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I turn around, something off about his voice, and realize he’s still at the front entryway, his face ashen.
I rush back over, only able to walk so fast in the skirt I tailored last night to be tighter fitting than usual. “What is it?”
His gaze finally seems to focus, zeroing in on me. “Hmm?”
I grip his arm, no thought to seduction but only making sure he’s all right. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”
“Oh, um…” He looks around, and it’s like he’s seeing everything for the first time. Isn’t this his apartment, though?
I lead him over to the couch and take the seat next to him, our knees brushing the slightest bit. “Don’t you live here?”
He clears his throat, looking down at his hands in his lap. They’re pressed together tightly, the knuckles nearly white. “I do. I mean, I will.”
“Where have you been staying?”
“The Four Seasons. That’s where I always stay when I’m in town.”
So he doesn’t live here normally? “But you’re in New York permanently now, right?”
His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows heavily. “Yeah. I guess so.”
“So, when will you move in?”
He rubs at the back of his neck, staring down at his lap. “I don’t know.”
What’s the delay? I’d kill to live in a place like this. The view alone is to die for. “You want me to call a moving company or something?” That’s the type of thing an assistant does, right?
He flinches, getting up and walking to the twelve-seat dining table, his hands gripping the back of a chair.
Okay, there are obviously deeper issues going on. He was fine when we were in the office. So why…
Oh, God. I’m an idiot. This is all his dad’s stuff. His dad that just died. And here I am demanding he show me around, asking him all sorts of invasive questions.
I follow him to the table, keeping my distance this time. It feels wrong to manipulate him in this moment. “We can leave. I didn’t realize—”
“No, no. It was time. I’ve been avoiding it.” He straightens his shoulders, looking around again. “I always wondered what this place looked like. He never invited me up here.”
Really? His dad left him a billion-dollar company but didn’t have him over to his apartment? I guess it’s not so far-fetched, though. “I’ve never been to my dad’s house either,” I find myself saying.
He looks over at me, and I immediately regret my words. I don’t need him asking questions about my father.
“Why don’t you redecorate?” I ask in an attempt to redirect the conversation. “Just gut it and design it the way you want.”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. He’s still… here.” He runs his fingers through his dark hair, tugging slightly on the ends. “I’m sorry, we should be talking about work, not this.”
“No, it’s fine. We’ll be working closely together and—” My stomach does a slow roll as I realize this is the perfect chance to try something. I step in nearer, lightly brushing my hand down his arm. “We should be comfortable with one another.”
He studies where my hand rests on him, the moment stretching out.
“Right,” he finally says, moving over to the foyer, my arm dropping. “Probably time to get to work.”
I nod, ducking my head down so he doesn’t see the heat spreading over my cheeks from my epic fail.
I still have the rest of the day to get close to him. This isn’t a strike. It’s just the beginning.
* * *
As the morning wears on,I employ every trick I can think of to sow the seeds of seduction. Bending over in front of him in my too-tight skirt. Undoing a button on my shirt so the girls are a little more on display. Showcasing said girls as I lean over his desk asking him to sign documents. And with the company missing a CEO for over a week, there are a lot of papers that need his signature.