Chapter 9 #2
Avoidance is something I am failing at daily. With each day that passes it’s becoming impossible because we seem to have more and more to discuss.
Or maybe that’s just my imagination.
It’s stupid of me to think I can avoid him, given that I’m his right-hand woman, but I think we’re both in shock that I’m still working for Hart Law after he challenged me that I wouldn’t last the week.
Combine that with spending an unforgettable night of sex with him, then throw in the curve ball of me working directly for him, it’s probably best I try to stay out of his orbit as much as I can.
We’re both navigating how we work this close together.
I’ve been meditating most nights to prepare myself for each day.
It’s not helping; he still continues to piss me off most days. Then there are days when I’m around him, I feel myself faltering and can’t help watching him move those tempting lips of his as he talks to clients, me, everyone, and all I want to do is kiss him.
Which is so wrong.
But I’ve been tempted. Too many times.
Still am.
I drop my voice and answer Joseph. “Let me double-check I have confirmed all the calendar changes.” I peer through the open doorway of Nathan’s office to find him looking out over the bustling city below to see if he’s eavesdropping into our conversation.
“He does that a lot.” Joseph studies him.
“What?”
Joseph replies, “Stares out of the window. It’s like he’s mentally piecing parts of his case together.”
“That so?” I’ve noticed he does it too and thought the same thing.
“Yeah. I guess that’s what makes him the best.” His voice sounds full of admiration.
“Like The Mentalist ?” I ask.
“Much grumpier than him, and way more handsome.”
“You think?” I know he is. I’m trying to put Joseph off my scent because I swear one whiff of my pheromones will expose how attracted I am to Nathan.
Why the hell did I say yes to becoming his secretary?
To gain greater access to confidential files, of course with a higher chance of success.
Triple the pay… that’s another reason why.
But the bigger overarching reason is to get my hands on any evidence I can find.
Plus there’s also pulling the down payment for a house together faster than I had planned.
“Sweetie, are you blind?” Joseph snaps me from my wandering thoughts, and his mouth gapes open. “That man is fire.”
Staring at the back of Nathan’s head, I pretend to think about it, then say, “I’ll give you that, but I’m not into older men.”
Oh, I am totally into older men, one specifically.
The one that dresses in the finest of Italian tailored suits, has solid abs I want to climb like a tree, can fuck all night, and more importantly, told me I was beautiful and made me feel special.
But I can’t go there with him again.
It was just a one-night stand. I’m delusional to think it was anything more.
Which he made abundantly clear on my first day, and I’m fine with it. I’m working directly under him now, and having sex with him would complicate everything.
I’m lying to myself; sex with him only made me want more.
I have to keep reminding myself how much I hate him.
Ambivalence has never felt so unfair. The inner conflict between the positives and negatives is enough to drive me up the wall as the hatred I felt so strong at the beginning is wavering. Too fast for me; it’s as if I have no control.
Seeing him at work, helping people and supporting them, is the worst curve ball the universe could have thrown me.
Joseph leans forward, then looks over his shoulder to check if Nathan is listening in on our conversation before lowering his voice to an almost inaudible whisper.
“The things I would let that man do to me.” He fans his face with his hand as if trying to cool himself down.
“Shame he doesn’t swing my way.” Joseph pulls himself out of his fantasy and stands to his full height. “So, drinks at The Golden Spirit?”
I chuckle and ask him to give me a minute to check with Nathan first.
“You finish up and I’ll go freshen up.” Joseph walks off to the restroom, leaving a trail of his citrus aftershave behind him.
Wow, that is strong, and the last thing he needs is to freshen up.
He’s groomed, moisturized, and fragranced within an inch of his life.
I love him already and under different circumstances, I could see us becoming firm friends.
I shake the thought from my head and push my chair away from my desk before I walk toward Nathan’s opened office door. As I tap on it with a knuckle to alert him, he spins around on his seat to face me.
He gives me a hard stare. “Yes, Arianna.” He addresses me abruptly, confusion causing a thick bump to form between his eyebrows.
I can’t work him out. One minute he’s nice and the next he’s… well… Nathaniel Hart. A grouchy volcano ready to explode.
With confidence I enter his office. “I’ve been asked to go out for drinks with Joseph and a few of the others from the floor below, and I am leaving for the day.
