In Love After Office Hours (Wrong For You series Boxsets #7)

Sixteen

I THINK I'M STILL IN shock. The words echoed endlessly in Pippi's mind while she went through the motions of acclimating herself with what would be her workplace for the next thirty days. The framed portrait of her family went to one corner while her wooden box of pens and highlighters went to another. She pulled her drawer open and started mechanically organizing the items that made up her survival kit at work. Her pad of sticky notes went to this side while her can of page tabs and metal clips went to the other. Her writing board went under this, and her dotted notebook went over that.

It was a mindless routine, which was unfortunate since this gave Pippi too much time to dwell on the four-minute conversation she had with Acheron. Even now, she had a hard time understanding how a day that had started so wonderfully could end in such a spectacularly dismal way. She had heard of relationships having its expected share of ups and downs, but surely this was too much?

Or maybe she had just been too blind and naive that she hadn't seen the trees for the forest, and Acheron really was a jerk, just like how all wealthy men—-

"Everything alright there?" Her new boss had come up to her desk, a puzzled look on his good-looking face. "You don't seem yourself somehow..."

Pippi took a deep breath, preparing herself to make up some lie, but the next thing she knew, she had her boss sputtering as she burst into tears. If she hadn't been so miserable, she might even have managed a teary laugh at the stunned expression that crossed Gareth Evans' face.

You're not alone, Pippi wanted to say. Because she was honestly shocked at herself as well.

Pippi had been alone at home when Great-Aunt Agatha had suddenly keeled over in front of her. Terrified out of her wits, she constantly fought against the urge to go into hysterics as she called 911 and did first aid while waiting for the paramedics.

It was only after Great-Aunt Agatha had successfully undergone her operation that Pippi allowed herself the luxury of tears, and she had done so in the shower, to hide the sound of her sobs.

That was how tough...she used to be.

Unlike now.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Evans," Pippi choked out. "This isn't like me at all."

"You don't say." Her boss' voice, albeit dry, held a trace of sympathy that only sent more tears trailing down her cheeks. Oh God, to cry in public, and in front of Gareth Evans no less!

Pippi angrily snatched a sheet of tissue to blot her tears and attend to her runny nose. I hate you, Acheron Simonides . But what was supposed to be a thought spurred by pain and betrayal ended up making her cry harder. She was just so disappointed, and when she thought of how her own family would feel even worse, since they'd be worrying about her, too—-

Damn you, damn you, damn you.

But most of all, she damned her heart for being so stupid.

Gareth had enough experience with women to know when they were crying over a man, which was surprisingly the case as well with his newly-hired secretary. Will wonders never cease , Gareth mused. He had initially thought her as someone either frigid or inexperienced, someone he would have to coax into blooming, but apparently another man had already beaten him to that.

Either way, it didn't make her any less desirable in his eyes, and these tears of hers could only work to his favor.

Seeing her sniff, he handed her a fresh sheet of tissue, intending merely to help but to his amusement, the gesture only had Pippi looking even more miserable.

And then she started apologizing again.

"I'm just so sorry, Mr. Evans. I know this is completely unprofessional of me, and I cannot apologize enough. There are just no words. It's beyond shame—-"

"Relax, Ms. Jones." Gareth deliberately kept his voice light. "You're acting like you blew up the whole building when you've only blown your nose in my presence."

She let out a choking sound that also suspiciously resembled a giggle, and Gareth's lips twitched. "I hadn't pegged you to be the giggling kind."

Her boss' casual banter helped Pippi gradually regain her composure, and she could even feel the pain in her heart fading to a dull ache all the while her humor slowly restored itself. No point in being self-conscious with him now , Pippi thought, after everything he's seen .

And so she deliberately swallowed past the lump of shyness in her throat and made herself treat him like she would a member of her family. Giving him a tentative smile, she said, "I've been known to manage a chuckle here and then as well, sir."

Gareth's lips curved in appreciation of how Pippi was doing her best to overcome her reservations. "That's my girl." As expected, this had color bursting in her cheeks, and he murmured, "I'm glad to see I'm right."

Pippi wondered if she had missed something. "Right about what?"

"About your ability to blush."

Bollocks.

This time, the glint of sexual interest in Gareth's eyes was unmistakable, and Pippi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was this what it meant to jump from the pan and into the fire? Or maybe it was the other way around?

