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I had just said goodbye to them at the front door and was going to find Lydia when I paused as I came around the corner. Lilly stood behind her desk, sorting things into piles.
I took a few steps forward. “How are things going, Whiskey?”
Her gaze leaped to mine. “Things are going very well, thank you, Smoke.”
“Ironic, isn’t it?”
“Very,” she replied, knowing exactly what I was referring to. “Did you know?”
“What? That Lydia had hired you?” She nodded, and I shook my head and stepped closer to her to lower my voice. “Not at all. I didn’t learn about it until this morning.”
“But you knew before you saw me. You didn’t look surprised.”
“Lydia told me that she hired a woman who was new to town and matched your general description.”
She laughed. “What, short and ordinary?”
I frowned momentarily, not liking that she put herself down as I came around the desk to within arm’s reach. “Whiskey, there is nothing ordinary about you. I asked Lydia if the woman she hired had long brown hair and whiskey-colored eyes. I wasn’t sure it would be the same person, but I hoped it would.”
She shifted so that she faced me more, looking utterly perplexed. “Why did you hope?”
“Because I wanted to see you again.” I paused. “Do you remember what I said to you last night before I walked away?” She pulled her bottom lip under her teeth and nodded slightly. “I said prepare yourself the next time we meet.”
“I work for you.” She quickly said, shuffling back a few inches.
“No, you work for Lydia.”
“She works for you.”
I chuckled. “She is part owner of this company, so no, she doesn’t work for me.”
“But—” she paused, her gaze flicking toward Lydia’s office door.
“But what?”
“Last night, I saw you hug and kiss her goodbye. Are you involved with her?”
Whiskey had seen that? Had she been waiting in the parking lot for me? I glanced toward the door to Lydia’s office, hearing her talking to someone and figuring she was on the phone. “I have known Lydia since I was twelve years old. She’s my best friend and about the only person in the world that I trust one hundred percent.”
“Oh,” Whiskey replied, slightly breathlessly.
I leaned forward. “So, are you ready for me?”
“Ready to do what?”
“Are you ready to—” I paused, wanting to ask her if she was ready to burn for me, but instead, I said, “for us to get to know one another better, Whiskey?”
She swallowed, and her pupils dilated a bit more. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Zack.”
“Why?”
“Because we have to work together.”
“But work is work. What I’m talking about has nothing to do with work.”
Her shoulders rolled back, and she lifted her chin. “I’m sorry, Zack, but I won’t sleep with you. This job is too important, and I can’t afford to get involved with one of the bosses.”
I stared at her for a long moment. I didn’t want her to be upset or to make her uncomfortable. I quickly took a step back. “I understand, Mrs. Rouse.” Whiskey had said no to me, and no meant no. I would not approach her again, for if I did, she could quickly speak to human resources and say that she was being sexually harassed. We took those kinds of complaints very seriously.
I took another step back, nodded, walked into Lydia’s office, and closed the door behind me, feeling somewhat disappointed. I had hoped that having her here would have allowed me to get to know her better and perhaps help me figure out why I got this burning sensation in my gut every time I was near her.
