Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 80819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
I’m losing my fucking mind.
I need to get over whatever this is. I have a billion-dollar company to run. I don’t have time to fantasize about bending the beautiful Sawyer over my desk. I groan out loud at the mental image that gives me. My dick twitches in my pants.
This. Has. Got. To. Stop.
The intercom on my desk buzzes, and her voice fills the void in my office. “Royce,” she says softly.
“Yes.”
“I have Grant on line one for you.”
“Thank you, Sawyer.” Grabbing the receiver, I place it next to my ear. “How’s it going?”
“It’s not as bad as we thought. Tony, he’s a mess, but Scott, he’s got his shit together. He’s the one that’s keeping this branch running.”
“What do you suggest?”
“We demote Tony. My guess is that he’ll quit, but that’s his choice. We have enough evidence to fire him altogether, but this is cleaner. He’s just not cut out to run the day-to-day. Scott, on the other hand, he’s got what it takes. I’ve spent the morning with him, and he was able to rattle off numbers, ship schedules, you name it, Scott is in the know.”
“I agree. What do you need from me?”
“Nothing. I’ll take care of it. Gail is having her team in HR work up the documents and emailing them to me. It will be done before the end of the day.”
“Good. When are you heading back?”
“I think I’ll take another day. See what Tony decides to do and then help Scott if he needs it. I don’t think he will, but I want him to know that the support is there if something comes up.”
“Thank you.” I relax back in my chair. “Something I can mark off the list.”
“From the sound of things, you’ve got your hands full on the home front.” I can hear the smile in my voice.
“I swear you all are like a bunch of gossiping women.”
“I’ll tell Owen you said so.” He laughs.
“Owen?”
“Yep. I just talked to him about a salary increase for Scott, and he filled me in on everything I’ve missed. A lot can happen in just a few days.”
“It was nothing.”
“Oh, it was nothing, huh? Then why did you get all fired up? Over nothing?”
“Is that all? I’ve got work to do.” His reply is to laugh, so I hang up on him. Not my finest or most mature moment, but my brothers know how to press my buttons.
Pushing all thoughts of my sexy assistant out of my mind, I pick up the contract for the new operation in Tulsa and start reading through the suggested changes. Each location is unique to its specific demographic. For the most part, the contracts are the same, but I still read through not wanting to miss an addition that could come back and bite me or Riggins Enterprises in the ass.
“Knock, knock,” Sawyer says, appearing in my doorway a couple of hours later. “Sorry to interrupt. Your lunch meeting was canceled, so I went ahead and ordered you something.” She sets a bag from a small deli across the street on my desk. “I didn’t know what you liked. I had to guess.”
“Where’s Gail?”
“She had to run down to the HR department. Something about making sure Conrad had what he needed.”
“You could have asked me.”
“I peeked in, and you were so engrossed in what you were doing I didn’t want to interrupt.” With that, she smiles. It’s a soft smile that barely tilts her lips, but it’s genuine. She turns on her black heels, the same heels that do wonders for her legs and ass, and walks out of my office.
I stare at the bag from the deli, and my stomach growls. My eyes scan my computer, looking for the time, and I see it’s half-past one. Thirty minutes after my meeting was supposed to start. I never lose track of time like that. Reaching into the bag, I pull out a turkey on wheat, if the sharpie written description on the wrapper is any indication, plus a bag of plain potato chips, and a bottle of Lipton Sweet Tea.
I dig in, devouring every bite as if it’s been months since I’ve eaten. That gives me pause as I think back to this morning, and I didn’t eat. All I could focus on was getting to the office to talk to Gail, to initiate a policy. One that I was deftly talked out of. Gail was right. I can’t keep her from living her life outside of these walls. I can’t keep her from hanging out with my brothers or anyone else. It’s not my choice. What I can do is discourage it, which I did strongly. My only hope is that it’s enough.
I’m just shoving the last bite of my sandwich into my mouth when Sawyer appears at my door. “I forgot to grab you something for dessert.” She holds up a Snickers bar. “Vending machine for the win.” She grins and steps into my office. I watch her every move. The way the skirt she’s wearing forms to her hips, the way her blouse stretches over her ample breasts. The way her green eyes seem to always sparkle, lighting up the room.