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April rolls into May and soon June. It is hard to believe that I haven’t been working here since the inception of the business. Most of the staff knows me, whether by passing through the office or by having been assigned to guard me. I feel like a member of a huge family. And Archer is our father. I have to keep at the forefront that he is that much older than I am.
Our constant angst is the organization of the office. I know that my way is best, but I don’t get a chance to enforce that until he has to go on a special assignment outside of the city. I go to town! Furniture is moved around, décor is enhanced and the whole filing room is rearranged. I don’t give it a second thought until one morning when Tony drops me off at work. As soon as I sit down, footsteps come down the corridor. I look up in surprise to find Archer glowering from the doorway.
“Hi, Archer. Had a good trip?”
“What the fuck is this?”
“What is what?”
“Don’t play with me, Sidney.” He storms over to my desk and plants his hands on it, placing his face a few inches from mine.
“I’m not playing with you, Archer. I would never do that. You’re not a toy.”
“Damn right, I’m not. I want this office back to what it was before I left. And it had better be back in order today. I want my files moved back to how I like them organized—”
“But I think my way is much more efficient.”
“—And my furniture moved back to how I had it,” he continues as if I haven’t talked at all.
“It’s not warm and inviting and client friendly, Archer. Think about your clients and their comfort, and you’ll see that this way makes sense. And the filing system works. Let me show you.” I get up and walk into the filing room which is just off the corridor, pleased when he follows. I flip the light on and walk over to the cabinet.
“Pick a file. Any file. I bet I can find it in a jiffy.”
“I’m not going to play your games, Sidney. Fix it back. Now.” His voice has dropped to a low rumble and he has a glint in his eyes. I’m suddenly aware of how close he’s standing to me and the raw animal energy emanating from him. I feel all my resolve to keep him at arms’ length melt as my imagination begins to run wild. I back up against the filing cabinet as he steps into my space.
“Give it a chance, please,” I reply, holding my ground in spite of my nervousness. His chest rises and falls as he stares at me and I at him. A shiver runs down my spine as I wonder what will happen if he just leans down and presses his body to mine and professionalism be damned.
“Little girl, don’t play games with me,” he growls and leans closer. “Learn to do as you’re told, and don’t play with big men.”
I wonder if he can hear my heart pounding. I hold my breath. My face is almost touching his lapel. I can feel the heat of his body and the musk of his cologne tickle my nostrils. I want to swallow nervously but I can’t. His gray eyes hold mine and the charged tension between us rises. It’s a magnetic pull that I feel powerless to resist. For a second, I flash back to the night in the alley when Spike had held the knife to my throat. But the terror that it usually brings me doesn’t follow. I hold my breath as Archer moves a whisper closer, waiting for the panic to hit me. It never comes, and then he steps back and walks away.
What the hell was that?
My knees are as weak as they had been that night. But the memory of Spike and the fear he invoked have been effectively erased by the way Archer makes me feel. Safe.
There is simply no denying my attraction to him. I go back to my office and look around. Well, the rearranged furniture had been good while it lasted. Reluctantly, I put everything back where it was. I’ll tackle the filing room tomorrow.
I have my purse packed and am ready to find out who my driver is when Archer steps out of his office.
“I’ll be taking you home.” He steps ahead of me and opens the door to the outer office.
Wordlessly, I follow him, brushing past him as he stands in the doorway. Silently, we go down in the elevator and into the parking garage. I feel the heat of his hand on the small of my back as he hurries me to the car. He opens the door for me and waits until I’m seated and then comes around as usual. In a minute, we are screeching out into the street and merging with evening traffic.
The ride is silent for the most part, and I’m glad. I’m not sure why I feel nervous but I dare not speak. I just want to get home and away from Archer.
“Shit!”
The screeching of the brakes jerks me out of my thoughts. I’m being thrown forward and my heart lurches in my chest. But my forward trajectory is stopped by Archer’s arm as he braces me back against my seat. My chest heaves and I’m conscious of my breasts pressed against his arm.
“Are you okay?” He glances at me.
“Yes. What happened?”
“Idiot drivers.”
His jawline tenses as he pulls his arm away and continues driving. A few minutes later, we pull up to my building. My guard is waiting, but Archer steps past him. We climb the stairs as the elevator is old and taking the stairs is always faster. The guard lags behind. I fumble with the keys as they both stand on either side of me. When the door is finally open and I step inside, he steps in behind me. I watch as he does his sweep of the apartment. He comes to a stop in front of me and I look up at him. His gaze is inscrutable. His jaw tenses slightly before he relaxes and speaks. “Have a good evening. See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow,” I reply with a tight smile.
