Page 10 of Consumed By You

“You’re different than I expected.”

“Different how?” I get up to throw the remains of my sandwich into the trash bin. When I turn around, I catch him giving me a thorough once-over. While the wantonness was enormously attractive coming from Benjamin Scott, this man falls short of pulling it off.

“Oh yeah, that’s attractive,” I mutter, narrowing my eyes, and he hums, finally acknowledging my annoyed expression.

“Go out with me.”

“I don’t even know your name.”

“Alexander. Alex to you.”

“Well, Alex, I must be getting back to work. I have a ton left to do.”

He groans. “One date. It can’t hurt.”

“Maybe some other time,” I call out over my shoulder.

***

It’s two when I get a knock at the door. I tear my thoughts from the ledger in front of me long enough to answer.

“Come in.”

Benjamin opens the door and reactively, my back straightens rigidly with awareness. “May I come in?”

I nod, unable to form words.His wild waves are windblown from being outside in the frigid New York weather. “I have a business trip from Monday until Wednesday in Seattle. A fundraiser we are throwing from our smaller branch there. Doris told you about that branch?”

“Yes, and the ones in Texas and Miami.”

“My driver will take us from here to the airport. Be here at six a.m. Monday morning.”

Wait, what?

“I’mgoing?”

“Yes. Is that a problem?” His voice is as sharp as razors, which makes it easy to concede to his demand.

“No problem at all, sir.”

“Where are you with the work I gave you?”

“I’m finished.” I pick up the stack I’ve done, extending the sheets to him. He takes them from me and starts to flip through the pages on the spot. I hope I did everything right.

He nods after a moment. “You’re doing extremely well, Miss Fontaine. You’re surprising me at every corner.”

“Surprising? How?”

“You’re smart.”

His tone sends a displeasing chill down my spine. For the first time since meeting him, I drift out of the binding hold he normally has around me, scowling in disbelief. “Yes, some women are.”

“Not many.”

“Maybe not the women you associate yourself with,” I mutter under my breath, paling when I realize I said that out loud. I expect him to scream and shout, hell, even fire me, but he just regards me silently, his eyes shrewd and assessing. He’s trying to read me.

I bravely hold his tempestuous gaze until his lips turn up ever so slightly. “Wow, youarebrave. A comment like that to your boss and no apology.”

I exhale in a rush as soon as he disappears from my office then suck the gulp of air right in when he storms back with an enormously large amount of paperwork.