Chapter 9
Future Value
Sara
I’ve scheduled a few appointments for myself: a waxing and a mani-pedi. Made sure the dog walker got into the house okay and watched a few cat videos on my phone while waiting for the dick patrol to show up to tell me what I’m supposed to be doing.
After all, I get paid either way, so if they want to pay me to watch a video of a cat squeezing through progressively smaller holes, who am I to go disrupt their meeting to get actual accounting work. I’ll get the credit for school either way, even if I don’t get the experience.
“Sara.”
I raise my gaze at Dante’s voice and arch my eyebrow. He better have an apology ready.
“I’ve got a list of things for you to work on.” Dante gestures with his head.
I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him with my lips firmly closed. I don’t care that this is their business. That’s not how he treats me.
His eyes narrow, but he sighs and comes into Tom’s office. He shuts the door. “I didn’t mean to yell at you, pip.”
My eyebrow raises higher even as my heart races at the shortened nickname, which he’s only used one other time. Like hell he didn’t mean to yell.
He presses his lips together and sits in the seat across from me. His hands clasp between his knees as he leans his elbows on his thighs and looks up at me.
“You interrupted our meeting. That’s not how things are done at work and you should know that.”
My cheeks heat because I do, but I don’t want to cave on this. “I got excited because I found a clue.”
Dante nods. “It might be, but it could have waited. I’m sorry you were sitting in here with nothing to do, but we still have to work. It won’t happen again. I can keep you busy all day.”
Other parts of me get heated at the thought of him keeping me busy all day. I brush it off and stop thinking about how perfect his dick is.
“Fine.” I stand and run my hands over my skirt. “Show me what I need to do, but I’m leaving for lunch at noon.”
His blue eyes narrow on me and he says with a smirk, “Hot date?”
I smile. “Actually, yes.”
His smirk disappears. “Don’t take longer than an hour, pipsqueak.”
“It never takes me that long, Dante.” Winking, I walk past him to the door. “You know that.”
His low groan merges with my laughter as I open the door and walk into the open area. Wyatt turns to look at me and my laugh dies in my throat. I swallow because there’s still a part of me that longs for his attention. Craves it.
Dante’s hand presses on my lower back and a shiver rushes through me. When I turn to him, he gives me a gentle headshake. Yeah, there’s no problem here, so I don’t need the constant reminder that Wyatt is off-limits.
Dante leads me to his office and releases me at the visitors’ chairs. I sit on the edge of one and wait.
He rounds his massive desk and sits in his chair. With him behind it, the desk doesn’t look as massive. There’s an extra laptop on the surface. He lifts it and sets it closer to me.
“You can use the docking station in Tom’s office for this.
” He taps on his keyboard and the printer in the corner comes to life, spitting out a paper.
“We have a small company that we do bookkeeping for. Part of your duties will be to review the transactions and make sure they’ve been appropriately applied.
If anything is out of place, make a note and we’ll review it before we give it to the associate handling the account. ”
Bookkeeping. Good, I can do that. “Okay, what else?”
“A few special projects. A cash flow analysis of another company. We’re worried that something might be left off their books.
They have their own internal bookkeeping.
We provide audit support, but they just let an employee go for suspected fraud, so we need to track the money to see exactly where it went. ”
“That sounds interesting.” I’m not even lying. It does.
“You’ll do some filing. I’ll show you where the returned files are stacked and the cabinets they go in.” Dante sets the paper on my new laptop.
“Do you want me to get you coffee too?” I tease. I scan the list, but it’s all pretty standard stuff.
“That’s not necessary.” Fuck, the guy is back to cold Dante.
But that just makes me want to torment him.
“You’ll have quite a bit of autonomy. I’ll introduce you around to the other associates, but you’ll work close to us. If you’re leaving, for lunch or an errand or for the day, you will let me know.”
“What about when I pee? Do you need to know that?” I lift my eyes to his and try to keep a completely straight face.