Either way, it was utterly insane, to have one wealthy man after another suddenly act like she was the most desirable thing within reach.

"Has Tim ever made you blush?"

"N-No."

"Keep it that way." He saw consternation flash in Pippi's eyes, and he said lazily, "I like knowing that I'm the only one to have seen you blush."

But he wasn't. She almost said this out loud, too, until she realized that doing so would be pointless. They were over anyway. And so all she said was, "It's just a blush."

"Not when you're the one doing it, Ms. Jones."

Pippi bit her lip hard.

Would it be possible to pretend that she didn't notice him flirting—-

A low chuckle interrupted her thoughts.

"I can almost hear the gears in your mind working overtime, Ms. Jones." A pause, then Gareth drawled, "Shall I make a guess? You were thinking if you could act like you've misread the situation—-"

Pippi strove hard not to start blushing again, but it was impossible. Was she really that embarrassingly easy to read?

"For the record, Ms. Jones—-" Gareth's voice lowered to a husky caress. "You haven't misread anything. I like you the way men have liked women - and vice versa - since the beginning of time."

Pippi's head reeled at how nonchalantly her new boss was admitting his attraction to her.

"You are, of course, free to respond however you wish. I'm certain you're smart enough to know I'm not the type to force myself on women." His gaze turned dark with promise. "But I think it's only a matter of time—-"

She started shaking her head before he had even finished speaking.

But Gareth only smiled, his self-assurance obviously unaffected by her silent rejection of his words. "We'll see."

"I'm not going to change my mind, Mr. Evans."

"Because you've had your heart broken in a way you never expected."

The words weren't uttered in question, and it hurt, realizing how she had been unconsciously wearing her pain on her sleeve.

"You know what they say, Ms. Jones," Gareth murmured. "There's nothing like a new man to make you forget the old."

Not when the new one has too many similarities with the old , Pippi thought.

If she ever trusted another man again, it would be someone so...so poor the only thing he owned were the clothes on his back.

Gareth's gaze gleamed at the stubborn look on Pippi's face. "It's almost as if you're daring me to prove you wrong, Ms. Jones."

She looked at him with wide-eyed alarm, knowing how men like him tended to rise to the occasion during dares and challenges like their lives depended on it. "That is absolutely not true, sir."

Gareth couldn't help laughing. Never had a woman been so determined to prove her lack of interest in him, and not for the first time, he found himself wondering what kind of an idiot would give up a gem like Pippilotta Jones.

Ah, well.

It no longer mattered in any case.

The important thing now was to earn Pippi's trust until she came to him, willingly, and preferably without clothes.

Looking back at her, he said mildly, "You should take the rest of the day off."

Pippi immediately shook her head. "I don't—-"

He waved her protest off, saying, "I'm not doing this out of pity or for any ulterior motive. If you really want the truth, I'm doing this because I know you're worth your weight in gold and I expect you to make efficient use of your free time."

In other words, he was telling her that today was best forgotten, and tomorrow he expected the real Ms. Jones to show up at work - and impress the heck out of him.

"I see you get my meaning."

"Yes, sir." She rose to her feet. "And come tomorrow, I promise you won't even know what hit you, Mr. Evans. You'll just realize that you can't even remember what your office life was like before you had me as your secretary."

"And my lover hopefully," he couldn't help adding.

Pippi decided it was simply best to ignore this. Slinging the straps of her bag over her shoulder, she looked at her new boss, and the usual wave of shyness struck her. But just as she had done a while ago, Pippi fought past it and even succeeded in summoning a smile that was the only slightest bit awkward.

"Thank you...for understanding."

"What are lovers for?" But before Pippi could even think of what to say to this, he had already pointed to the door, saying, "I'll see you tomorrow, Ms. Jones."

Pippi couldn't help rolling her eyes as she turned to leave. How so like a man, she thought wryly, to always want to have the last word.

The stamp on Pippi's time card showed that she was getting off work two hours earlier than usual, and the sheer novelty of it helped further ease the ache in her heart. Two hours , she found herself marveling privately. Why, that was more than enough for her to indulge in watching a full-length movie in the cinemas if she wanted to.

