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I didn’t escort women back to my apartment; shit, I didn’t sleep with anyone within a 15-mile radius and never exchanged phone numbers. I had no desire to run into any of my hookups. Besides one girlfriend in high school, I had never slept with the same woman twice.
I had a feeling Laurel would be down for a mild night of mind-blowing orgasms, but it would be impossible not to run into her.
One thing that intrigued me was she made her craziness visible. I would love to taste her, but it wasn’t worth the consequences.
“Time for you to go,” I said while thrusting her toward the door. Then I pushed her out the door and latched it in her face. Her presence was placing me on edge.
A few minutes later, I heard her knocking but not on my door. We shared a bedroom wall.
“You know what’s cool? We can talk without ever having to see each other.”
I couldn’t move. If she heard me, then maybe she would start talking again. After about ten minutes of quiet, I had to take a shower and get ready for bed.
Hudson Securities, the private security firm I owned, was growing so fast that I could barely keep up, but I shouldn’t complain. We could now be more selective about the jobs we took on, but it was still difficult to turn down the crucial ones.
My current client, a senator, came to me wanting personal security for their anniversary dinner. The pay was outstanding, and it was a steady job. It had turned into a lot of jobs for that particular family. The monumental downfall, his wife desired me. Every time she stopped by, she came into my office and practically threw herself at me. Running out of subtle ways to decline her invitations, my employees now warned me when she came into the building, so I could hide out in the bathroom. It was a little childish, but I didn’t want to lose her husband’s business.
Tomorrow, I had a couple of interviews to replace Lacey. If it hadn’t been for her, our records would be a mess. The problem with working with all men was that they couldn’t keep shit organized. Before Lacey, my oldest sister was the office manager. When she quit, her exit was loud. She was done putting up with “man-children.” Ever since then, the pay went up, and the guys were coached to be more respectful.
Walking into work at the crack of dawn the following morning, I was dreading the day ahead of me and still thinking of Laurel.
“Morning, boss,” Justin, my best friend since high school, greeted me with a mocking grin. We enlisted in the military together straight after graduation. I chose the Navy, and he decided on the Marines. No matter what, we always kept in touch. When his contract ended, I offered him a job. The military transformed us both, but our friendship always remained the same.
A vision of Laurel popped into my head. I couldn’t make heads nor tails of what happened last night. Many times, I had to hide a laugh or smile. I realized I did startle her, so I’d cut her some slack. My first thought when I woke up was of her, even though I continue to fight it.
Powering on my computer, I needed to get ready for the day. Paperwork consumed me for the first hour of my day until my first interviewee was set to arrive. I was extremely frustrated; they never showed up for their interview.
I wanted to writeDO NOT HIRE, but I couldn’t find her resume in the five hundred papers scattered around my office. I preferred my life to be tidy, and right now, it was cluttered.
Someone was knocking on my office door. I hoped it wasn’t her. Although it wasn’t one of my employees because they just walked right into my office. Getting up to open the door, my back ached. Sleep didn’t come frequently, and when it did, it didn’t last long.
I opened the door to a squeal. What the hell? This had to be a joke. “Umm. Laurel? What are you doing here?”
“I’m your new assistant, silly.”
I was considering telling an employee to escort her out of my building. “My new assistant? You are that confident?” My voice cracked, redirecting it up a couple of octaves.
“Yes, after last night, I figured I wouldn’t even have to interview.”
“Wow, I’m going to stop you right there.” Laurel’s brows shot up at the interruption. “I’m sorry you got the incorrect impression, but I don’t do the friend thing.”
“Friends?”
“There is no way I can employ you.”
“Just give me one chance,” she pleaded with me.
“Absolutely not.”
“Give me today to prove to you I can do the job. I’ve been doing this for ten years. If by the end of the day, you still don’t think I’m right for the job, then I won’t fight it.”
I’ve never been foolish, yet here I was, considering her offer. “You won’t bug me at home either?” A slight bit of regret came over me. Did I desire her to leave me alone? Affirmative, accepting her in my life would be a mistake. Hurt flashed through her eyes as she agreed.
One look and only a few words were all it took for her to get under my skin. Her presence put me on edge. For the second time, I flung my door in her face.
Chapter 6
Laurel
