Way too long of a hallway.
She glanced at her hallway when she heard her apartment door swing open, and the sound of tiny clicks come her way. She reached for her wine glass, raising it to Mia as she plopped down next to her.
“Cheers.”
Mia leaned closer. “So? What are we cheering? Is he cheating on me? You found out already. The scumbag!”
Gabby smiled behind the rim of her glass. “No. I didn’t find out much other than the fact he works too damn much. And don’t you dare tell me to add anything to the swear jar. I’ll add five bucks later. My feet hurt. Rub them?” Gabby tried to lay her leg over Mia’s lap, but she pushed her away.
“I’m not touching your feet. I told you that you needed to wear heels more often. This is what happens when you don’t.” Mia cocked a brow. “Five bucks? You’re anticipating swearing a lot tonight.”
“You do realize I can’t wear heels at my real job. I hate wearing the damn things. That right there incites me to swear heavily because they made my feet hurt.”
Mia grabbed the glass out of her hands, taking a huge gulp. “Hmm, this is the stuff from that wine festival we went to last year. I love this stuff. So, dish? How’d the day go?”
“It went. He worked me dry. He was still at the office when I left. I don’t even know how he has time for you. He doesn’t even have time to appreciate the gorgeous view from his office. He needs a serious wake-up call.” She scrunched up her nose in distaste.
“So, that’s why he bailed on me tonight. He said he had to work late. He wasn’t lying.” Mia smiled, taking another sip of wine.
Gabby grabbed her glass back, almost spilling the contents. “Get your own glass, girl. This one is mine. I’m tired. He wasn’t lying. He was working when I left. It didn’t look like he was going anywhere anytime soon.”
“This is good news. Maybe I’m creating it all in my head. Something always goes wrong, I guess I’m making nothing into something.” Mia blew out a sigh of relief. “Wanna watch a movie? I don’t have a hot date anymore tonight.”
“Sure.”
Gabby kept the happiness plastered on her face and in her tone of voice, even though she wanted to crumble into a tiny ball and cry her eyes out. Hot date. Yeah, Mia’s boyfriend was hot, alright. That’s all she had been thinking about since she came home—that, and how aggravating the man was. He could use a manners 101 course. Despite how he worked her to the bone with barely offering a please or thank you, she felt bad for him when she knocked on his door.
He had looked up from his desk, his face full of shadows and tired lines. He nodded once and waved a hand for her to close the door. She didn’t think he even processed who was at the door, he had been so engrossed in the paperwork on his desk. He needed to let loose once in a while. Smell the fresh air.
She almost let those sad eyes of his suggest she stay and help him with whatever he needed. Which was crazy—she didn’t even like the man. He was abrupt, arrogant, and most of the time, rude. Ha! Try all the time. And he was Mia’s boyfriend, and potentially cheating on her.
Although she got the vibe he wasn’t that type of man. He was focused on his work, his mind only on the project in his hand. She imagined he would be the same when it came to a woman. He would focus his attention on that one woman. Her gut told her he wasn’t a cheater or a liar. She liked to follow her gut.
She was lucky he didn’t fire her for her loose lips. She always had a hard time keeping her mouth shut. That saying, “think before you speak,” applied to her. She never mastered that once in her life. It put her in some tight jams, mostly at work, but her fast-thinking always managed to get her right back out of the trouble. She also knew that’s why she had a hard time keeping a man around. Most men she dated didn’t like a strong-minded woman. Well, good for them. She wasn’t about to change for anyone. A person either liked her or they didn’t.
She should, at least for now, be a little less abrasive with him. He could’ve fired her today.
“Are you firing me?”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “No.” Then he said, surprising her, “If I ask nicely, will you get me a cup of coffee?”
“Is that you asking nicely?” she asked with a grin, enjoying the way his eyes leveled into tiny slits like he was thinking about changing his mind to fire her. Which she totally shouldn’t enjoy.
