Chapter 6 Donovan
Donovan
The city below is dark, the lights of New York twinkling as I reflect on the day.
The board meeting went well, serving the usual pompous conversations from the men who’ve been around for too long.
The ones who knew my father. The moves happening with Jasper, the forecasting that we have for the next quarter, and the financial adjustments all took up robust conversations, yet my eyes rarely moved from the woman who sat at my side.
To say the other members were surprised to have an addition to the meeting was an understatement, and after a brief introduction, I didn’t miss their glances at her.
Then she spoke. She told us what she knew of the current landscape and what we can expect, along with suggestions on how to handle it, or if we need to handle it at all.
I swear I saw every person in the room look at her with stars in their eyes.
She spoke with quiet confidence; she’s a little reserved, probably well out of her comfort zone, yet she showed resilience and determination that I haven’t seen from anyone in a long time.
Clearly, she has a presence about her that captivates not just me, yet she seems entirely oblivious to it. That only adds to her allure.
I’m usually focused, unflappable, yet with her at my side, not only was I distracted, but I was consciously aware of the way she listened, the notes she took, the number of times she pushed her glasses up her nose.
I counted at least three times per minute on average, and each time I wanted to pull them from her face.
She doesn't realize it, but she hides behind them.
After the board meeting, I sent her to the executive level to get settled in her new office just so I could get my head right.
I arranged the biggest one for her. A corner office overlooking Central Park, the view similar to my own. As promised, she has her own assistant, who’s already filled her diary with the important meetings, the upcoming travel requirements, and a regular one-on-one with me.
I’m now watching the share market like a hawk.
Reviewing the day’s trading patterns. She’s right.
Jasper made some moves weeks ago. Buying up smaller Ma and Pa competitors in Asia, increasing their market share quietly yet strategically.
I have no idea where they’re getting their capital to make such investments, but their acquisition strategy seems a little sneaky.
As the numbers start to blur into each other, I scrub my eyes.
I need to go home. I need to go for a run, take a hot shower, and watch the late-night news.
Asia will be waking up soon, and I want to know what’s happening.
As I begin to grab my things, I look at my cell.
Social media is going crazy about the woman I took to the theater over the weekend.
A casual date, not someone I know particularly well, who I will now not see again, as I spot her social media profile filled with images she obviously took sneakily on our evening out, some of which have been used in bigger media articles.
“Fuck.” I rub a hand down my face, hating that my private life is used as fodder for someone else to garner likes.
But before I put my cell away, I pause. Jessica mentioned she didn’t have social media, so I search for her.
Nothing comes up immediately, so I hunt a little more, and I find a profile and click on it.
It’s her; she has a handle, but her last photo was over six months ago, and it’s of a bowl of pasta, captioned ‘Heaven’ with a heart emoji.
I grin. That’s one less thing to worry about with her.
Making my way out, I hit the elevator, Ashley long gone.
She’s been my assistant for a few months now and seems to be doing okay.
Her business mind is sharp, although nothing like Jessica’s.
And just like that, I’m back to thinking about the woman who’s quickly claiming my every thought.
So to punish myself even more, I stop off at the executive level.
I don’t expect anyone to be here; most of the guys on my team are family men, so they like to get home in time to tuck their kids into bed at night before logging back on remotely when needed.
It isn’t something I can relate to. It wasn’t something my father ever did while I was growing up.
He was hardly ever home. I was lucky to see him once a week.
But I know it’s important for workplace culture.
I walk out onto the floor, and as expected, it’s dark and quiet, offices empty, yet I find myself walking straight down the hall to her new office.
Stalling when I see her light still on, I peer around her door, her eyes fixed to the screen and brow furrowed.
I watch her for a beat, deep in concentration, tapping out notes before she yawns.
One that takes over her entire body as she stretches her arms out.
I’m grinning as I ask, “Still at it?”
She jumps and gasps, making me chuckle.
“I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s fine. I was just finishing up. I lost track of time.” She stands, stretching a little more before shutting her laptop and gathering her coat. I notice she has a big red scarf, one that looks well loved, so much so, it’s almost see-through. I frown at how that even keeps her warm.
“I’ll walk you out.” I wait as she turns off her lights and follows me to the elevator.
“So… coming back tomorrow?” I look down at her, waiting. Because I’m increasingly aware that this woman probably does the opposite of what I expect, and if she told me the job isn’t for her, I wouldn’t be surprised. Today has been crazy. Even though she exceeded all my expectations.
She gives me a playful smile, raising an eyebrow. “Thinking about it.”
I huff a laugh as we step into the elevator and make our way down.
“Tell me, Miss Johnson, are you heading home to set the world of lawn sprinklers on fire?”
“Hmm… not tonight. I spent all weekend boxing up orders, so I’m officially sprinkled out.”
I bite the inside of my cheek to prevent the full-blown smile that wants to break free.
It feels weird to be talking like this with someone.
I don’t usually engage in small talk with my extended team.
Something that my HR director says makes me standoffish and gives me a reputation of being too cold, distant, and unapproachable. Yet it’s easy with Jessica.
“What about you? Another red-carpet event for you tonight?” She seems more relaxed around me now, more so than some of my team who have worked here for years.
“No, not tonight. I have conference calls for the next couple of hours.”
The conversation ends as she nods, the quiet deafening as we descend to the lobby. It suddenly feels like we’re both holding back from talking more. It has me thinking if she saw those pictures of me and my date from the weekend… what she could be assuming from something like that.
With a sigh, she looks up at me. “Well, see you tomorrow.” She steps out of the elevator and strides through the foyer. I pause and watch her go, seeing her flick a wave to the security guard at the desk in a familiar move that has my eyes narrowing in on him.
