“No, you know what...” He bends down, his face too close to mine, “you had no right to do what you did. Do you even comprehend what kind of trouble I can get in if Kip finds out? Your father?” His warm breath hits my face as fury pours from his words. He’s angry. And I get why. I didn’t think past myself. But it doesn’t excuse his harsh treatment.
“I thought—”
“Hey, Levi.” We both cock our heads to see a woman, blond and flawless, standing next to us, smiling all sweetly at Levi. He pulls away from me, replacing his snarl with a casual smile. “Hello, Becca. How was your weekend?” he asks as polite as can be.
Becca giggles and flips her hair over her shoulder. “Oh, it was the same. Boring. Would have been more exciting if you had joined us on Saturday. The party was a huge success.” She licks her over-glossed lips, taking her eyes off him to scan me over, then moves her attention back to him.
“Sorry I had to miss it. Becca, this is Hannah Matthews, Jim’s daughter. She’s starting with us today as my paralegal. Hannah, this is Becca. She works in records.” Becca turns to me, and with minimal effort, waves in my general direction. “Hey,” she says lamely, then brings her attention back to Levi. “Well, it was good seeing you. Definitely have to lock you in for next time.” And then she’s off.
We both stand there in silence, unsure what to say. When I open my mouth to make an attempt at defending what I did, he brings his hand up. “Don’t. Let’s give you the tour.” He starts to walk away, and I wrap my fingers around his thick bicep.
“Wait.” The moment my fingers touch him, he freezes. I panic and pull back. He whips around, his eyes on fire. “I’m…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to touch you. It’s just that…I already learned the building. I don’t need a tour,” I reply, pulling my eyes away, looking anywhere but at him. I fidget with my hands, and I can’t stop pulling at my pencil skirt that suddenly seems too short for an office environment. Levi’s eyes follow my hands, but continue to travel down my bare legs, slowly making their way back up. The moment he lands back on my eyes, he slams his lids shut, raking his palms down his face.
If I wasn’t mistaken, Levi Dent just got caught checking me out.
I think.
Because I’m not technically sure what a guy looks like checking me out.
“You may know the building, but you don’t know the people. The routines. Schedules. It’s important to grasp that. What happens when there’s an emergency and you don’t have time to take the elevator? If you need a signature notarized and the one you need is not around, who is their back up notary? That kind of stuff. Now, let’s go.” He changes his course, and without waiting for me, heads toward the elevators.
As if no deceiving supply closet sex had happened between us, Levi, the gentleman, kindly escorts me through each department, introducing me to the people I need to get familiar with. John in accounting, Frank in IT, Rachel in legal administration—which will be my biggest asset since I’ll be working with her once I’m out from under Levi’s shadow. There’s Sue, the legal secretary, and her daughter, Heather, who works as the law librarian, and Braydon, first-year associate. Braydon is super friendly with a nice smile. He started only a few months ago and is quickly moving his way up. He hands me his card, offering his services anytime I need them, and I thank him. Before I even finish our conversation, Levi pulls me away. I try snapping at him, telling him how rude it is, but he just says, “You’re not here to land a date, Ms. Matthews,” and continues to introduce me to more staff.
Matthews and Associates is filled with employees. Marketing, paralegals, technical assistants, I can go on. By lunchtime, my head is spinning trying to remember everyone’s name, their titles, and how, when, and why I’ll need them. I can’t even hide the stress covering my face at how much information was just fed to me.
“Relax, you don’t need to master everything on the first day,” Levi states as we make it back to my desk.
“Sure I do. I want to succeed. I need to know—need to remember.” I grab for my bag in search of a pad and pen. I need to get these names and titles down before I forget. I get out my notebook, but Levi shuts my bag and pulls my arm away. I frown, my brows drawing together as I ping him with a quizzically stare. “What are you doing?”
“Relax,” he says, slow and calm. His voice soothes my overworking mind. I stop in my tracks and stare down at his hand still wrapped around my arm. He catches what has my attention and quickly lets go. “Listen, I want to start over. I’m not this person I keep showing you. I’m not normally such an ass.”