“You don’t give up, do you? You want it straight forward and concise.”
“Well, it’s easier to understand a person if you’re straight forward and concise. Why beat around the bush with things? You asked a question, but not the direct question you want answered.”
He sighed, leaning against the front of his desk and crossed his legs. “I think you like testing me.”
“What am I testing you for? Midterms?” Shit! She closed her eyes, then opened them with a distressed expression. “I didn’t mean to say that. Well, I did because it came out. But I sometimes forget who I’m talking to you. I’m not trying to get fired here. I can be sarcastic at times, joking around. I’m not testing you. Unless you want me to. You could use some lightening up. Life shouldn’t be so serious.”
He eyed her for a while with an expression she couldn’t decipher. His gaze unnerved her. It looked like he barely moved his gaze, yet she felt like he was roaming her body from top to bottom. Or maybe that was her imagination wanting him to. To check her out from head to toe. To grab her around the waist and fling the things on his desk to the floor with one fell swoop of his arm. Then ravish her to the point of bliss on that very desk.
Neither spoke for the longest time. Maybe they were both having naughty fantasies in their minds. She could only hope.
Then Mia’s name popped into her brain. She shouldn’t even be having a tiny fantasy about her friend’s boyfriend.
“Ms. Stileano?” he finally said in a soft voice. Or she imagined it coming out of his mouth softly. She didn’t think he knew how to talk softly. Abruptness was more his style.
“Yes, Mr. Holloway.”
“Will you please get me a cup of coffee? I would appreciate it.”
“I can do that. I’ll be right back.” She had to give in. He asked very nicely. The first time anything came out of his mouth so nicely. How could she resist that? Simple. She couldn’t.
“Ms. Stileano?” he called to her before she stepped through the double doors.
She turned around. “Yes?”
“Thank you.”
As she walked out, she swore she saw a slight tilt of his lip. A smile. Maybe he did know how to smile.
“Yo, earth to Gabs. Did you want a refill?” Mia asked, waving a hand in front of her face.
Gabby shook her mind clear of the memories and handed her glass to Mia. “Refill sounds awesome. Action flick tonight?”
Gabby got up from the couch to dig through her movies. She hoped Mia agreed. She didn’t want to watch a romance. That would only make her mind drift to a man she shouldn’t even think about. Since when did one person dominate her thoughts? She never had a man take over her mind and make her act like an idiot.
“Yeah, works for me.”
Thank goodness for small favors. She rifled through all her movies until she found the movie that had the most action possible.
Dane pinched the bridge of his nose as the words sitting in front of him started to blur into one big spiral of nonsense. He was tired. He stayed way too late last night. This latest project had to go smoothly because the last one didn’t go as well as he had hoped. He could only blame himself. He refused to blame anyone else. These projects were his responsibility—at least, in his eyes. When he put his fingers to work to create something, he expected it to come out with perfection. If it didn’t, it must’ve meant he did something wrong.
He needed caffeine. Lots and lots of caffeine. He opened his mouth to yell for Ms. Stileano, except he found himself closing it. Almost like a fish gulping for air. She didn’t like it when he yelled for her. Something she told him several times this mornin
g.
She had even produced a mason jar and set it on the edge of his desk. In her straightforward, honest way, she smiled and said, “It helps remind me to keep my potty mouth in check.”
Which he doubted, considering she had already added five quarters to the jar. It made him chuckle—not in her presence, of course—how adorable she was when she swore, then looked aggravated at herself for swearing in the first place. Her forehead crinkling, her lips puckered in annoyance. Then a silly smile would twist her lips as a quarter clinked to the bottom of the jar.
He almost smiled, thinking back to those times.
What? Why would that make him smile? He didn’t appreciate her wasting his time by derailing his train of thought. Which she often did. The smile punctured his expression anyway. He couldn’t help it. No one else ever stood up to him, put him in his place with simple words and a sweet smile. She may say things she shouldn’t, but she always said it with the sweetest smile.
