Claimed (For Her 3)

It looks good on him. The man who was always known to be ice-cold isn’t so much anymore. I’m happy for him. I’ve been working at his side for years, and while others have thought of him as unfriendly, I knew otherwise.

“Morning, Jay, and no, thank you.” He pulls his wife to him. “Maybe we should look into getting decaf,” he says, making Mallory roll her eyes.

“I’m not drinking decaf. One cup of coffee in the morning isn’t going to kill me.”

“She’s correct, Mr. Osbourne. One ten-ounce cup of coffee is permitted,” I add. Mallory smiles in response.

“How do you know this shit?” he teases me.

“That’s my job, sir,” I remind him. Okay, maybe knowing these tidbits wasn’t in my job description, but when he asked me to pick up a copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting a few months ago, I might have read it. I didn’t know anything about babies except that they’re cute and squishy and my boss was about to have one. I like to live by the motto that it’s always best to be prepared.

“Can we stop with the ‘sir’ thing? You’re making me feel old. We’ve been working together for over two years. Maybe you can call me Miles now?” He says it as a question, but it’s not really one. Or maybe it is. He’s my boss, so of course I’ll call him whatever he asks me to. Though I know this isn’t something he would have said months ago. I also stop myself from informing him I’ve been working for him for two years and nine days.

“Of course, Miles.”

“I have to get to my desk. I’m sure I have a pile of things to get to, and Skyler has been blowing up my phone with ideas. I think she put us down to attend a few charity dinners,” Mallory tells Miles as she tries to pull away from him. But he only holds her tighter. I make a mental note to email Skyler and get dates for any events so I can make sure there are no conflicts. Skyler and Mallory head Osbourne Corp.’s charities and share the floor with Miles and me.

“Lunch?” Miles says, pulling Mallory even closer. “I’ll order from the Greek place you love.”

I open my desk drawer and shuffle through the menus, looking for the right one. I grab it and set it on top of my folders. Glancing at my computer screen, I see that I’m going to have to cancel his lunch plans with the mayor. I skim my finger over my touch pad and delete the event, replacing it with a Miles-Mallory lunch. I inwardly smile at that one.

The mayor gives me the freaking creeps and doesn’t know how to take no for an answer. He’s pushy, and something feels off with him. I just can’t seem to put my finger on what it is yet. It also means I’ll be free for lunch now as I won’t have to take notes during their meeting. My mind drifts to Jordan, and I wonder if he’d like to have lunch with me. I find my mind drifting there a lot.

I don’t even know if he likes eating with me. He barely says three words when we have lunch together. But I like how he lets me talk. A lot of people around here don’t like me. Being the boss’s right hand has its perks, but it also comes with a ton of disadvantages. A lot of people don’t think I’ve heard the whispers about me. The women always joke that I’m sleeping with the boss, and the men just say I’m a bitch. I do my best to ignore it all. I’ve worked hard to get this job and even harder to make sure I keep it.

Making friends at work hasn’t been easy, but with Jordan, it’s been really nice. Though sometimes I think they’re pity lunches. He’ll see me sitting alone and come sit down with me. Or I’ll see him walk into the cafeteria and wave him down. What choice does he really have then? I’ve tried to flirt with him, but I think I’m doing it wrong. Or maybe he’s just not into me like that. I’ll take him as a friend if that’s all I can have. I try to be honest with myself. The hot guy who can probably snap a woman in half with his muscles isn’t going to go for the plain nerdy girl who should definitely lay off the bagels.

“Jay.” I jump a little at Miles saying my name, realizing I got lost in my own thoughts about Jordan. Again.

“Sorry, sir. I mean, Miles,” I rush to correct.

He cocks an eyebrow at me, and it’s then I see Mallory is gone, and I wonder how long I was running off with my own thoughts. I pick up my folders.