Dark Ties (Made Men 9)

Sliding under the silky covers, Haley couldn’t help but imagine Desmond being there. Shutting the thought out of her mind was easier said than done.

Rolling to her back, she stared at the ceiling in the darkness. Her mind was going to turn to mush if all she could think about was Desmond. Tomorrow, she would find something to occupy herself… something that didn’t involve him… and certainly something that didn’t have her replaying that kiss a thousand times over.

As soon the thought entered her mind, she had to retract the number… Make that a thousand and one.

Twenty

“What can I get for you?”

After giving the barista the huge order, Haley walked blindly to the end of the counter to pay. The barista stared after her in dismay. However, dropping a twenty-dollar bill into the tip jar seemed to mollify the woman as Haley stepped to the side to wait for her order.

Carefully carrying the two trays of hot coffee, she crossed the street to the office building where she used to work at before Desmond had booted her out.

She was going to regain her footing, regardless of what Desmond wanted. If she had stayed isolated in that apartment one more day, she would have fucking lost it. No wonder Desmond’s kiss was preying on her mind; it’s all she’d had to think about over the last two days.

Out the corner of her eye, she saw a lone motorcycle rider drive across the street to find a parking spot.

Why would the biker move the motorcycle to the other side of the street? The action seemed unnecessary. Could the biker be one of Desmond’s employees?

Pausing inside the door, Haley continued to look outside the glass window to see the biker remained seated on the motorcycle. Was it the same person whom she had seen outside the apartment building when she had left thirty minutes ago?

She didn’t know enough about motorcycles to tell if it was the same one, but the rider was wearing the same color helmet.

“Now you’re imagining bikers following you,” Haley complained out loud to herself.

Why would a biker be following her?

Committing to memory what the motorcycle looked like, Haley stepped away from the window to walk to the elevators. Straightening her shoulders, she left the elevator to head to the breakroom. Dropping off the drinks, she took one for herself and carried the other one to Lucas’ office.

The assistant gazed at her in surprise at her appearance in the office.

“Here you go. I’ll be in my office, if you need me.” With an air of confidence she wasn’t feeling, Haley strode to her old office as if she belonged there instead of being fired the previous week. Wondering how long it would take for Lucas to inform Desmond that she was there, she started on the job she had been hired to work on remotely.

It took less than five minutes before she heard Desmond enter the office.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m tired of my own company, and I didn’t see any need for this office to sit empty when I could use it during the day. Any objections?”

“A few.”

“Is someone using it?”

“Not currently.”

“Then what are your objections?”

“How are we supposed to keep up the pretense of us being involved if you work here? It’s one of my stringent rules, kind of like yours about not doing anything illegal.”

“All you have to do is tell them that I’m not working for you, that I’m renting the office space from you, which I deducted a reasonable figure from my last payday before submitting my last invoice for the work I did for you.”

Desmond came around the desk and keyed up the payroll. “You think five hundred is reasonable? Do you know how much I pay for this suite of offices?”

“I took into consideration that I would only be using this office for this week, and today is Tuesday, so I’ll only be using it for four days.”

“Why not just work at the apartment?”

“Because I wanted to get out.”

“Just so you could closet yourself in this room? What’s the difference?”

“The difference is I’m more productive in an office atmosphere. Don’t you feel the same? I’m sure you can handle most of your work remotely from your home.”

“It’s totally different.”

“Why? Because I’m a woman?”

“No, because if I have a question or need something handled, I have a team to get it done by the end of the day, and I can be on hand to oversee any difficulties that arise. I have numerous reasons, none of which apply to you. I can guarantee I’m not here because I’m lonely.”

“I didn’t say I was lonely. Why is it bothering you so badly that I’m here? Because I have a mind that can think on its own and don’t have to be at your beck and call?”