TWO #2
“I won’t get into too many details, but it was bad.
Really bad. Mr. Kingston offered to transfer him to a different department, and Daniel’s response was to leak company data, iron-clad NDAs be damned.
Out of pure spite. We contained the leak almost immediately because we acted fast, but it could have been a shitstorm of epic proportions. ”
“Yes, I can imagine,” I mutter, still taking in everything he’s saying.
But he’s not done.
“You have to understand, Sam, it’s crucial that relationships within the company, especially between superiors and subordinates, be nothing but strictly professional.
Anything other than that and there will be distractions, mistakes, and complications that could lead to catastrophic messes with the information we hold.
Especially when it comes to Mr. Kingston’s closest assistant.
I vetted every applicant’s professional background for this position very carefully, and everything came out stellar about you.
” He gives me an encouraging smile. “Plus, the fact that you already have a family certainly works in favor of not having similar potential outcomes in the future.”
I’m pretty sure there was a compliment about me somewhere in there. If only I could get my ears to stop ringing so I could focus.
Well, at least I wasn’t hired out of pity.
Competence, and the fact that I’m not considered at risk of hitting on the boss do sound a bit better.
A bitter laugh begs to come out, but I swallow it down.
I really am stupid.
To even think that Devon might have hired me because he simply wanted me here. Just because—
I pull myself up straighter, crushing that tiny speck of hope I had since I saw him again.
There’s nothing here. There never was. It was just the foolish hope of a soft heart.
This is good. This shows me where I stand, and reminds me how I should behave.
This is good.
I resist the urge to rub that spot in my chest that hurts like a bitch, and paste a polite smile on my face instead.
Super convincing.
I’m not sure what I was planning to answer Colin, but the words get stuck in my throat when heavy steps sound on the hard, marble floor.
It doesn’t make any sense, and if anyone asked me to explain it, I wouldn’t be able to.
But I don’t need to turn around to know it’s him.
I don’t need to, but it’s impossible not to, my eyes seeking him out, my heart pounding when I see him.
Tall and imposing in his sharp, charcoal-gray suit and crisp, white shirt, his dark hair swept back as if he’s just run his fingers through it, his steely gaze piercing.
He brims with the confidence and strength of a king—the kind of strength that is effortless and undeniable.
I know exactly the devastating strength he hides under that suit, the leashed power in his body.
I take a deep breath, trying to get my stupid pulse under control, but it’s the worst fucking mistake. Because it just means that his scent fills me completely, burrowing under my skin, sinking into me until I can feel nothing but him.
Great. Good job, Sam. That’s exactly how every personal assistant reacts to their boss.
The steps come to a halt, and he’s close—close enough that my eyes find the hollow of his throat, left exposed by his shirt.
It’s just for a split second, before I actually remember where I am, and who I’m supposed to be.
Colin’s ‘good morning’ feels distant as I look up, and meet my new boss’s gaze steadily, polite smile firmly in place.
“Good morning, sir,” I say with a short nod, my tone neutral and professional. No evidence of the faint shiver that courses through me at his proximity.
He doesn’t answer, his stance relaxed, his expression calm. But I feel the weight of his gaze on me. Searching. Unflinching. Almost challenging.
It feels like we stare at each other for eons, when it can’t be more than seconds. And yet, when he severs the connection and turns to Colin, I find myself trying to shake off the sudden disorientation.
“Good morning, Colin. I’ll take it from here, thank you.”
“Of course, sir.” Colin nods with a smile to both of us before he leaves us.
“Follow me please, Mr. Hartwell,” he says, brushing past me and opening the door to his office.
My heart beats somewhere in my throat as I follow him inside and the door shuts behind us.
He doesn’t move from the spot, which means we’re still standing close. Too damn close for what’s appropriate. So, I subtly take a step back, putting some much-needed distance between us.
Devon’s eyes flash silver.
“What’s wrong?”
His question startles me enough that, for a moment, my mouth opens and closes, and absolutely nothing comes out.
“Nothing’s wrong,” I say finally, smiling as convincingly as I can. “Everything’s fine.”
He doesn’t smile back, his gaze sharpening even more.
“It’s not. You’re not acting like usual.”
My earlier frustration at myself bubbles to the surface, and the words are out before I can contain them.
“How would you know that?” My voice is far calmer than I thought it would be. “You don’t know me.”
The air shifts, and I swear his scent grows thicker, pressing on me like a physical touch and making my skin break into goosebumps.
His eyes never leave mine as he takes a step closer, erasing the small distance I put between us. And even though there’s nothing in his expression betraying anything different, I can feel the change in him.
“I know enough,” he says in a deep, low tone, and I have to fight not to tremble at what I glimpse in his eyes.
Memories I try so hard not to think about.