“I am sorry,” he said, wiping the amusement from his features. “I had no intention of it happening that way. I was going to say it might be wiser to use my office.”
“Well, thanks but no thanks. You probably have cameras in there to watch replays of yourself working when you run out of things to do.”
He turned his back once he’d helped me to my feet. I got my dress back on and smoothed it out over my legs, then adjusted my bra. “Alright,” I said. “I’m decent.”
He looked me from head to toe, eyes flashing with warmth. He was subtle about it, but I had no doubt he liked what he was looking at. I wasn’t proud of how much that turned me on, either.
I put my fist on my hip and arched my eyebrow. “Stare much longer and I’m going to start to worry I’ve got something on my face.” Or my chest.
Mr. White took a step closer and lifted a lock of my hair with his index finger. I felt the hair free itself from the collar of my dress. “It was stuck in there,” he said softly.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
“Come on,” Mr. White said suddenly. “You’ve got to join the party. It’s company policy.”
I rolled my eyes and followed him into the room.
8
Adrian
I was crossing the line with Jules. I knew I was, and I still couldn’t quite stop myself from making it worse. Picking out a dress for her to wear was unprofessional in the extreme. Seeing her in her panties was a disaster waiting to happen. But deciding to stick by her side for the entirety of the company party was reckless, because I knew exactly why I wasn’t willing to leave her alone.
The moment we walked into the office floor, I saw the way my employees looked at her. The women were jealous, and the men were curious. They wondered what she’d look like laid out on their beds, no doubt. I could just imagine if I retreated to my office like I normally would for this sort of thing. The men would be on her in an instant trying to figure out if they could land a date.
I’d let a woman named Lythe who worked in editing set up the party. I gave her one of the company cards and told her to get whatever she thought was necessary. Apparently, a metric ton of alcohol, party tables, and catered food from a sandwich place, an Indian place, and a pizza place was necessary.
“Wow,” Jules said. “I can’t believe they set this all up while I was passed out at my desk.”
The office floor wasn’t unusually large. There was space for the ten desks of my employees with walking space between them. There was also a break room with vending machines, microwaves, and a fridge. It looked like Lythe had stashed some extra alcohol and cups in there. Everybody was gathered near the center of the room at the moment with food in one hand and a drink in the other, but they had stopped talking and stared when I came in with Jules.
“A few people tried to wake you,” I said. “But you were out like the dead until I came to check on you.”
“You came to check on me?” she asked.
Damn it. “I prefer not to have dead bodies in my office. If you expired, I was going to call a coroner.”
Jules rolled her eyes, smiling. “Right. You almost had me there for a second. I thought maybe you worried if I lived or died. That would’ve been totally out of character.”
I gritted my teeth, then stepped in front of her, putting my back to the others. They’d begun talking in low voices, but I could still sense their eyes on us.
“Listen,” I said. “I’m hard on people who work for me. It’s a business philosophy, not my personality.”
She tilted her head. “I’m not sure I understand, Mr. White. Are you apologizing, or threatening me?”
I sighed. “I don’t apologize to employees. I am just telling you that I am hard on everyone. Even when they demonstrate an impressive ability to handle the work I give them. And even when they possess qualities I find desirable. In an employee, I mean.”
Jules’ eyes narrowed. “You find me desirable, Mr. White?”
“I was trying to make things less uncomfortable. Clearly I’m failing at that.”
“I’m a big girl,” Jules said. She lifted her eyes to mine, looking painfully sexy. “If I couldn’t handle you, I would speak up. But you’re not as bad as you think you are.”
“Well,” I said. “We should go speak with the others. It will be strange if we don’t at least make an effort.”
“We?” Jules asked. “I wasn’t aware you’d be my chaperone for the evening.”
“You haven’t really met anyone here yet. As your boss, it’s my responsibility to make sure introductions go well.”