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But I make myself take another breath, and then one more for good measure, feeling myself settle after the third.
“Very good,” Xavier says. “Do you feel better?”
I nod again. “Yes. I really am sorry about the misunderstanding. And for being late.”
He shrugs, looking unbothered. “You don’t start until nine. It’s only eight fifty-three right now.”
“Right. That’s good. I’m going to just… get dressed, then.” I duck into a stall before he can reply, putting my shirt back on and breathing a sigh of relief that it’s not too damp. By lunch it should be completely dry, and maybe I can put this whole embarrassing moment behind me.
I’m torn between hiding in the stall until Xavier is gone and the desperate need to get to my desk before nine hits, and in the end, being punctual wins out. I step out of the stall and find Xavier by the sinks once more, washing his hands.
He looks me over and then steps up to me again. This time he crosses right into my personal bubble, and my eyes widen. He reaches out and tugs some of my hair free from the collar of the shirt, then adjusts the fabric so it lies properly.
Warmth explodes through me, and I have to fight the urge to suck in a sharp breath. His touch sends a ripple of goosebumps down my arms and a shiver up my spine, and I focus onbreathing steadily. It just floods my nose with his scent even more, and my head is full of him in the moment.
My heartbeat had calmed down, but now it’s racing again, a cocktail of adrenaline and instinct pumping through me.
Xavier seems unaware of my little internal meltdown and steps back, giving me my space again.
“There,” he says. “Now you’re ready for your first day. Let me walk you to your desk.”
“Oh, you don’t have to, I can?—”
He waves that away with another of those smiles that light up his whole face. “Don’t worry about it. It’s your first day, and I hired you. It’s the least I can do.”
I want to tell him that just giving me this job was already enough, but instead I just smile back and let him lead the way out of the bathroom.
The hallway is blessedly empty at first, but then Sienna comes around the corner and sees us coming out of the bathroom together. She narrows her eyes and scowls at me, like I’ve done something to offend her. But the look is only there for a split second before she turns and smiles brightly at Xavier.
“Good morning, Mr. Sterling,” she says, in a completely different tone than the one she’s been using with me. “I have some messages for you.”
“Thanks, Sienna,” Xavier says. “You can just leave them on my desk. I’m going to walk Ms. Dalton to hers and then head on up.”
We walk past her, and I don’t even glance back to see Sienna’s face. I don’t have to because I can feel the heat of her glare on my back.
Xavier drops me off at my desk with one last smile. “Welcome to Vantage, officially,” he says. “If you have any questions, Sienna can steer you in the right direction.”
Yeah, right. “Of course,” I reply. “Thank you so much.”
He gives me a little salute, and then he’s gone, heading for the elevators so he can go do the important work that keeps this place going, presumably. His scent lingers behind, enticing and delicious, and I swallow a few times to get a hold of myself.
If I’m going to work here, I can’t go to pieces every time one of the Alphas leaves their scent all over the place.
I find a stack of paperwork on my desk with a note that tells me to take it to HR to fill out.
That focuses my mind on the task at hand.
Do my job and do it well. Get paid. Get my suppressants and everything else I need. Nothing has changed.
I scoop up the stack and head for the elevators, silently grateful for the fact that all the floors are so well labeled.
HR is on one of the upper floors, and I walk down it, glancing at the door plaques to find the right place. I’m so caught up in it that I don’t notice someone coming down the hall in the other direction until I’m literally on top of them.
This time, the scent hits me before I realize who it is.
Dark chocolate and blackberry. Dominic.
I jump back, an apology already forming on my lips, but he just glares at me, and the words die in my throat.