“No, Sara, you don’t have to notify me of your piss breaks.” He shakes his head and stands. “Let me show you around.”
I roll my eyes, but grab my laptop and paper. He leads me back to Tom’s office where I set my things down. When we come out, my gaze strays toward Wyatt’s door. It’s closed.
“Come on, pipsqueak.” Dante guides me into the other half of the company space.
I meet so many people so quickly that the only one I can remember is Greg.
Dante shows me the file room. The returned files, which is a large stack that I can’t imagine adding more to without it falling over.
The breakroom. The bathrooms, though the guys have their own bathroom that I fully intend on using.
He points out Finn’s and Wyatt’s offices when we return. He stops at Tom’s door.
“If you need anything, ask me first. If I’m not available, ask Finn.”
“And if he’s not available, ask Wyatt?” I assume.
“No, just wait.” Dante tips my chin up with his knuckle. “You’ll keep busy, pip. If you run out of things to do, we’ll find you more. We’re looking into Tom’s clients. You don’t need to look for clues or Nancy Drew this mystery.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Nancy Drew?”
His smile softens and his thumb rubs against my jaw, sending tingles chasing through my blood. “You need anything. Just ask.”
My blood is boiling when he backs away and I’m pretty sure he scrambled my brains because I don’t have a quick comeback. Can I have another orgasm would have been the top of the list though.
I go into Tom’s office and get to work on my tasks.
Drew
It’s five to noon when I enter the building that’s surprisingly close to our corporate headquarters. The elevator is quick. When I walk into the offices of Stone, Lawson, Hawkins & Morris, the receptionist straightens.
“Welcome. How can I help you?” Her brown eyes rake over me and her smile deepens.
“I’m here to pick up Sara Morris.” I give her a grin because smiles make everyone more willing to help.
She blinks twice before looking down at her chart. Her gaze drifts in the direction I assume Sara is. “I believe she’s in Tom’s office. I don’t have her cell phone number yet. If you want to wait—”
“I can find the way. Thanks.” I leave her with her mouth gaped open. I’m sure she’ll sound the alarm and one of Sara’s brother’s friends will appear like at dinner. Protective bulldogs.
When I turn a corner through the open door, Sara sits behind a desk with a pen in her mouth as she concentrates on the numbers before her. Fuck, she’s beautiful. I don’t want to fuck this up.
I’ve let others move me like a chess piece around the boards of their lives, but now, I’ve found a queen that I want to capture. Unfortunately, this queen is just looking for someone to fuck, which normally I’m good with, but not with her.
She makes my pulse race, and unlike some women I’ve dated, she actually wants to be with me. She sought me out. I’m afraid once we fuck that will be it for her, and I don’t want that. Not this time.
I lean in the doorway and put my hands in my pockets as I watch her. Her eyes flit from the paper to the screen and her forehead scrunches briefly. My phone lets out a soft chime on the hour and she looks up, startled.
Her face softens and she smiles when she sees it’s me. No one else has looked at me the way Sara Morris does. Like I could be a knight in shining armor. Her knight.
“Hey, is it time for lunch already?” She sets the pen down and taps a few keys before shutting her computer. “Have you been there long?”
“No, just admiring the view.”
She turns and looks at the closed blinds before her cheeks turn pink. “We should get going. My boss is very strict about lunch.”
“I know just the place.” When I hold my hand out, she slides hers into mine with a smile.
She arches an eyebrow. “Is it a surprise or should I guess?”
“Let’s make it a surprise this time.” I love how she practically glows when I say things that imply a future. I’m just going with how I feel, and Sara makes me feel hopeful and afraid at the same time. Those other women couldn’t hurt me, but Sara... Sara might have the ability to break my heart.
I don’t think she’d do it intentionally.
“Oh, just a second.” She pulls away and leans into the doorway next to hers. Her hands on either side of the door. “I’m heading out to lunch, boss.”
“One hour, pipsqueak.”
