AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Our meals arrive and we both eat in silence, working. It’s not the way I’d like to spend my evening, but there is a benefit to getting all this work done.
“People talk, Mila. Gossip, scandal, sensation help many to take their attention from their own problems, or deal with their own insecurities. I apologize if the boundary may have blurred between us. I’ve known you since before you started working here, so I guess I might have acted more familiar than our current relationship warrants. Have I made you feel unsafe or uncomfortable?”
His words drop between us like a boulder, crushing me under the weight of his genuine worry. Jesus. Is this what has been bothering him? That I would report him?
I mentioned Tully’s remark to save myself from him, not because I feared he’d abuse his power or coerce me into something I don’t want to do. I used that as protection, because there is so much I want to do. With him. To him. Under him.
His eyes are intent on mine. Dark brown pools of concern, and something sour, disappointment perhaps.
“No.” One simple word, just a whisper, hangs between us. He assesses me with a skeptical look, and I search for something to say, to explain. To reassure him.
He’s stepped into my personal space with the predator look at least twice since I started working for the company, but neither time did I feel he was doing it because he was my boss.
“We will finish the next three events and then the project will be taken over by Portia Krane. She’ll be coming here with you for the other events before Christmas.” He returns his attention to his tablet.
It pisses me off. As he said, people like to gossip, and I hate how that has changed everything between us. He wasn’t overly open with me or warm, but we’ve established a decent rapport, and now it’s gone.
Perhaps for the better. We are only coworkers. He’s my boss. Let’s work then.
“We’re trending really well on Instagram, and I expect several blog posts by prominent lifestyle influencers. I’ve just emailed you the highlights of the coverage. I think the messages are coming through nicely.” I push away my plate and continue typing away, making notes for a report for Marnie and Portia.
My skin crawls with recognition. I don’t have to look up to feel the intense gaze. To know Gio’s attention has shifted from the laptop to me.
“What?” My eyes remain on the screen.
“You’ve been working this whole time?”
Now I look at him and he’s staring at me with his typical impatience, but there is something else ghosting his face as well. Respect? Awe? Surprise?
“Did you think I was just mindlessly browsing while you chose to work during dinner?” He flinches atchose.
“I like efficiency, and eating seems like empty time.” He flinches again, responding to my gasp. “And I didn’t want you to feel obliged to have a conversation with me.”
“Yet you practically ordered me to have dinner with you.” I cock my head. Gio adjusts his cufflinks. I’ve learned already it’s his tell. He wants this conversation to finish.
“It’s dinnertime, and you worked all day without as much as a snack.” He closes his laptop.
And there it is again, that flash of care he casts but pretends to have only logical grounds for. It warms me inside, and I give him a break.
“Gio, have you met me? When have I ever felt obliged to converse? Half the time I’m driving you crazy with my questions and opinions.”
“Just with your abiding need to express them.” His lips quirk.
“Oh, I see, so you don’t mind my opinions, you just mind that I’m offering them.”
“Too liberally.” He leans back in his chair, and I’m unreasonably pleased to get relaxed Gio back for a moment.
“I’ll ask for permission next time I feel the annoying need to talk.”
A grin springs across his face. “Don’t. You’ve been very helpful with… peopling. I appreciate it. You’ve done a great job so far.”
Oh, those dimples. And those words. Warmth spreads through my bones, and my smile eases wider. “Thank you, Gio. I really appreciate it.”
He pushes his chair back and crosses one leg over the other. “I’ll be recommending to Marnie, or her successor, that we offer you a permanent position. Would you want to work internally on our social media team?”
“No.” Shit. “I mean yes. I…” Jesus, of course, I need the job, but I’ve never seen myself in a large corporation.
“Be honest with me, Mila. I don’t want to pry, but I got the impression freelancing wasn’t really meeting your needs. But I understand some people don’t want a regular paycheck.”
