Devil in a Suit

Tyler waved his hand dismissively. “It’s no problem. I just ask that you work on this at home. I’m pretty sure Brittany has some work for you to do today,” he said as he sat back in his seat.

I leaned away as well, feeling able to fully breathe again. I felt silly being so affected by him when he seemed so casual. He didn’t even look fazed by how close we had been. This attraction must’ve been one-sided, which made me feel even more pathetic about feeling it.

“Of course,” I replied, feeling like that was a fair request. Maybe we had finally reached a middle ground with each other. It felt nice not to totally dislike him, but I still wasn’t fully lowering my guard. I had graduation to set my sights on, and I wasn’t going to get distracted when I was nearing the final stretch.

“Do you have my email?” Tyler asked.

“Your assistant’s? Yes, Brittany gave it to us on our first day,” I replied.

“I’ll tell her to send your emails directly to me,” Tyler said as the corner of his mouth curled up slightly.

I felt my heart skip slightly at his words. I couldn’t help but feel a little special because he was doing that for me, but I told myself that he was just being friendly and trying to make up for the last few days. That was it. He wasn’t trying to make any gesture other than that.

“This isn’t out of pity or anything, right?” I asked. I didn’t want to still be seen as some dumb, hopeless intern by him.

Tyler smirked and shook his head. “I don’t pity you. I just see a business plan in need,” he replied.

I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed by his response. Of course, I didn’t want to be pitied, but I hoped for some other response like he wanted to apologize or just be nice. It seemed like he just wanted to flex his knowledge using my report. I couldn’t exactly be mad, though. I would benefit from him doing that.

“I’ll let you know if I need help,” I said as I put my report back into my bag before standing up. I needed to get back to work, and I needed to head out before I said or did anything that I would later regret.

Tyler merely nodded, his eyes lingering on me.

His gaze sent a shiver through me. I hurried out of his office, letting out a long breath once I passed the doorway. I somehow made it out of that fine. My eyes shifted up when a flash of blonde caught my eye.

Sara glared at me as she walked past me, her shoulder nearly bumping into mine.

I watched her go, feeling a sly smile threaten to cross my lips. Maybe today wasn’t so bad after all.

Chapter 8

Tyler

As days passed, I couldn’t fully rid my mind of Madison. She lingered there, breaking into my thoughts at random moments. I didn’t know what was going on with me. Maybe I needed to go out and get laid. Being locked up in the office all the time and catching glimpses of her wasn’t doing me any favors. I couldn’t remember the last time a girl invaded my mind like this.

I thrived off of quick, beneficial connections. They weren’t complicated, and they gave me the satisfaction that I needed to push through. It was shallow, but I didn’t want anything deep right now. I was trying to turn my company around, and that ate up the majority of my time and energy. Entertaining a relationship was the last thing that I had time for.

Madison was complicated. What I felt toward her was complicated. Despite how rocky our first few days of knowing each other were, I had to admit that she was one of the most determined interns that I had ever come across. She was also beautiful, smart, and creative. That was a complex blend for me to handle, especially when she so easily got under my skin and slipped past my defenses. I didn’t feel frustrated when it came to her anymore. However, the confusion that I now felt wasn’t much better. Why couldn’t I see her like the other intern? Indifference was so much easier to deal with, but I felt anything but that toward Madison.

I had been waiting for an email from her. I didn’t think that she couldn’t handle making the edits to her business plan, but I wouldn’t mind lending an extra tip or two. It was my expertise, and she seemed willing to learn. Maybe sort of getting along with her was nice too, even if I was still keeping my distance as much as I could. I had only spoken with her once in the last few days, and that was just a quick greeting in the hallway. I had to force myself to keep walking instead of standing around to chat. I didn’t want anyone to think that I was giving her special attention. Brittany was already suspicious of how involved I was with this pair of interns.