“I did, and I won’t take it back, but we have to do something about all those plants. I half expected an anaconda to slither out of there. That’s not the first impression I want clients to have upon their arrival.”
Her laughter wanes but then picks up again. “I’m sorry, Andrew. It’s like a transformation gone wrong. I’m not sure what her vision was when she ordered all those plants, but her heart was in the right place. She gave me a peace lily. Isn’t it lovely?”
Half-heartedly glancing at it, I reply, “Yeah, sure. You really think I should just let it go?”
“Yes,” she replies, so certain it’s not a big deal. “So what if they think we’re all a bunch of plant lovers? We could be called worse things.” When her laughter picks up again, I shake my head and go inside my office. Leave it to Juni to turn my most loyal employee against me.
Juniper Jacobs is good. She’s very good.
Before I settle into my morning routine, I find myself standing next to my chair, staring at a sunny yellow pot with a plant sprouting out the top sitting on my console table.
Not just any plant—a phallic-shaped cactus covered in sharp needles.
Did she run out of the regular plants before she got to me?
Bending sideways, I take in the sight before me. I’m pretty sure, judging by this cactus, Juni thinks I’m an asshole, or a dick more specifically, by the shape of it. Getting the only plant in the office that can stab you is not a good sign for our relationship.
I drop my stuff on the desk and head for the door with the yellow pot in hand. But as soon as I open it, I find Juni standing there, ready to knock.
“I was just coming to see you,” I say.
“Jinx, you owe me a coffee.”
I can’t even say my patience is worn thin because it’s nonexistent this morning. “You got me last time, but this time, I have to say something. That’s not how jinx works.” My tone is short, and when I see Mary watching our exchange, I whisper, “May I speak with you in private?”
With a simple nod, we move into the office, and I close the door. Despite my irritation, she looks like a movie star ready for her close-up, and I’ve known a few, even dated one. Her hair flows over her shoulders in soft waves. Soft pinks highlight her cheeks and lips while black lashes bring out her eyes. The short-sleeved black sweater has a rounded neckline, and the pleated black skirt flares out.
I triple-checked the dating policy yesterday. Dating her wouldn’t break any rules, but as Nick pointed out, there is an “expectation” of upper management, and you can’t get more upper than me. A friendship with Juni isn’t prohibited, but these thoughts I’ve been having would not go over well with our board members if they found out.
They won’t find out.
I’ll make sure of it.
Breaking my train of thought that was fixated on her, she asks, “What is it, Mr. Christiansen.” She’s going to do that every time, isn’t she?
I thought the formality of the name was a good way for us to remember the parts we play in each setting of our day. Apparently, I thought wrong. The way she’s taking her anger out on me has twisted, and it’s sounding dirty coming from her lips. So fucking hot.
Forming a T with my free hand and the plant, I call a time-out. “Okay, okay. Point taken. We can drop the mister part. Ow—shit!”
She moves quick, taking the plant from me and setting it down. Turning back, she says, “Let me see.”
“I’ll be okay.”
Taking my hand anyway, she analyzes my open palm as two tiny blood spots appear. “Do you have a first-aid kit?”
“It’s no big deal. I don’t need tending to. I’ll survive.” Green. That’s the dominant color of her eyes in this light as she looks up at me under the aforementioned dark lashes. Even the diamond stud earrings she’s wearing can’t compete with the sparkle in her eyes.
“I know you will, but I can clean the blood. That way, it won’t get on your contracts.” I hadn’t thought of that.
“There’s a small plastic kit in the bottom left drawer of the console.”
Moving around me, her skirt balloons over her legs as she kneels. “Found it.” She returns to where she left me standing with the kit already open. Setting it aside, she rips the foil packet of the alcohol swab. “I was having fun with the cactus.” Although she was smiling when we started this conversation, it’s now faded. “I’m sorry you got hurt.”
“It’s nothing.”
She dabs not just the two spots where needles got the better of me but my entire palm, taking her time. “It’s a joke gone bad.”