I step behind Sara and look into the office to see Dante Stone. I’ve seen him at events. He’s a hard guy to miss. He’s taller than everyone I know, has long blond hair, icy-blue eyes, and a chiseled jaw.
I catch Sara around the waist and draw her against me. She makes a little surprised sound, and Dante’s eyes flare with a hint of jealousy before he hides it. Interesting. I saw the same in Finn’s eyes when we had dessert.
Her hand covers mine and I put my chin on her head.
“Any word on Tom?” I ask.
Dante shakes his head. “Nothing yet. He seems to think whatever made him run will have some kind of backlash for Sara.”
My arm tightens around her waist. What kind of backlash?
“Sara didn’t mention that.” I give him a nod to let him know I’ll keep her safe when I can.
“Sara doesn’t mention a lot of things.” Dante lifts his pen and nods. “See you in an hour, pipsqueak. Not a minute later.”
“It’s not like you’ll punish me for being late.” She steps out of my arms and takes my hand.
“Don’t count on that, pip.”
I cock an eyebrow at Dante. Sara said she was getting over Wyatt, but there’s something here with Dante too. And I didn’t miss the way Finn watched her. I need to be careful because any misstep will let them swoop in.
“Let’s go, Drew.” Sara tugs on my hand and I let her lead me out of the office. When we near the elevator bank, I rest my hand on her lower back to guide her.
When we enter the crowded elevator, I move her into the corner so I can protect her and feel her body pressed against mine. Her breath catches as she looks up at me.
Using my thumb, I slide a strand of hair back behind her ear. Her hand squeezes mine. I lose myself for a moment in those pale green eyes. The elevator dings and everyone gets off, except us.
“Are you getting off?” some guy says, standing next to the elevator door.
“Not yet,” Sara murmurs as she leads the way out.
I smile at the guy as I stay close to her. Definitely not yet, but hopefully soon.
It’s a quick walk to Silver Honeybee Bistro.
A small lunch spot I found a year ago that I like to frequent.
We walk in and Sara’s gaze darts all around the space.
Her eyes widen and her smile grows as she takes in all the little details.
It’s like a fairy garden with all the hidden nooks and crannies.
“Your table, Mr. Young?” The hostess picks up two menus and leads us deeper inside.
After we sit down, Sara grins at me. “Your table?”
I shrug. “I like to eat here. They like me. I tip well.”
She laughs lightly. “Women fall over themselves to serve you wherever we go. Have you slept with all of them?”
Her question isn’t biting or jealous, just curious. It’s that easiness that draws me to her. She isn’t looking for a rich husband or an heir to save her family name. All she sees is Drew Young.
“Not all of them. No.” I take her hand and slide my fingers along her palm. Her eyes are already dark from the dim lighting back here, but they darken further and she licks her lips. “Do you need a list or a number from me, princess?”
She shakes her head. “I know it’s more than three. That’s good enough as long as you’re safe.”
“To be honest, it’s been about a month since I last hooked up. But I get tested regularly and always use a condom.” I lift her wrist to my lips and kiss her pulse. “What about you, princess? How many knights have climbed into your chamber?”
She laughs and her cheeks flush with color.
“What can I get for you today?” The server stops at our table and looks from me to Sara with a smile on his face.
Sara draws her hand back and picks up the menu. I take a few minutes to give him my order before she looks up, obviously ready with hers.
After we order, he takes our menus. “I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
She watches him go. Then she sighs when she turns back to me. “Is the number important?”
I shake my head. “No, as long as you’re safe and get tested, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been with fifty knights or two.”
Her cheeks deepen in color. “I’m safe.”
I can’t help but wonder if she’s embarrassed because the number is high or because it’s low. It doesn’t matter to me either way. I’m just glad she thought of me.
“Good.” I take her hands across the table. “We can go as slow or as fast as you like. But I want to keep seeing you.”
Her eyes twinkle as she meets mine. “I want to keep seeing you too.”