She made him realize how much of a jerk he could be at times. He didn’t mean to act that way. He just had so much to do. Work. Work. Work. That’s all he ever did. Even his mother commented on how much he worked. Although, he’d never tell his mother he liked to work so much because it was the best excuse to stay away from them. Not her. But his father and brother. He’d never admit that to her. He loved his family. He did. But he could only handle them in small doses. Especially his brother. He couldn’t be happier his brother worked several floors above him. He wouldn’t be able to handle seeing him every day.
He stood up, taking his time. What the hell was he doing? He must be more tired than he realized. Or he wanted to see her sweet smile. It was so wrong of him to even think such things. It didn’t stop him from grabbing his jacket, opening the door, and stopping in front of her desk.
“Ms. Stileano, I need a cup of coffee. And—”
“You forgot ‘please.’” She looked up from the computer with a straitlaced face, not amused by his behavior. Where was the smile he enjoyed every time she talked back to him?
He almost smiled despite himself but held his face neutral. He wouldn’t let her see what her attitude did to him. He liked her honesty way too much for his liking. If she ever found out he liked her—more than as a simple secretary—she would quit, and he couldn’t have that.
Oh, shit.
He liked her.
Not only as a secretary. That wasn’t good. Maybe he should start looking for a new secretary.
But he’d miss her. Miss her bossing him around and sending sweet smiles his way when he did something she didn’t approve of.
“Tsk, tsk, Ms. Stileano. What happened to not interrupting each other? You didn’t let me finish.”
She cleared her throat, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. “You’re right. Forgive me. Please finish speaking.”
He liked the way her cheeks bloomed a rosy color. It made it that much more enticing to brush a hand across her face to see if her skin felt as soft as it looked. He jammed his hands into his pockets before the impulse took over.
Then he copied her by clearing his throat. Now he felt awkward with what he wanted to ask her. Nothing scared him, though. He came out here for a reason, and he’d ask her, regardless of how much tension floated between them at the moment.
Oh, the tension. Not the angry, you-upset-me kind of tension.
Oh, no. That would be too simple.
More like the I-want-to-jump-your-bones kind of tension. Or maybe he was the only one feeling that sort of awkward tension.
Right. He had to be the only one feeling that kind of tension because her facial expression didn’t say she was wanting to jump his bones right now. And if she did, he wouldn’t stop her.
And he was derailing from his original goal. He needed to focus.
“I need a cup of coffee. I was going to ask if you wanted one as well. I need some fresh air. I was going to go across the street to the coffee shop. Would you like to join me?”
He couldn’t believe he said that. He meant to ask her if she wanted something. Not if she wanted to join him. He could tell she was also surprised. Her mouth hanging open couldn’t be a good sign. Why did he ask her to come with again?
She stood up, a mask of indifference on her face. “I guess I could use a small break.” She reached down to the bottom drawer of her desk and grabbed her purse.
“Well, then, after you.” He put his hand out in front of him for her to take the lead.
She nodded, doing as he suggested. Which after he thought about it as he followed her, it was a horrible idea. He enjoyed looking at her ass. Like, really enjoyed it. He always turned away from his work to watch her walk out of his office. Here he was, following behind her with the perfect view of the very thing he loved to look at. And within reaching distance. He shoved his hands in his pocket, squeezing them into tight fists to stop himself from doing the one thing that could ruin everything. He couldn’t lose her as his secretary. She was perfect for him.
Shit.
He walked a little faster to match her pace so he could walk next to her instead of behind. Hitting the elevator button, they waited in awkward silence while the elevator took its wonderful time to get to their floor. He still couldn’t figure out what possessed him to ask her to join him for a cup of coffee, or that he even wanted to leave the building for one. He never did things like this.
He thought he should say something, anything to erase the silence, but nothing came to his mind. He didn’t lack female attention when he felt inclined to have it. Lately, he hadn’t had much female attention, but only because he had too much work to get done.
