She tries to pull away, and he grabs her elbow, that same thunderous anger on his face. Even from here I can see how hard he’s holding her arm. Hell, he’s digging in enough that it might leave bruises on her arm. That’s completely unacceptable.
Coffee entirely forgotten, I head down the hall toward them, now filled with renewed energy. Keeping my stride easy, I approach the two of them with my hands in my pockets, and I reach them just in time to hear him finish his sentence, “You’re never going to do that again, clear?”
“Clear,” she says softly. It’s the first word that I’ve heard her say, and the voice that comes out of her mouth is both musical and gorgeous. And exactly the kind of voice that makes me crave to hear what it sounds like when she’s losing control.
“Meynard,” I say with intentional casualness.
“Kris,” he replies. He’s watching me warily, and he should. Right now, the veneer of civility is the only thing keeping me from punching him into the fucking ground.
I tilt my head and look at him. “How’s the proposal coming?”
“As well as I’m sure yours is.” The smile that accompanies the words is feral. “But if you ever want help, I’ll be glad to look at it.”
“Likewise.”
As if there was any way in hell that either of us would let the other see our proposals and risk ideas being stolen.
“Can I help you with something?” he asks.
I’m aware that the new girl is watching what’s happening between us. I hope that she doesn’t mind that I’m coming to her rescue. The blush on her perfect skin speaks of her being embarrassed. But she shouldn’t be.
“You can, actually.” I say. “I was in the break room just now, and I couldn’t help see that you were practically manhandling this employee. And over something as simple as a hug. I thought that was a bit of an overreaction and came to see if you were all right.” I direct that last part to her.
Her eyes go wide, suddenly staring at me. It takes everything in me to keep my body from reacting. Especially in front of this asshole. But I’m captivated by her gaze. Her eyes are a gorgeous bottle green, clear and warm.
Those perfect lips part, and for a second I’m imagining the way that they’ll taste before she speaks. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
“Okay. Just making sure.”
“Noble of you,” Meynard says, and I look at him just in time to see him roll his eyes.
I narrow my own. “There are conduct standards, Meynard. You and I both know that. I’m completely within my right to intervene if I see something inappropriate. And gripping a woman’s arm hard enough to leave bruises is more than enough.”
“Despite you swooping in to be the hero, I did nothing wrong, and this has absolutely nothing to do with you.”
“So intentionally harming an employee is fine with you?”
He scoffs. “I mean that this isn’t a normal employee relationship. So you can fuck off back to your office now and pretend that you didn’t come over here to spy on me.”
“Meynard,” I say, “I didn’t actually come over here to spy on you. Why? Because my proposal is excellent and I have no need to spy on you. And whatever you think of me, I came over because I actually care about the employees here.”
He laughs, and I hate the sound. “Tell yourself whatever you want. But you’re not needed here. This is Chianna. She’s an intern. Despite our relationship outside the office, I informed her that hugging me here wasn’t appropriate. So you can calm down and get off your chivalrous bullshit.”
I look down at the gorgeous woman in front of me. Chianna. Her name rings in my mind like a bell. I can’t believe this beautiful woman is with Meynard. Red is framing my vision and my pulse has kicked up a few beats, but I manage to say, “It’s nice to meet you, Chianna.”
2
Chianna
I wish that the earth would just open up and swallow me whole right about now. I knew Uncle Meynard was a hard ass when I took this job, but seeing it firsthand—especially in front of one of his colleagues—is something else.
His extraordinarily hot colleague. Like holy fuck, the man is sex walking, but I can’t show that right now. Even a hint of that and I’ll get more of a lecture than I was already getting before the knight in shining armor rode in in the first place.
But still…sex walking. Not that I would know much about that. Sex for me is reserved for romance novels, movies, and the brief moments I steal in darkness before I let my own mortification get the better of me.
It’s not that I don’t want that. I do. It’s just that I’ve been busy. Success comes from getting your hands dirty. That’s what my mom always used to say. And for me? That meant putting dating and relationships aside so that I could focus on my schoolwork and career. I don’t regret it.