Page 30 of The Rebel

“I’m thoroughly confused.”

He sighed. “I think my previous assistants were confused too. According to Dorothy, they thought I had a personal problem withthem.”

“But you didn’t?”

“No!I’mthe problem.”

I was even more confused than before.

Again, he looked as though he was trying to find the right words. Then he began, “Years ago, I crossed a line with an assistant. We went from completely professional to… more.”

Oh. Now all the pieces were falling into place.

“It went terribly wrong. She seemed to think it was more than a one-night adventure…”

I almost laughed at how he phrased it. He’d clearly meant to say “one-night stand.” I kind of felt bad for him, as he really didn’t need to tell me any of this. But he continued.

“And she threatened to sue the company if I didn’t continue the relationship with her.”

Holy shit!My eyes bulged. “Wait, she was trying to blackmail you into being with her?”

“Yes. Mind you, all this was consensual—and my lawyer at the time thought she’d probably planned it from the get-go. Anyway, it caused a number of issues in the company, so I promised myself that I’d never get involved with an assistant—or any employee, for that matter—ever again. That I wouldn’t even give an assistant room to doubt my intentions.”

“So, you were extra cool and more businesslike with them, and they wondered why.”

He nodded a bit sheepishly.

I whistled. “Damn! That’s a hell of a way to build a reputation for being difficult.”

Anthony started to laugh. “True. I managed to complicate things for myself.”

“Thank you for sharing that with me. It certainly explains your reaction when you saw me in your office. I can’t even begin to imagine what went through your mind.”

“No, you can’t.” His voice changed a bit. It was dangerous somehow, but I couldn’t explain why.

God, this evening was getting more bizarre by the moment. Once again, I didn’t know where I stood with Anthony. So, all this week, he’d made an effort tonotflirt?

“I’m not sure what to make of all this,” I confessed.

“Neither am I.” There was a playful twinkle in his eyes. “Just figured I should share it.”

This man was unlike anyone I’d ever met.

He held his glass up. “Bottoms up?” he suggested. We each only had two sips left at best.

“Sure. Are you driving?”

“Nah, I Ubered here. Figured you and I will have a few drinks.”

“A few?” I whistled. “Careful there, boss.”

His eyes flashed. “There’s one thing you should know about me, Daisy. I work hard, but I play even harder.”

My breath caught. I cleared my throat, downing my drink. Anthony did the same. The sexual tension between us was getting thicker by the second. I needed to change the subject.

“So, you often have lunch with your family at the restaurant?”

The corners of his mouth lifted in a smile. My tactic of changing topics was way too obvious, but what else could I do? We obviously were attracted to each other. He’d basically told me I was tempting him just with my presence, and that was a line he didn’t want to cross.