“I was off by .002?” His breath is hot against my ear, sending an array of goosebumps across my flesh.
“Yes,” I say as evenly as I can as I flip to the next flag. “On this one, it was .003. Not much, but still incorrect.”
“I’m impressed.” He doesn’t move, doesn’t change position, just rests his palm flat against my desktop. Hovering over me, he completely dominates the space. There’s nothing I can say, nothing I can think, that’s not in his control. He knows this. His breathing is completely even, his tone completely cool. “How long did this take you?”
“An hour or so.”
“Can I ask you something, Mallory?”
“You’re the boss.”
“Do you like working here?”
“So far, yes, I do.”
“Do you think you’ll like working here in the future?”
I’m not sure what he’s getting at. It seems to be a loaded question, or a question that he’s using to lead me to another one, but I can’t think straight with him leaning over me like this. All I can think about is if I move, I’ll brush his arm. If I tilt my head back, my face will be inches from his. If I turn around, I’d be in his personal space.
“Is that a no?” he asks, his voice husky.
“Oh, no,” I stammer. “I mean, it’s not a no. I think I’ll like working here for a long time. I hope so, anyway.”
After a pause, he pushes off and stands. I’m afraid to look back. My eyes stay trained on a small indentation above the door ahead of me like it’s the most interesting thing in the world. He sighs, but I don’t think I’m supposed to hear it.
“Good job with the file.” He comes around the front of my desk, his glasses in his hand. “I’m happy to have you on board. I don’t think I’ve said that.”
“You haven’t,” I say, testing his reaction with a grin. His lip quivers, but he doesn’t quite return it. “But it’s nice to hear.”
“How about this,” he says with a flurry, “With the circumstances what they were, we didn’t have time for an actual interview. What if we have an informal interview tomorrow. A working lunch, maybe?”
I grin nervously. “That might be a good idea.”
“Why is that?”
“I’ll admit, I’ve never worked somewhere before where I felt so . . .”
His gaze deepens, a shadow crossing his face. “So what, Mallory?”
I look away and plead with my cheeks not to heat. There are so many ways I feel about this position, about working for Graham Landry, and none of them I want to say out loud.
He won’t let me go without answering. There’s no use in trying. “I don’t know how to take you, exactly. I accepted the job because, quite frankly, I needed one pretty desperately, and I know your family. But the Graham I remember and the one standing in front of me . . .”
The movement he makes towards me is nothing more than a flinch, a probably unconscious motion as my words trail off. Still, my breath catches in my throat and the heat in my cheeks rises a few notches.
“You aren’t the Mallory I remember, either.” He whips in a deep inhale and blows it out slowly. “I don’t want this to be awkward.”
“It shouldn’t be. There’s no reason for it to be,” I lie, omitting the fact that it’s so difficult because I can’t stop imagining him naked. “Maybe we just didn’t have that getting-to-know-you phase. You know, as the people we are now.”
“Maybe.” He slips his glasses back on his face, his features softening. “Block off an hour and a half for my lunch tomorrow. Get with Gina in the morning and let her know your substitute for lunch will need to stay longer than usual.”
“Yes, sir.”
He almost smiles. Almost.
Mallory
I SEE MY REPLACEMENT STANDING on the other side of the glass wall, talking to another employee. Her name is Raza and she’s super sweet, but today, I’m not looking forward to seeing her.