around here,” Damien said under his breath, leaning closer. “I know you don’t feel that way, but it’s true.”
“Thanks,” I said nervously, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear.
“Later,” Damien said. “I think we’ll be in for about an hour or so before we’ll want you to do the presentation.” He pulled out his wallet and handed me a twenty. “Why don’t you go get yourself some breakfast or something? I’ll make sure Scott stays in line.”
“Thanks,” I repeated. For some reason, whenever Damien was around I always felt so tongue-tied. He smiled at me again and then turned on his heel, loping gracefully into the conference room.
Chapter Three
Damien
“He’s really got you sweating, doesn’t he?” I asked Lily as she stapled another bundle of receipts to a meticulous spreadsheet printout. She shook her head.
“Kind of,” she admitted. “But honestly I’d much rather do this type of work than go get his dry cleaning.”
“You knew that was part of the job, too,” I teased, admiring the delicate curve of her neck. Even in shitty fluorescent lighting, she still looked amazing.
“I was hoping it would be minimal,” she replied, grimacing. “But look, I’m done with the past two years!” Proudly, she held up two bulging folders with receipts neatly stapled in the corner of each.
“You’re fast.”
“Not as fast as Scott,” she muttered. Lily tilted her gorgeous face up to me and I saw that she was blushing. “I’m sorry,” she added. “I really shouldn’t have said that.”
I felt my lips curve into a reluctant smile. “I think I know what you mean,” I said slowly. “He goes about a million miles an hour.”
“It’s not that,” Lily replied sharply. “Come on.” She looked at me with her head cocked to the side. “You know him better than that.”
I held up my hands and chuckled, pleased that she wasn’t beating around the bush with me. “I do,” I admitted. “I know him unfortunately all too well.”
She frowned. “So you know what a sleazeball he is, right?”
“I wish I could say he’s harmless, but,” I cut myself off, feeling like I’d somehow revealed too much. I could be fired (to mention sued) for this conversation, but talking to Lily felt unnaturally easy. “But he’s trouble,” I finished. “Just try to keep your distance.”
“It’s hard when he asks me out multiple times a day,” Lily said, rolling her eyes. “I don’t want to piss him off, but I’m not going out with him. He’s lucky that he hasn’t been charged with sexual harassment.”
I stared at her. “Most women don’t mind. They’re happy to be around his insane level of wealth.”
She shot me a withering glance. “Most women are morons,” she countered. “I just want to do my job without having my boss slap my ass.”
I swallowed, suddenly feeling massively uncomfortable. I hadn’t ever really thought about what would happen if I met someone that I actually liked, and while part of me hated Scott, the other part of me wrote his behavior off as typical male. After all, I was pretty much the same way. But that begged the question: if Lily found out about my reputation, wouldn’t she hate me, too?
“Sorry,” I muttered. “I wasn’t paying attention. It’s late, do you want to order dinner?”
Lily immediately brightened. I watched as she set down the sheaf of papers on the desk and rubbed her eyes with balled-up fists. Then she stretched her arms high above her head and behind her back. Her blouse strained with the effort, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her perky breasts. A flash of desire shot through me as I imagined holding her arms over her head and unfastening her blouse with one hand, slipping my thumb inside of her bra and caressing a stiff nipple. Get it together! I chided myself. That isn’t going to happen with her.