” I come to a stop when I arrive at his desk.
“I’ve rearranged your calendar,” I inform him, then list everything he tasked me with to do today and which I completed.
“And tomorrow I will prepare the court forms for the upcoming Walker case. I can archive those for you too.” I point to the stack of boxes behind him that need cataloguing.
“We have someone who does that for us,” he replies dryly.
Shit. I knew that. After all, that is the position I was originally hired for. I need to figure out a way to gain access to the archiving, although I’ve been waiting for so long, another few weeks won’t make any difference.
“You may leave.” Nathan rolls his seat under his desk, his focus instantly back on his computer monitor.
I hate that he dismissed me without looking at me. “Thank you, and thank you for the promotion you gave me.” Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment but I’m enjoying my new job but the words get stuck in the back of my throat, and I’m annoyed at myself for being grateful for the pay rise.
My conscience is at war with itself, because the last thing I want is to feel grateful. I’m far from grateful for what his family did to mine.
I repeat my new mantra in my head… Get the evidence, take the pay rise, secure a deposit for a house.
“I didn’t hire you,” he states firmly.
I flinch.
He adds, “You were forced upon me.”
“Forced?” I question, feeling as if I’ve been slapped across the face. The sting of his words hurts.
Narrowing his eyes to slits, he leans closer to his screen, reading whatever is on it, practically ignoring me altogether, which is maddening when he couldn’t take his eyes off me the night we had sex and demanded me to look at him when he made me come all over his fingers.
What a fool I’ve been to think it might have meant something to him.
At the time, it sure felt like it did.
“Yes, Arianna, forced. I didn’t have a secretary, I needed one, Janice filled the position with you. End of story.”
He’s lying, he had the final say and he knows it. I got the job because I’m qualified and he knows it. That’s why he hired me. He wanted me here, but he’s too stubborn to admit it.
Screw him, I’m not lowering my manners to match his. “Regardless, thank you.”
“You may go.”
“See you tomorrow.” I try to sound cheerful about that.
“We’ll see.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused by his response.
He taps his fingers against his keyboard and replies without warmth, “Like I said before, Arianna, I gave you a week. And now I’m just waiting for you to hand me your letter of resignation.
It’s only a matter of time.” Resting back in his chair, he lays his elbow on the arm of it, and with the other hand he smooths down his tie, which I’ve noticed he does a lot.
Sounding more confident than I feel, I say, “Well, I’ve lasted three weeks which I believe has broken a record, because according to the gossip I heard around the watercooler, I’m the only secretary that has put up with you for this long because you’re impossible to work for, rude to everyone, and have a habit of barking orders to get results.
So if I do last another three weeks, then it will be longer than the last four secretaries you’ve had. I win.” Just watch me prove him wrong.
“You’re overstepping, Ms. Donovan.”
“And you’re an arrogant asshole who needs a lesson in manners, Mr. Hart.” I turn to leave but then spin back around. “Oh, and your first lesson is adding please and thank you into your vocabulary.”
My courageous words have him quirking a brow and I swear his mouth twitches at the edges as if he’s desperately trying to disguise a smile.
“Is that so, Ms. Donovan?” A playful glint dances in his eyes.
“Yes, and you can even join those words together with other words like thank you very much, please may I have, I was wondering if you could please… You get the idea.” I nod my head.
He runs his forefinger across his bottom lip before asking, “Anything else to add to my lesson?”
“Nope, I think that covers it.” I head out of his office, and I swear I hear him calling me a smartass under his breath, which makes me smile.
Another three weeks? Just watch me last longer than that.
If I was fired up before, it’s nothing in comparison to how I feel now and I’m more than ready to prove him wrong. He’ll soon discover I’m not one to back down.
Challenge accepted, Mr. Hart.
I give my ass an extra wiggle, because I know he watches me when he thinks I can’t see him. But I see him in the reflection of the glass panels, through them too, following my every move.
He’s forgetting who has the power here. It’s me.
And I bet he’s imagining what it would feel like to place his hands on my hips and down over my curves again.
Tempted, Mr. Hart?
I look back over my shoulder to find his gaze lowered and eating me up with his eyes.
I think that answered my question.