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Authors: Jocelyn Adams
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you’re…”
Fuckballs!
His face snapped toward me, eyes wide and shining with curiosity. “That I’m what?”
Heat rushed through me, unwinding my nerves until they crackled and threatened to unhinge me completely. “You know what, forget it. Deal’s off.” I started for the door, but he beat me there and stood in front of it. “Your proposal’s on the table so I’m just going to head back to my office.”
“Tell me.” Desperation filled his voice.
I fought to control my spinning thoughts, but they sped out of my control. “I’d rather throw myself out the window than finish that statement.”
“Please, Evangeline.”
The hurt in his voice sent a shiver through me and tore down my resolve. I rubbed my forehead. Why didn’t my brain-to-mouth filter work around him? He had to know he was gorgeous. Didn’t he? “I was going to say beautiful, okay? There, I said it. And now if you’ll excuse me, I need to find a bridge to live under for the rest of my life.”
I shifted closer to the door, but he didn’t move and I couldn’t find the courage to look at him.
“You … think I’m beautiful?”
“Or handsome, or whatever the word is for a guy. Don’t act as if you don’t know it. I’m sure you’ve got hot women beating down your door. Can I go now?” A knot formed in the pit of my stomach, but I didn’t know why. “Please?”
After a long silence, he stepped away and I got the hell out of his office.
I made it back to my desk in the IT office without remembering how I’d arrived there. Why did I have to say that? Why couldn’t I have lied? He sounded so lonely, so hurt, as if he assumed I thought of him as a withered old man.
“That you, Eva?” Paul poked his head over my wall, his double chin hanging over. “When I didn’t see you this morning I assumed…” He cleared his throat and rubbed his wrist across his nose.
“I’ve been in his office all day.”
“You look like ass.”
I snorted despite my mental meltdown. “You try being around Mr. Hathaway for two days and we’ll see how you look. Cam wasn’t kidding about the guy being tantamount to Satan’s cousin.”
Mr. Hathaway’s voice replayed in my mind, evoking an urge I didn’t understand, to comfort him, to take his sadness away. Just his simple “please.” God, stop it! He’s your freakin’ boss!
Jeremy appeared and perched on my desk, staring with longing into his own private world. “What’s his office like? I keep picturing the bridge from the Star Trek: Enterprise .”
I laughed, a burst of sound that flooded me with endorphins. “God, could you be any more of a dork? I’m not sure I’m supposed to say anything about his office. I’ll just say that it’s big and dark.” I stared at Jeremy. “Have you ever seen him? I mean, when he comes or goes from the building?”
“No. I overheard Skeletor talking to a girl in HR one day and he seemed to think Hathaway lives up there like some kind of freaky hermit.”
That tidbit should have seemed odd to me, but somehow it didn’t.
Jeremy shoved his glasses up. “Is he really as scary as everyone says he is?”
“Yeah,” Paul added, “I bet you’ll be glad to see Cam back on Wednesday.”
“He’s pretty scary, but after he’s done mind-fucking you, he isn’t so bad.” The knot in my stomach tightened instead of loosening. I shot a glance at the camera above the door. Hope he didn’t hear that.
My office phone rang. I winced, but relaxed and picked up the receiver when the display announced an outside caller. “Good afternoon, Eva Ross.”
“Hi, sweetheart.”
I slid forward on my chair and shot Paul a look that made him retreat from my wall. Jeremy jumped up and left. I’d trained my boys well.
I spoke past a huge lump in my throat. “Hi, Mom.”
“Your dad is so sorry for what he said last night.”
“No he isn’t. Please stop trying to apologize for him.”
Her muffled sniffles brought tears to my eyes. “Please come
Fuckballs!
His face snapped toward me, eyes wide and shining with curiosity. “That I’m what?”
Heat rushed through me, unwinding my nerves until they crackled and threatened to unhinge me completely. “You know what, forget it. Deal’s off.” I started for the door, but he beat me there and stood in front of it. “Your proposal’s on the table so I’m just going to head back to my office.”
“Tell me.” Desperation filled his voice.
I fought to control my spinning thoughts, but they sped out of my control. “I’d rather throw myself out the window than finish that statement.”
“Please, Evangeline.”
The hurt in his voice sent a shiver through me and tore down my resolve. I rubbed my forehead. Why didn’t my brain-to-mouth filter work around him? He had to know he was gorgeous. Didn’t he? “I was going to say beautiful, okay? There, I said it. And now if you’ll excuse me, I need to find a bridge to live under for the rest of my life.”
I shifted closer to the door, but he didn’t move and I couldn’t find the courage to look at him.
“You … think I’m beautiful?”
“Or handsome, or whatever the word is for a guy. Don’t act as if you don’t know it. I’m sure you’ve got hot women beating down your door. Can I go now?” A knot formed in the pit of my stomach, but I didn’t know why. “Please?”
After a long silence, he stepped away and I got the hell out of his office.
I made it back to my desk in the IT office without remembering how I’d arrived there. Why did I have to say that? Why couldn’t I have lied? He sounded so lonely, so hurt, as if he assumed I thought of him as a withered old man.
“That you, Eva?” Paul poked his head over my wall, his double chin hanging over. “When I didn’t see you this morning I assumed…” He cleared his throat and rubbed his wrist across his nose.
“I’ve been in his office all day.”
“You look like ass.”
I snorted despite my mental meltdown. “You try being around Mr. Hathaway for two days and we’ll see how you look. Cam wasn’t kidding about the guy being tantamount to Satan’s cousin.”
Mr. Hathaway’s voice replayed in my mind, evoking an urge I didn’t understand, to comfort him, to take his sadness away. Just his simple “please.” God, stop it! He’s your freakin’ boss!
Jeremy appeared and perched on my desk, staring with longing into his own private world. “What’s his office like? I keep picturing the bridge from the Star Trek: Enterprise .”
I laughed, a burst of sound that flooded me with endorphins. “God, could you be any more of a dork? I’m not sure I’m supposed to say anything about his office. I’ll just say that it’s big and dark.” I stared at Jeremy. “Have you ever seen him? I mean, when he comes or goes from the building?”
“No. I overheard Skeletor talking to a girl in HR one day and he seemed to think Hathaway lives up there like some kind of freaky hermit.”
That tidbit should have seemed odd to me, but somehow it didn’t.
Jeremy shoved his glasses up. “Is he really as scary as everyone says he is?”
“Yeah,” Paul added, “I bet you’ll be glad to see Cam back on Wednesday.”
“He’s pretty scary, but after he’s done mind-fucking you, he isn’t so bad.” The knot in my stomach tightened instead of loosening. I shot a glance at the camera above the door. Hope he didn’t hear that.
My office phone rang. I winced, but relaxed and picked up the receiver when the display announced an outside caller. “Good afternoon, Eva Ross.”
“Hi, sweetheart.”
I slid forward on my chair and shot Paul a look that made him retreat from my wall. Jeremy jumped up and left. I’d trained my boys well.
I spoke past a huge lump in my throat. “Hi, Mom.”
“Your dad is so sorry for what he said last night.”
“No he isn’t. Please stop trying to apologize for him.”
Her muffled sniffles brought tears to my eyes. “Please come
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