Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“I like pizza from this place. Can you call and order a large ‘all in’ one for delivery?”
She took the paper, her eyes on my desk. “Of course.”
“Ask for Carlos. Tell him it’s for me. He knows. He keeps my credit card on file.”
She nodded, her gaze bouncing from one untidy mess to another. I searched through the files, spreading them like a deck of cards and picking one, leaving the rest alone. I opened it, shoving some of the papers by my elbow.
That broke her.
She stood. “Are you going out of the office again today?” she asked, her voice actually squeaking on the last word.
“No.” I smirked at her. “In all afternoon. I have a couple of phone meetings. If you’d order the pizza, that would be great.” I stood and walked over the fridge and bent to get a bottle of water, waiting to see what she would do.
She didn’t disappoint.
In a second, she had rounded the desk, straightening the files and capping the pen, upending the one in the holder so it was pointing in the correct direction. She tapped the Post-its into place and moved the stapler a fraction. She tossed the crumpled Post-it in the garbage. Then she huffed and lifted her gaze to mine.
I winked at her.
“You did that deliberately!”
“I noticed the precise piles when I got back into my office. I wanted to see if there was a fairy in here or my secretary.”
“I had mail,” she protested. “And it was a mess. I just organized it. You can work more efficiently when organized. I didn’t snoop or do anything.”
“You are very proficient.”
“You’re an ass.”
My eyebrows flew up, and a bark of laughter escaped my lips at her unexpected term. “What did you call me?”
“You heard me. An ass.” She waved her hand toward my desk. “I like order. It calms me. You didn’t have to make fun of me.”
She stalked past me, and, without thinking, I reached out, holding her arm and halting her progress.
“Hey, Tally, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I was teasing.”
“What did you call me?” She threw back my earlier question.
“Ah, Tally. Sorry if that offends too.”
“My gran used to call me that.”
“And that brings up painful memories?” I asked quietly, stepping closer.
“No,” she whispered.
“I noticed how tidy my desk was. I thought…well, frankly, I thought it was adorable. I figured out mess drives you crazy. I was trying to see how far I could push you before you broke.” I smiled as I tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. “It didn’t take much.”
“You found it adorable?”
“Yes.”
“I shouldn’t have called you an ass.”
I leaned closer. “To be honest, I found that adorable too.”
The smile I had been hoping for broke through, lifting the corners of her mouth and crinkling her lovely eyes. “Really?”
With a start, I realized how close we were standing. The fact that I still had a curl wrapped around my finger. How incredibly enticing she smelled. Like warm honey and citrus. The frightening part was that I wanted to be even closer. I wanted to pull her against me and inhale her into my lungs. Meld her close to my body. Taste her.
Instead, I released the curl and stepped back. “Really. But I didn’t mean to offend.”
“You didn’t. Honest. I was just shocked you noticed. Most people don’t.” She cocked her head to the side, a small smile still playing on her lips. “I guess that’s part of the job, right? Noticing details others wouldn’t.”
“Pardon?”
“The security thing.”
“Oh, yes. Part of it, for sure.”
I took another step back, hating the distance between us. “I apologize for overstepping.”
For a moment, she said nothing. Then once again, she smiled. “I guess you owe me pizza, then, Commander.”
Her use of the term commander threw me for a moment, then I smiled. She had heard the guys refer to me that way—old habits from their days at Hidden Justice. They liked to use the term, and I had stopped objecting.
“I guess so, Taliyah.”
“Tally. You can call me Tally if you want.”
“Okay.”
“Can I call you Jules? Or maybe Juju?” She clapped her hands. “Maybe Jujube.”
“No.”
She burst out laughing, the sound melodic and light. “You should see the look on your face. I was kidding. But I’m getting an extra-large pizza.”
“Fine,” I grumped, fighting back my smile.
“And keep your desk neat. I can’t stop myself at times,” she threw over her shoulder as she walked out of the office.
I chuckled and headed to my desk. Two smiles, a laugh, teasing, a late lunch sharing my favorite pizza, and a nickname. And I’d touched her hair.
Look how far we’d come in an afternoon.
I was doing well with ignoring the pretty woman I’d hired to be my secretary.
I ignored the mocking laughter in my head.
CHAPTER THREE
Tally
I couldn’t believe I was sitting across from my new boss eating pizza.