“See you tomorrow, Jay Jay!” he hollers to her across the empty lobby, offering her a large grin that she mirrors.
“Black with a little cream!” she yells back to him, smiling brightly. They seem close, and I can’t help the spike of jealousy I feel deep in my gut.
Ignoring it, I continue on my way, following her outside to my driver and town car waiting at the curb for me. As I step out into the night, the cold and drizzling rain hits me, and I pull up my collar.
“Good evening, sir.” Gordon, my driver, has my door open, but before I slip into the car, I look up the sidewalk. Jessica has her head low, her hands hugging her body, walking swiftly. Not an umbrella in sight as the rain comes down even harder.
“Gordon,” I greet him as I slide into the warm, dry car. My jaw is tight as the door closes me in, and I sit, feeling rigid.
“Straight home, sir?” Gordon asks from the front seat, and I meet his gaze in the rearview mirror before I hear a roll of thunder overhead. So what if she’s walking in the rain…? Probably getting wet. Might get mugged, certainly catch a cold, maybe even slip and break a leg.
“Drive to the end of the street, Gordon. Pull over near the woman with the red scarf,” I say through gritted teeth.
I have so many other things to do. I have a conference call in about thirty minutes with the team from Singapore.
I need to go through the board meeting notes, and I should hit the gym at my penthouse because all this frustration is nipping at my shoulders.
As Gordon peels away from the curb, I look out the window, eagerly waiting to see her. Within the next minute, we pull up just ahead of her, and I jump out of the car before Gordon has time to get my door.
“Jessica!” I yell over the rain that’s now tearing down. She looks up briefly, her nose already pink, her hands gloveless and no doubt already frozen. “Where are you going?” I feel the rain hitting my hair and falling onto my forehead, but my eyes remain focused on her.
“Just the subway.” She frowns as Gordon walks over, passing me a large umbrella, and I step toward her, keeping her dry. We’re close. Too close, really. Our toes are almost touching, but we both need to remain under the umbrella so I’m not moving.
“The subway?” I can’t school my surprised features, no matter how hard I try. Is she trying to give me heart failure?
“Yes. I take the subway home.” She looks at me, confused, and I notice her wet scarf, soggy around her neck, is now entirely ruined.
“Get in my car.” The words feel foreign and her eyes widen behind her glasses that are now scattered with raindrops.
“Oh, it’s just a few blocks.”
I almost scoff. It’s at least four blocks to get to the subway, and who knows what assholes are on the train on a night like tonight?
“You’re not walking to the subway in New York at ten at night.” My tone is demanding. I’m trying not to be an asshole. But there’s no way in hell I’m leaving her here.
As she looks up the street, I see her mentally weighing her options.
She knows I’m right. At a guess, I’d say she was so involved in her work she didn’t realize the time.
We’ve worked a fourteen-hour day. I’m surprised she’s still standing.
But I’ve noticed that about her today; she needs time to make a decision.
She isn’t quick to settle on things—the complete opposite of me.
“Besides, I don’t need you getting sick.
We have a lot of work in front of us, and I need you at full capacity.
Especially leading up to the holidays.” It has nothing to do with the fact that she’s freezing, wet, shouldn’t be walking the streets of New York alone at night, and that I want her next to me more often than not.
“Okay. Thank you.” She nods, and I lead her to the car, letting her get in first before I slide in and close the door. Gordon was smart enough to leave it running, the heater on full blast, and she shivers next to me as she warms up.
She pushes her wet hair off her face and clips it back, but a few flyways remain stuck to her cheeks, her glasses covered in raindrops. Her face is flushed with cold, and she wrings her hands together. I know without touching them they’d feel like ice blocks.
“Do you often walk home at night in the rain?” I swallow harshly as my tone sounds like I’m berating her, but I don’t want to hear her say yes.
Not answering, she says, “Winter has hit all of a sudden. It felt like summer was only yesterday.” She pulls her glasses from her face to clean the lenses, and my heart stutters.
Her eyes are large, a deep brown, and she has a scattering of freckles across the top of her nose that I hadn’t noticed before.
Her features are soft, delicate, and I resist the urge to put my hand to her face and let my finger trail across her freckles, wanting to count each one.
“Where to, sir?” Gordon slips into the front again, looking at me expectantly. I take a deep breath, annoyed at him for taking my attention away from her.
“Sleepy Hollow.”
His eyebrows rise, and Jessica looks at me quickly. He normally takes me to my penthouse, which is less than a few blocks away. Sleepy Hollow in this weather is probably going to take us an hour.
“Oh, the subway will be fine,” she says quickly, but there’s no fucking way she’s taking the train home.
“You are on my executive team now. If you’re working late hours or long days, you need to get home safely and not have to battle the elements. I need you at the office early, healthy, ready to go.” Keep this professional. Good job, York.
“Oh… of course.” She slips her glasses back on, and I already miss seeing her without a barrier.
“Sleepy Hollow it is,” Gordon says.
“Actually, no, I live in White Plains.”
I look at her, frowning.
“My aunt and uncle are in Sleepy Hollow, but my apartment is in White Plains. I travel every weekend to Sleepy Hollow just to help them at the store.”
It shouldn’t concern me, but I’m not liking all the subway travel she does.
I’ve never ridden the subway. I’ve had town cars all my life.
As she reels off her address to Gordon, he begins the drive to White Plains.
I grab my cell and send off an email, knowing I’m not going to make the conference call after all.
But instead of getting frustrated, I settle into the heated seats, feeling more comfortable than I have in a long time.