This was unusual behavior for him to feel nervous with a woman. Nervous. He couldn’t believe it. He was nervous to talk to a woman. Geesh. She was nothing more than his secretary. There was nothing to be nervous about.
He moved his mouth to say something when the elevator doors dinged open. Instinctively, his hand ventured to her back and urged her forward. Electrifying desire pulsed through his veins. Damn it. This was worse than when he took his fill of her. He immediately dropped his hand from her back and hit the button for the first floor. She moved more to the right, closer to the wall than to him. She didn’t like that he touched her. Good to know. Although he couldn’t say the same thing. He had liked it. The short zap of desire that hit him. When had a small touch from a woman ever affected him like that?
Well, it wouldn’t happen again if she didn’t like it. He didn’t even mean to do it in the first place. Nothing good would happen to upset her other than her leaving him. Unacceptable. He couldn’t lose her. She ran his office better than any secretary he ever had.
“My mother’s birthday is coming up next month. I thought a nice arrangement of flowers would be nice. What is the best flower this time of year?” They were the only two in the elevator. They had way too many floors to go in complete silence. He couldn’t stand the silence anymore.
“Why would I know?”
“You used to work at a flower shop.” His brows puckered. He couldn’t be mistaken. A lot had been on his mind during her interview, but he swore that had been one of her previous employments.
She laughed. “Oh, yeah, I did.”
This time he lifted a brow in amusement. He couldn’t help but grin as well. “And? What would you suggest?”
She brushed a hand across her forehead to wipe away a strand of hair. “Right. Um…white lilies are beautiful. Throw in a few more flowers, maybe a few roses for a splash color. Or all lilies would be fine as well.” She brushed another hand across her forehead before placing a hand on her hip, then turned to him. “Is this a test?”
“Are we still testing each other? I hadn’t realized. It was an honest question.”
“Okay.”
“Okay,” he repeated, wondering why he, of all things, had to ask her about flowers. She didn’t think he was sincere. Why in the world were they so defensive toward each other? Since the moment they met? Well, he could think of several reasons,
except he didn’t want to admit to any of them.
The rest of the ride went in silence. When the doors to the elevator opened, he almost placed another hand on her back to guide her but stopped himself at the last second. He had no claim to her. Placing a hand on her in such a manner spoke volumes. As much as he ached to touch even one part of her, he couldn’t. Plus, he couldn’t take her retreating again. A small pang to his heart already hurt from her first rejection.
They walked outside, where she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. She put her head in the air and inhaled deeply. She turned toward him and smiled. He would never tire of her smiles. He couldn’t be happier that she was smiling once again.
“Go ahead. Try it.”
He looked at her, confused. “Try what?”
“Smell the fresh air. You said you needed some.”
He glanced around, watching as people walked by them, not paying them much attention. But still. They were standing in the middle of the sidewalk.
“I can smell the air.”
She shook her head with annoyance. “You can smell it, yes, but you’re not appreciating it. You work too much, Mr. Holloway. Live a little.”
“I am. I’m grabbing a cup of coffee across the street instead of down the hallway from my office.”
She chuckled, her eyes lighting up with pleasure. “Baby steps. You’re right. That is progress for you. Come on, Mr. Holloway. You have a meeting in thirty minutes. I imagine you’re rarely late for anything.”
“No. I’ve never been late in my life.”
She stopped before stepping off the curb to cross the street. “You were late to interview me.”
Well, that was something he’d never let happen again. For her, he’d always be on time. No matter what.
Gabby shut down her computer, organized the papers on her desk, and grabbed her purse from the bottom drawer. Then she slammed the drawer shut, ready to get the hell out of here. Her feet were killing her. Again. They killed her more today than they did yesterday. She didn’t know how Mia did it all the time, wearing killer high heels that made her feet ache to the point of pain.
The Wrong Brother (a perfect for you novel Book 1) Page 3
