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After our lovemaking session, she escaped to clean up. I was getting dressed when a text came through that caught my attention. Asher wanted to meet for dinner.
I’d planned to spend the evening with Janelle, but a quick business dinner wouldn’t mess that up too much. I’d just send Janelle home to rest, have dinner with her former boss, and pick her up to spend the rest of the night at my hotel.
But at some point, while I was adding the dinner appointment to my calendar, Janelle came in and asked me a question. I mumbled an answer, not realizing that when I pulled my head out of my ass, she’d be gone. No trace of her. Not even the clothes neatly stacked on the guest chair.
And that was when the real search began. I desperately tried to find her phone number, to no avail. We hadn’t gone over how to get to employee records in our morning session. That meant I didn’t have her address, either. All I could do was wait until tomorrow morning and hope she showed up for work.
By the time I sat across from Asher, I was pretty frantic. I had only one choice.
“I need Janelle’s contact information,” I said.
Asher’s smile faded a little. “Janelle Spencer?”
Was there another Janelle? I was embarrassed to admit that I had no idea what Janelle’s last name was.
“The woman who works in your office—my office now,” I said.
The specifics of office ownership didn’t matter. What mattered was that this woman didn’t slip through my hands.
“Hold on,” Asher said. “I’ll grab it from Sammie.”
I picked up the drink menu and scanned it, mostly for something to do while he tapped around on his phone. “Sammie is the woman I met in Eugene, right?”
“Right,” Asher said.
He finished tapping and set the phone down, screen facing up. I tried not to stare at it. I assumed he was waiting for a return text.
“I’m going to marry that woman,” Asher announced.
“Sammie?” Stupid question. Of course, Sammie. “Have you two been dating a while?”
He shook his head. “She’s worked in my office for years. I’ve passed by her desk I don’t know how many times. I sat across from her in meetings. I always thought she was attractive, but last week when I actually got to spend time with her, something happened. And we’re together now.”
I could relate to that better than anyone. I wondered if he knew that. Maybe that was why he felt comfortable opening up to me about it.
“I’m hoping you’ll still have a place for her in your company,” Asher suddenly said. “Same role. She’s not asking for special favors, but her career is important to her. For now, she wants to stay on with CyberSword.”
“Of course.” I nodded.
Asher’s screen had lit up a full ten seconds ago, and I was dying to urge him to check it. The last thing I wanted to do was come across as desperate.
So instead, I said, “I think I’ve fallen in love with one of your former employees.”
Why was I telling him this? Maybe for the same reason he’d opened up to me. We each sensed the other would get it.
“Janelle?” Asher smiled, then looked down at his phone. He picked it up and tapped on it for about thirty seconds too long. My nerves were a jumble. “She wants to know who’s asking.” Asher lifted his gaze to my face. “Is it okay to tell her?”
I nodded, then wondered what exactly Asher was telling her. Finally, my phone buzzed, then he set his phone down again.
“I just sent you Sammie’s address. That’s where you’ll find Janelle. We can do this meeting another time. Go.”
I hated to leave Asher in the lurch, but this might be my only chance. I had to go get my woman.
9
JANELLE
“Ithink he knows you’re here.”
