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Thankfully, Jack was coming her way, a grin on his face, his full, dark hair neatly styled. “I’m in. Two bedrooms with a view of the Park.”
“Congratulations,” Madison said, giving him a quick hug.
“I know I probably should have bought a beach front property in Miami or San Diego, but man… There’s something about that address. About that view. I got up there when it was still a construction site, looking over Central Park like that, waking up to that every day… That makes it all worth it.” He lifted two glasses of champagne off of a passing waiter’s tray and handed her one.
“To your new apartment,” Madison offered when she’d finished her glass and left it on the table beside her.
“To us and our company,” Jack countered. “And another twenty years of success.”
Madison clinked her glass gently against his before she took a drink, the cool citrus flavors refreshing, but she savored it, knowing she had to be at the office early the next morning.
Jack did a double take and Madison followed his eyes.
“I thought that was her,” Jack said when he turned back to look at Madison.
She was about to ask him who he was talking about, but then their eyes caught. Madison knew she should look away, but her gaze lingered, taking in the black dress, her blond hair falling over her shoulders in loosely styled waves.
She’d never seen her P.A. in anything more than slacks and a blouse. Sometimes she wore sweaters in the winter. The most dressed up Payton got for the office was putting a blazer on.
Not that she was complaining. Madison had said that as long as Payton came into the office looking professional, she didn’t mind what her personal assistant wore.
Payton darted her eyes away first, and Madison kept looking, vaguely aware that Jack was trying to have a conversation with her.
“I’ve never seen her away from the office,” Jack said. “I nearly didn’t recognize her.”
Madison took another sip of champagne. What was she doing here?
Madison’s gaze fell on the woman beside her. They were about the same age, late twenties, and from across the room, Madison couldn’t tell whether they were a couple. They were standing close enough together, but she couldn’t see any body language, any hint that they were dating.
Not that it mattered.
It would only matter if Madison was crazy enough to go through with the idea that had been floating around in the back of her head for the last year.
And she still hadn’t decided if she was.
Payton had been her P.A. for just about a year now, and that was the longest that anyone had ever stuck with her. Usually, for one reason or another, Madison was looking for a new personal assistant every six, maybe nine months. She was demanding, and she worked long hours, so it was hard to find people who could stay with her for more than a few months.
Madison was surprised that Payton had made it this far, that Payton put up her. Madison had no idea why she did. Surely, there were other jobs Payton could be interviewing for. She had qualifications.
Although, Madison did have an idea why Payton was still coming into work each day. It was obvious that Payton had a thing for her, and it was a nice ego boost for Madison, because it didn’t affect the job that Payton did for her. So, Madison considered it a harmless crush.
“Aren’t you going to go talk to her?” Jack asked.
Madison pressed her lips together, about to say that they saw enough of each other at work, that she’d see her tomorrow, but maybe Madison should go over there. It would give her a chance to see if her idea had any real potential.
Because she was running out of time.
And if Madison was going to make that crazy suggestion, she had to do it away from the office.
“Yeah,” Madison said, taking another drink. “Yeah, I think I will.”
3
Payton forgot to breathe when her eyes met Madison’s across the room. Ashley was still talking to her, but because they were in the middle of a conversation with Brian and some of his colleagues, she didn’t notice how little Payton was paying attention.
Payton saw this woman six days a week. She’d seen her hair up, down, straight, styled. She’d seen skirts, pants, blazers, but nothing could have prepared her for seeing Madison Dunne wearing a scarlet red dress, her black hair falling across her shoulders in loose curls. She was standing beside Jack now, over by the piano, and Payton barely registered the soft jazz music coming from it, because all of her attention, all of her focus was on Madison, who was looking right at her.
And then Payton had to look away, her heart racing, her palms sweating. She gulped her drink, doing her best to listen to the conversation going on around her.
