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As I’m putting the bottle of creamer back in the fridge, Ben enters the breakroom with a man I’ve yet to meet. He’s tall, strikingly handsome, and looks a lot like Asher.
“Oh, Olivia,” Ben says upon seeing me. “This is Aiden.”
I turn toward him, reaching out to shake his hand. He shoots me a warm smile. “Nice to meet you, Olivia,” he says. “It’s about time Asher finally caved and got himself an assistant.”
I laugh. “Yeah, he needs it.”
Aiden chuckles. “That he does. Don’t let him boss you around too much. He can be an ass.”
I laugh at the bluntness.
He shrugs. “It’s okay, you can admit it. Especially to me.”
Ben and Aiden go back to their chatting, grabbing some snacks from the fridge and leaving the room again. I take my coffee back to my desk and try to focus on work once more. I’m glad to have finally met one of the other King brothers. Although, based on Aiden’s countenance, I kind of wish I’d been assigned his assistant rather than Asher’s. How can Asher be such an ass—as his brother rightfully admits—when Aiden seems so sweet?
Whatever.
As the workday nears its close, I worriedly glance out the windows, watching as the sun begins to set. I bite my lip, worried about the trek home in the dark. The parking garage should be safe—I mean, you have to work here and use your keycard to enter. But I’m worried about the walk from my street parking to my apartment in the dark. Hopefully my attacker wasn’t able to follow me home and figure out where I live—but what if he’s been watching me for longer? What if he already knows? The idea sends a wave of panic through me.
A ding on my computer grabs my attention, and I look down to see an email from Asher. He wants to meet with me. I grab my laptop and hurry over to his office, knocking on the door before entering.
“Olivia,” he says, glancing up from his desk. “I just wanted to run over a few things for my schedule next week.”
I nod, taking a seat across from his desk and pulling up his schedule on my laptop.
“The Kincaid Group wants to meet again, so we’ll have to move some things around. A rep will be in Seattle Tuesday and Wednesday, so we need to find a time then that works. A few of my standing meetings can be cut down on time, so see what you can do there, and email everyone accordingly.”
I nod, making a quick note and glancing through his meeting schedule. I brush the back of my hand along my cheek, quelling an itch, and tuck my hair behind my ear. I make a few adjustments to his schedule.
“How does Wednesday afternoon sound?” I ask without looking up. “I can cut your standing meeting with Aiden and Alec down to twenty minutes?”
A long pause ensues, and I glance up.
Asher’s expression is a deep frown, and he’s staring intently at me, silent.
I raise my eyebrows. “Asher?”
“What’s on your face?”
I stare at him blankly for a few seconds. My face? What could he possibly—
And this it hits me. I instinctively reach for the bruise on my cheek. I’d done a good job covering it up this morning, but maybe the makeup has worn off through the day. I notice a smudge of concealer on the back of my hand, and my heart drops. I’d accidentally smeared some of it off.
Asher’s jaw sets. He stares me down. He looks angry. Really angry. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this expression on him. “Who did that?” His voice is low—but the kind of quiet control a snake might have before biting.
“I—I …”
Asher leans forward. “Olivia. What happened?”
I sigh. “There was an altercation in the parking lot of the gentlemen’s club last night. It’s not a big deal,” I say, trying to brush it off.
“An altercation?” Asher repeats. “What does that mean?”
I open my mouth, but no words come out.
“Olivia,” he says, his voice harder than before.
I try not to wince. “Someone … attacked me in the parking lot.”
