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Whiskey
Iwas nervous when I arrived at my new job, but Lydia quickly made me feel comfortable as she showed me to my desk and began to introduce me to the other employees as she showed me around. The last thing I expected to run into was the sexy man from last night.
As Lydia finished the tour, I could barely remember what she’d said after seeing him. Smoke worked here, and he wasn’t just an employee. He was an owner. For a brief moment, I was excited to see him. In those few seconds, I remembered what he had said to me last night and wondered if perhaps we could get to know one another better. Then I remembered he was the one that had his name on the building, and I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell that would happen.
It was disappointing, but I was used to disappointment. By noon, I had stopped thinking about him at least once every five minutes and thrown myself into my work. Lydia was occupied with meetings and phone calls, but she left me busy with easy work and told me to get familiar with the filing system and where things were in the building.
She also told me she’d give me a plant tour later this week, and I looked forward to that. A large window at the back of the office overlooked the manufacturing plant, and I had paused by it a couple of times to watch the people moving around the machines. It was foreign to me, but I found it fascinating and almost hypnotical with how the devices moved.
The last time I had been standing there, a man from the plant came in wearing a hard hat and safety glasses. He removed the hat, hung it on a hook near the door, and turned to find me watching him. His eyes slipped down my body and back up before he smiled.
“You must be Lydia’s new assistant.” He stepped forward. “I’m Paul Hobart.” He put his hand out, and I shook it happily.
“Yes, Lillian Rouse, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Paul. I have heard your name mentioned a few times this morning.”
He chuckled, and I found I liked the sound of his laugh. “I hope it was in a good way.”
“Ah, yes, it definitely was. Especially if 'ask Paul, he knows’ is good.”
He grinned, and we both glanced toward the window as a forklift drove by. “A lot is going on out there.”
“I see that.”
“Have you had your tour yet?”
I shook my head. “No, Lydia was too busy today. She said she would show me later this week.”
“Excellent, but if she doesn’t get a chance, just let me know. I’d be happy to show you around the plant.”
“Thank you, Paul. I appreciate that.”
“You’re welcome.” He started to walk backward. “I should get going. Smoke wants me to speak to the new clients.”
“Does everyone call him Smoke?”
He nodded. “Yep. I’ll talk to you later, Lillian. Let me know if there is anything I can help you with.”
“Thank you, Paul,” I told him, and then he turned and disappeared. I watched him leave, noting he also had broad shoulders, but not as wide as Smoke’s were.
I frowned as I returned to my desk. The last thing I should be doing is comparing anyone to Smoke. Sadly, he was off-limits, and with that thought in mind, I returned to my work.
I didn’t think about Smoke again until almost quitting time, and that was only because he materialized beside my desk. Our conversation was brief, and I would have had to be blind to have missed the change in his demeanor when I told him no.
There was no joking or using the nickname Whiskey he gave me last night. Hell, he didn’t even call me Lillian. He called me Mrs. Rouse and left as quickly as he came.
That left me very frustrated, but I knew I was making the right decision. If I had thought about taking the chance, he would end up spending a few hours or weeks with me and then grow bored. Or perhaps he would have talked me into bed and been disappointed. After that, it would be awkward at the office, and I would begin to consider quitting, which wasn’t an option. I really did need this job.
I stared at the closed door, wondering if I should knock on the door and see if Lydia needed anything else from me before I left. I turned back to the desk and decided to use the phone to call into her office.
“Yes?” Lydia answered a moment later.
“I am getting ready to head home. Was there anything else that you needed before I left?”
“No, thank you, Lilly. You did a great job today. I hope things weren’t overwhelming for you.”
Oh, only the part that involves your business partner, I wanted to reply. However, I didn’t. “Not at all. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night.”
“You too, Lilly.” Her phone beeped as she hung up, and I set the receiver into the cradle and grabbed my purse, hoping to hightail it out of there before Smoke left her office.
