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Roger cocked a brow. She was a natural blonde. It suited her, bringing out her green eyes even more, if that was possible. “It was worth it.”
Then Gia laughed. “I hope the Hendersons don’t tell me to dye it back.”
“Why would they?”
“My old boss didn’t like the blonde. He said clients wouldn’t think I’m capable of doing the job.” She frowned and sighed at the memory.
“Idiot. A person should only be judged by their abilities. Is that why you quit?”
“Got fired. And no.”
Roger wanted to know what the hell happened. She was honest enough to tell him she’d been fired. Would she open up to him regarding it all? “He must be a fool to have let you go.”
“If he hadn’t fired me, I’d have quit.”
That spoke volumes. Softly and gently he prodded, “What did he do?” He knew he needed to keep his cool no matter what she said. That might be difficult because the look in Gia’s eyes said she was still hurt by it.
“One of the clients crossed the line. The only thing my former boss did, or didn’t do, was be in my corner. Instead he fired me for standing up for myself. So at the end of the day, it wasn’t just the client who had no respect for me, my boss didn’t either.”
Between clenched teeth he asked, “Did he force himself on you?”
“He tried. I smacked him across the face.”
Good girl.“What did he do?”
“Smacked me back and said I’d never work in this city again.”
That fucking asshole. Roger needed to find out who he was. That bastard needed to be taught a lesson, one he’d never forget. He didn’t want Gia to know what he was going to do. Instead Roger said, “And now you’re going to work for one of the most prestigious companies, and not just in Boston.”
“Until they catch wind of what I did to a client,” Gia said somberly.
“Gia, that wasn’t your fault. And the Henderson family wouldn’t tolerate that either. They might be tough bastards in the business world, but I can assure you they respect and protect women. If either of them are stupid enough to come forth with that information and try to trash your reputation, it wouldn’t be acceptable.” And their business would feel a wrath like they’ve never known.
“You seem to know a lot about them.”
“I do.” More than they probably wished he did. And more than any of them realized too. “Trust me; you won’t have that experience with them.” Roger knew if anything did occur, even Caydan would have his back on this, family or not. Certain lines would never be crossed or other cheeks turned. And she’s one person I’m not going to let anyone fuck with.
“If for one minute I thought they were, I wouldn’t take the job, no matter how much money they offered me. My self-respect isn’t for sale.”
Gia continued to impress him. He was waiting to find something he didn’t like or find attractive about her. Then again, she wasn’t the issue in this relationship. He was. Roger could commit to a job or a project, but he’d never contemplated what it would be like after a year or two with the same woman. Usually he didn’t want to know that much about them. The less he knew, the less involved he was. Yet he wanted to ask and learn more about Gia. It didn’t matter what they talked about, he found her interesting. What he wasn’t ready to do was reciprocate. Eventually he was going to have to share or she would grow tired of one-sided communication. God knows I wouldn’t have put up with it from day one, never mind for almost a week.
“If you don’t eat that pizza it’s going to get cold,” Gia said.
That had been her way of putting an end to the heavy topic. He picked up another piece and took a big bite. She got up and walked to the fridge. She returned with a fresh cold one for each of them.
“What do you like to do when you’re not working?” he asked.
“Watch Hallmark movies,” she said with a big grin.
“Shoot me,” he said with a laugh. “There has to be something else.” Gia looked as though she didn’t know what to say. There was no way such a beautiful woman stayed cooped up in this small apartment when she wasn’t working. “I mean if you were back home in Maplesville, what would you do?”
Her eyes brightened. “That’s easy. When the weather is nice like today, I’d go hiking and exploring. Don’t laugh, but I’ve always liked walking through the woods, off-trail, and searching for old artifacts. I’ve even found a few arrowheads.”
Roger cocked a brow as he saw the light in her eyes as she spoke about it. “Gia, do you like being a compliance auditor?”
Her cute little nose wrinkled as she said, “That’s a leap from asking me what I like to do for fun.”
“I know, but it’s a serious question.”
