His entire body twitches at that last word, and he holds up a palm to halt my retreat.
“I appreciate you confirming with me, Sophie, but Scotty was right. I don’t want to hear from that man at all, nor do I even want to know when he tries to contact me. Please delete any emails from him, and don’t, under any circumstances, transfer any of his calls to my desk.”
“Yes, sir,” I say, and hold my breath as he visibly reacts to the word again.
With a nod, I spin around quickly to hide my smile. I knew Jared Hart had a dominant side, but I assumed it was only prevalent in his business dealings. But there was definitely more to it if that quick inhale and the fire banked in his dark eyes was any indication.
I make it back to my desk before my smile drops. What am I doing? I don’t want Jared to be turned on by anything I do or say. I don’t even like him.
Much.
I shake my head. No. This is insane. He’s my grumpy, growly boss, and I’m his assistant. And that’s all we’ll ever be.
As soon as I plop down into my chair, my desk phone rings. Straightening my spine and blowing out a calming breath, I pick up the receiver.
“Black Hart Casino. This is Sophie. How may I help you?”
“How’s your luck been this morning?”
A shiver races down my spine as the deep, familiar voice rings in my ear. I turn to look through the window into his office, forgetting for a moment that it’s mirrored. I can’t see him, but he can definitely see me.
“What do you mean?” I ask after turning my back to the window.
“Deuces.”
“What?” I ask, my frazzled mind unable to grasp his meaning.
“My cat. You were freaked out about sleeping with him, so I was wondering if your dire predictions came true.”
I relax back into my chair, my lips curving up slightly. “Well, my flat-iron broke, my check engine light in my car came on this morning, and I still work here, so…”
I let the words hang in the air for a moment, my smile growing wider as he mulls over my bad luck…which was obviously brought on by his black cat.
“You think working for me is bad luck?” he asks, his voice unsure for the first time since the night I met him.
“Honestly? I don’t know.”
And I don’t. If he’d asked me last week, the answer would’ve been an unequivocal yes.
But now? I’m not so sure.
I guess the old adage is right. Only time will tell.