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Jaime was leaning against the SUV, his arms crossed over his chest. His black suit gave him a formal look but he ruined it with another goofy tie, this one with little Captain America shields hiding in the pattern. He had been playing on his phone but when he looked up and noticed me standing there, he shoved it in his pocket and sauntered up to me, smiling brightly.
“Good morning, sunshine. Gotta say, I figured you’d be more of an early riser. I’ve been here an hour already waiting for you. Your doorman kept making me circle the block.”
Glancing behind me, I noticed the doorman watching us with narrowed eyes. He saw himself as the first line of defense for all the residents and was suspicious of anyone who didn’t belong here. Giving him a small wave, I glanced back at Jaime with a frown.
“What are you doing here?”
He gestured around him. “Snow is almost all melted. I figured I might be able to convince you to grab a ride with me. Monday mornings on the train can’t be pleasant.”
I scrunched my nose. The snow had melted off the roads but it was still on the ground. It wasn’t warm enough to melt completely. But it wasn’t terrible and all the roads were salted so I didn’t feel as apprehensive as before. Besides, I’d feel like an ass saying no after he just finished telling me he’s been here for over an hour waiting for me.
“I suppose you’re right. Just this once though.”
He grinned at me and those dimples flashed, blinding me. If he wasn’t careful, the scruff would hide them completely which would be a shame.
Opening the passenger door, he bowed slightly with a smirk. “M’lady.”
Rolling my eyes, I stepped past him and climbed in. No driver today so after he closed the door behind me he jogged around front and got into the driver’s seat. It wasn’t as cold as before but he still had the heat blasting and I grimaced, turning it down as he pulled away from the curb.
“Sorry, a friend asked for a ride this morning and her husband is really weird about her getting cold. He makes everyone who gives her a ride blast the heat. And I can’t say no to a pregnant lady. It’s against the rules.”
“So you’ve been demoted to chauffeur now?”
He laughed. “No, that was just a favor. Her bodyguard was busy with a project and the guy who normally takes over in his absence was busy. I don’t mind giving her a ride though, she’s a big movie buff and we like to debate about which series are better.”
I made a face. “That depends entirely on what you’re trying to base it off of.”
I winced internally. That slipped out before I had a chance to stop it. I didn’t want to get friendly with Jaime. You could almost feel the trouble coming off him in waves and I didn’t want him to think I wanted any part of it.
He glanced at me before his eyes shifted back to the road. “You like movies?”
Pulling out my phone, I feigned answering a message but when we stopped at a light he turned to face me, raising an eyebrow. I sighed.
“Yes, I do occasionally enjoy watching a movie when I have the time. It’s not often, I have a busy schedule, but I’m not a complete robot. Keep your eyes on the road.” I pointed out the window and he chuckled, easing off the break as we pulled through the light.
“What’s your favorite movie?”
I shook my head. “I’m not answering that. For one thing, it’s a ridiculous question. Different movies suit different moods. For another, you work for my client and I don’t make friends with my clients or their employees. I need to remain neutral to do my job effectively.”
He frowned. “Why would making friends affect your work? I’m friends with most of the people I work with.” When I raised my eyebrow, he shrugged. “There are a few douchebags here and there but I figure that’s true with any job.”
Pursing my lips, I settled back in my seat. I almost felt a little jealous. I don’t have any friends. Men found me emasculating and women found me cold. I spent most of my time with my cat or buried in work.
“Well, that’s nice for you but it doesn’t work that way for everyone. If I take the job offer, I’ll be representing Mr. O’Connor but I’ll be dealing with the workers and if I come off as favoring the executives, they’ll be less likely to work with me.”
He tipped his head back and forth. “I never thought about it that way. I’m not an executive though. You don’t have to worry about me affecting their opinions. I’m just a grunt like the rest of them,” he grinned.
He had a point but I still didn’t want to risk it. I preferred an easier relationship with the employees. I’ve had an especially hard time with construction workers who took issue with the fact that I’m a woman telling them how things are supposed to be done. I didn’t want to give them any more ammunition.
When we pulled up in front of the building, I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I had to remind myself that I was here first and foremost to negotiate the contract. I wasn’t accepting the job unless it was all ironed out and agreed upon. Unease spread through me at the thought of telling Liam that his contract wasn’t good enough. Every instinct I had told me not to make this man angry.
“Don’t stress so hard. I’m sure you’ll do great. They wouldn’t put in this much effort to get you here if they didn’t think you were right for the job.”
Jaime’s smile was reassuring and I forced myself to relax as much as I could. Nodding once at him, I swallowed hard and unbuckled my seatbelt. Someone opened my door for me and I startled hard, fighting back a yelp. I heard Jaime snicker and it helped push me past the nerves enough to flash him a dirty look before climbing out of the SUV. Since the ride wasn’t terrible and I’m not a complete bitch I turned to face him.
“Thanks for the ride.”
He smiled brightly. “Any time. Give ‘em hell.”
