Page 62 of Hate You Up Close

“Y-Yes. Yes, sir,” they all rush out.

“Get back to work,” I clip. “And enjoy your jobs while you still have one.”

I turn my back, moving on to my next task of the day.

Find Zachary Miller, and put the fear of God in him.

There’s lessthan an hour left in the work day when Roxanne bursts through my office door, looking like she’s about to blow a gasket.

She’s fucking pissed. And I know exactly why.

I can’t help the smirk that pulls at the corner of my lips.

Her dark hair is wild, like she’s been furiously running her fingers through it. Her pretty cheeks are crimson red, and her chest is heaving up and down with furious breaths.

I’m glad I’m seated behind my desk because the high-waisted skirt she’s wearing today has my pants feeling impossibly tight. The first two buttons of her blouse are undone, revealing the valley between her breasts and her defined collar bones.

You know you have it bad when you start sexualizing a woman’s collarbones instead of her ass or tits.

Her nostrils flare as she slams my door behind her and stomps right up to my desk.

“Tough day?” I ask as a cocky grin stretches across my face.

She lets out an annoyed huff before narrowing her eyes to little slits.

“What the hell, Elliot?”

“Is something wrong?” I ask, acting genuinely confused.

“You know exactly what’s wrong,” she answers through gritted teeth. “You knowexactlywhat you did.”

“Actually, I don’t.” I purse my lips together and shake my head. “Everything I’ve done today has felt pretty damn justifiable.”

“Really?” she arches a brow.

“Really,” I nod, leaning back in my chair and folding my arms across my chest. “But you’re more than welcome to tell me what youassumeI did wrong.”

“You are unbelievable, Elliot,” she scoffs. Her brows pinch together, and her cute nose scrunches up like she’s appalled by me.

“Unbelievably confused,” I retort, continuing the charade.

“Cut the bullshit, Elliot,” she snaps. “Zach called me at lunch and told me you threatened him. Fucking threatened his job, his livelihood, if he took me out on a date. Are you kidding me?”

“Did Zach say it sounded like a joke?” I tilt my head. “Because I thought I made myself pretty fucking clear when I told him to stay away from you.”

“Stay away from me?” she shouts as her eyebrows shoot up. “Why would he need to stay away from me? We aren't even in the same department. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with me seeing him. You had no right to do that.”

“It’s a conflict of interest,” I reply sharply. “He’s an auditor, Roxanne. He audits all of our shit. I don’t need him getting jealous and fucking me over. You want to go off and date him? Fine. But find somebody else to work for.”

“Oh really?” she huffs, placing her hands on her hips. “Because it sounds like you’re the one who is jealous.”

We have a silent stare-off as my heart drums against my chest.

She lets out a sarcastic chuckle before shaking her head.

“That’s it, isn't it?” she laughs hysterically. “You’re jealous. I guess you were more sober than I thought you were when you said you wanted to fuck me. This has nothing to do with the fact that Zach works at Ace Financial, and everything to do with the fact that you want to fuck your assistant.”

My nostrils flare as I inhale a deep breath, placingmy arms on my desk and threading my fingers together. Tension-filled silence thickens in the air as I calmly hold her stare.