She was so busy thinking of the ways she could best put her extra two hours to use that Pippi completely missed the way the other secretaries exchanged sly glances among themselves as she walked past them.

That she was given a chance to leave early on her first day of work as Gareth Evans' secretary was too interesting by half, and in minutes, rumors about a possible affair between Pippi and her new boss were already spreading like wildfire.

At the lobby, Pippi had just swiped her ID to push past the metal arms of the turnstile when she noticed what seemed like an altercation between a pair of security officers and a gauntly thin woman with too-pale skin and dark circles under her eyes. Even so, the brunette had a fragile loveliness about her, and the overly loose dress she wore only added to her air of vulnerability.

Pippi hesitated, knowing that none of it was truly her concern.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" the woman was screaming. "You don't know who you're messing with. You'll regret this, I'm telling you!"

More threats and expletives followed, and Pippi couldn't help wincing. Public relations might be her worst skill, but even she knew that swearing would never get anyone anywhere.

"We won't warn you again, ma'am. If you do not cease causing a disturbance—-"

"I am not a disturbance!"

Pippi gnawed on her lip. This...might be too much for her to handle. And she might have left completely if not for taking one last worried look at the woman. The brunette wore a defiant expression on her face, but the way her lips trembled told a different story, and at the sight, the overly responsible side of Pippi simply took over.

In moments, she had crossed the length of the company's vast marbled lobby and introduced herself to the fierce-looking security personnel as Gareth Evans' secretary. It was name-dropping at its most shameless, but needs must, and Pippi's discomfort was slightly alleviated when the ploy worked. The two men reluctantly stepped back and Pippi finally had a private moment to address the woman.

"Are you okay?"

"I've had worse." The brunette was gingerly rubbing her wrists, and Pippi was aghast to see red circles marking the woman's skin.

"I'm so sorry for this, Miss—-"

"Amelia."

No last name , Pippi couldn't help thinking even as she gave the woman a reassuring smile. "Amelia then." She chose her words with care afterwards, asking, "Would you mind telling me what you and security were arguing about?"

"That wasn't arguing," the woman retorted. "That was plain fucking bullying, and they'll see, once they find out who I am—-"

"Which is Amelia?" Pippi was starting to wonder if the woman might just be a wee bit unhinged.

"Yes, I'm that—-" The woman's tone was impatient. "But that's not it."

Pippi was having a hard time catching up. "You're not Amelia?"

"I'm saying I'm Acheron Simonides' girlfriend, and they don't fucking believe me! They say he's not receiving visitors, but I know—-" Amelia lifted her chin, saying aggressively, "He'll talk to me, okay? He just has to know it's me."

"I see."

"Then can you get me in?"

"I...might." Without letting herself think, Pippi pulled her phone out of her bag, all the while despising the way her fingers shook. Wickham had given her his number earlier, when everything was still...fine.

Wickham's phone only rang once before his familiar gruff voice came down the line. "Good afternoon, Ms. Jones."

"I'm here at the lobby with a woman named Amelia—-"

"Amy?"

"And she says she's Mr. Simonides' girlfriend."

"Ah...ah..."

The fluster in Wickham's voice was all she needed to hear, and it felt like having the ground under her disappear. "She's very distraught, Mr. Wickham, and she would like to see Mr. Simonides as soon as possible."

"We'll be right down, Ms. Jones. And—-"

"Thank you, Mr. Wickham." She ended the call, not wanting to hear any of the factotum's no doubt well-meaning but pointless excuses.

"Was that Wick?" Amelia asked eagerly as soon as Pippi looked at her.

"It is." And even as her world continued to crash around her, Pippi managed to say kindly, "Mr. Wickham says they'll be right down with you." And she needed to leave before that happened. "Is it alright if I leave you now?"

"I...guess. What's your name again?"

Pippi pretended not to hear this, saying, "I'm just glad to be of help." She turned to leave, but she had only managed several steps when she heard people gasping, and Pippi knew right away what it meant.

Acheron.

Her mind begged her to just keep walking, but she couldn't help it. She turned, her heart beating faster and faster, and when her gaze finally found them, it was exactly what she expected, and pain once again started ripping her heart into pieces.

Amelia in his arms, sobbing against his chest, and not once did Acheron even realize that Pippi was watching them the entire time.