Chapter 16
Rooster
She has to be some sort of test, a way for the universe to put her in my space to see how I will react.
I shake my head as I stare at blacked-out computer screens.
She isn't here because the universe put her in my path. She's here because Henry dropped her at my feet. The test is to maintain my integrity, and on any given day, that would be incredibly easy. I wouldn't struggle with not taking a deep dive into someone's life any further than I needed to get the information we were looking for.
Is it really a violation if all the information I tend to find is on the internet for anyone to access? I'm not doing something that anyone else couldn’t do if they just knew where to look. I haven't forced myself past any firewalls other than the one I needed to slip past in order to see inside her office.
She has been informed that I'll have my eyes on her, although I don't see any need to sit here and watch her. I've run through the security system, and they seem to have every corner covered, including one camera on the second floor that probably provides a little too much visibility into the women's restroom when the door opens.
I manage to keep to just the camera angle in the far corner of her office all morning, no matter how many times she lifted my fucking coffee cup to her lips. Despite trying not to think about where else I'd like her mouth to be, I fucking twitched in my jeans every single time the cup met her mouth.
I sigh for the millionth time today and turn the computer screen back on. The majority of the people in her office have left for lunch, but as I discovered during my research, she had a salad delivered from a place down the road and is setting up her desk to eat right there.
As fascinating as the woman is in many aspects of her life, her food choices have a very noticeable pattern. I can say without having to zoom in on her desk or check today's order history from her favorite deli to know she's having a strawberry and walnut salad with feta and a tangy vinaigrette.
I know I'm beyond fucking help when I lick at my own lips, wondering how her mouth would taste on my own, as she stirs the salad and draws her fork over her tongue before opening a pack of crackers. I don't even like vinaigrette, but I can't help but ache for the taste of it combined with her on my tongue.
"Jesus," I mutter as I lift my hand to my mouse to close the feed. But then her eyes dart around her, and I know she's checking for others before her hands work over her keyboard.
Curiosity wins out, and I hit a few keys to gain access to her computer.
For a company that deals with so many clients' financial information, you'd think it would be harder than five seconds' worth of work.
Without hesitation, I pull up access to her camera, my finger hovering over the single button that will allow me to look directly at her. My hesitation is much shorter than it should be, but I grin the second I see her face.
There's something about the way she chews on her lower lip as she types that makes it very easy for me to log her keystrokes and pull up the transcript.
I tilt my head to the side, wondering if she knows I'm watching and is messing with me.
How to tell if a guy likes you.
How do nerdy guys flirt?
How to flirt with a nerdy guy.
I consider myself a very intelligent man. There have been times when a woman has flirted with me. I'm far from a virgin, but my access to quality women, the ones who want more than just a quick roll between the sheets, has been limited in recent years. It isn't exactly easy finding someone who is truly interested in what a man has to offer them other than a good time or financial security.
I've tried online dating, but my access to things online clears the queue very quickly. Some would say I have high standards, but I just tend to find all the red flags a lot sooner than most people, leaving my time invested a lot shorter.
I've done enough research on Morgan to know a couple of her red flags too, but if it weren't for some of those missteps, she wouldn't have been on Henry's radar in the first place. If she had shunned him in front of that restaurant, there's an excellent chance he would've moved on to someone else. As traumatic as this past week has been for her, that might've been for the best. It's my selfishness to be happy that she's been spending time here.
I digress...
I know Morgan is a very flirty person. It's why I have done my best not to read too much into some of the things she says to me. It's almost as if she can't help herself.
Case in point—this morning, when I apologized for grabbing my semi-morning wood right in front of her, my sorry made her say I'm not .
These searches she's doing now make me question her intentions.
Is she typing them because she assumes I'm keeping a close enough eye on her and thinks this would be a funny thing for me to see?
Is she really curious, and if she is, what would her intention be?
I have no interest in being one more guy she passes the time with. It's why I have done my absolute very best not to engage when she's being super flirty. I don't know if she's doing it because she's interested in me, if she's bored, or because her options are limited.
I have no doubt that Twisted would've invited her into his bed that first night that she was here if she had suggested it. That begs me to question if she really isn't attracted to him or isn't interested because she's itching for more of a challenge.
The last thing I want to be is part of a competition. Despite how easily my body responds to hers, I have better control over my urges than she might expect, although she challenges them with every interaction we have.
Her eyes dart all over her screen as she reads an article about nerdy guys and how their hand skills on keyboards and game controllers translate very well in the bedroom. This article leads to a search of GIFs, and she spends more time than probably necessary watching a famous actor on stage as his thumb swirls over the edge of the microphone he's holding. I have to admit that watching her watch him and the way her mouth hangs open a little does something to me.
There's no shortage of attraction where Morgan is concerned. Normally, I wouldn't question it as much as I have been, but she's not in my path because fate put her there. Meeting Morgan wasn't kismet.
She's in my life because of Henry, and as much as that isn't her fault, I can't ignore the facts.
Research proves to me that she hasn't had continued contact with Henry. I don't suspect that she's playing this game with him as an active participant to get to me, but there is a reason why she's here. It’s driving me insane that I can't figure out what his endgame is.
I pull my eyes from the video feed of Morgan, who has shifted gears and is looking for movie titles where the nerdy guy falls for the girl, to start another search on Henry. I've had multiple systems running day and night and have had no luck, but I know better than to stop. If I quit, history tells me that's when he'll pop back up. As easy as that would be to do, he always brings havoc with him. I'm doing my best to avoid further victimization to the people he seems to enjoy stepping on to get what he wants.
With several more codes running in the background, I shift my eyes back to Morgan, watching as she reads and eats, every bite drawing my eyes to her mouth in a way that makes me feel damn near feral.
There's no way for me to bring this up later when I see her to try and get a feel for where her head is at. Plus, isn't it more fun to discover those sorts of things in their own time?
That thought makes me close out the screen share of her computer, but I'm more reluctant to turn off the video feed of her sitting there.
I want to groan every time she presses the plastic tines of her fork to her lower lip as she reads more on her computer.
I watch her for the rest of her lunch break. The hour goes by incredibly quickly, and before I'm ready, she's standing from her desk and carrying her empty takeout containers to a larger trashcan in the breakroom.
I don't know if I'm losing my mind, but I swear she walks right past the camera angle I showed her the other day and winks before heading to the ladies’ room.
If I ever had any doubt that this woman was going to be trouble, I no longer do.
And it's going to be so much fun finding out exactly what her intentions are and how she'll fit into my life.