Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
C ecilia
I take a large sip of my wine as Lance fills me in on the sci-fi author he’s been messaging recently to try and get to do a reading at the library. Seeing him all excited about being in contact with him was cute, although it didn’t sound like he was making much progress getting him to come.
It was Saturday night, and I still hadn’t asked him to take over the library for the foreseeable future. I wasn’t sure why I’d been avoiding it all week…okay, I know why. It’s because he’s not going to like it at all, but I needed to see this thing through at Labyrinth for my own sanity.
“Cecilia,” he says rather loudly, and I snap my gaze from my wine glass to him.
“What?”
He chuckles lowly. “Were you listening?”
“I’m sorry,” I wince. “My head is kind of all over the place.”
He leans back in his chair and gazes at me. “What’s going on?”
“I actually have a favor to ask you,” I say slowly. “I was wondering if you could take over the library for a while. I need to take some time off.”
He leans forward now, straightening his posture. “Is everything okay? Are you sick?”
“No,” I rush out, feeling bad now. “I was just…presented with an opportunity that I can’t say no to.”
He eyes me warily. “What kind of opportunity?”
I shut my eyes, knowing I couldn’t lie to him anymore. “You know that man that was here earlier this week?”
“The real smug one with creepy eyes?” he asks, and strangely, my first instinct is to get defensive over James. Yes, he was smug, but his eyes weren’t creepy. If he weren’t such a jackass, I’d probably find his eyes incredibly dreamy even though he doesn’t like that people like them.
“His name is James Kingston and?—”
“James Kingston? The jewelry guy?”
“Yup, that’s the one,” I chime, trying to finish, but he interrupts me again.
“What were you doing with him? Isn’t he like some gazillionaire?”
“Can you let me tell you?” I bite out harshly. He looks annoyed now, too, but gestures for me to finish. “So yes, James is a multi-millionaire from his crystal jewelry business, and my brother works for him. I was worried about my brother's actions because I hadn’t seen him in so long, and he made so much money now. So, James offered me a job as his assistant so I could get a lay of the land and keep an eye on my brother,” I finish. I don’t tell him much about my suspicions that they’re involved with the mafia because that would probably freak him out even more.
“You want to be James Kingston’s assistant?” he asks in disbelief.
“ Want is kind of a stretch, but I really need to see this through. I can’t keep worrying about my brother.”
“I just don’t see how this will help, Lia. Your brother has an addiction. You’ll probably always worry about him. It was honestly better when he stayed away. Now that he’s back, you’re already acting all crazy.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is true. You’re trying to work for some asshole in a suit so that you can keep an eye on your older brother. You have a life here, Lia. One that you’re throwing away to maintain your brothers.”
“You’re looking at it in the worst way,” I say, becoming emotional. Part of me thinks he’s right, and I hate it, but the other half of me thinks he’s being a judgmental dick and that this is what you do for the family that you love. Then there’s this weird, minuscule part of me that actually wants to see the world through the eyes of James. I didn’t particularly like him, but spending time with him and all the dangers that he promises will come out of it intrigues me more than anything ever has before.
“I’m sorry,” Lance says, his voice softening. “I just don’t want you to get hurt or tied up in his problems again.”
“I know. I won’t. I’m going to check things out and come straight home.”
“Well…I guess I could take over the library for a little while if that will bring you peace.”
I smile and cover his hand with mine. “It would. Thank you.”
He smiled back, and we continued eating our dinner. Shortly after, I returned home and pounced on my bed, staring up at the ceiling as I contemplated my life’s drastic turn of events.
Tomorrow, I would head out to the city and start a job that was technically a job to spy on my brother’s life. I was nervous about doing all of this behind my brother’s back, but I kind of liked the idea of James and I sharing a secret. It felt forbidden and wicked of me to share secrets with my brother's boss. The whole thing would make for a sexy romance if James weren’t such a pain in the ass.
Although…he was pretty hot…if I was merely focusing on his looks alone. I wouldn’t even try to deny it because doing so would be a blatant lie. He was so obviously good-looking. His hair and eyes, his chiseled cheekbones, and his squared jaw. The way he’s always wearing all black and his muscular arms.
I snap out of my trance of thinking about James. I was not going down that road.
I walked into Labyrinth headquarters on Monday morning, feeling utterly tired. The library didn’t open until eleven, so being here at seven was a little much for me. I walked through security, who clearly didn’t seem to have a problem with me today, and I took the elevator up to the thirteenth floor, where James’s office is.
I step off the elevator, and the woman at the front desk’s eyes snap to mine. I feel like I did something wrong as she burns a hole through me with her stare. I walk towards the desk and smile as best as I can. “Hi, I’m Cecilia Bowen. I’m here to see?—”
“Cecilia!” I hear his harsh tone calling my name and look over to see James standing outside a nearby door. I smile sweetly at the woman again before walking towards him.
“Good morning,” I say brightly.
“Follow me,” he says as he turns around and walks back into what I’m assuming is his office. I follow him inside, and he shuts the door behind us. I feel uneasy being confined alone in another space with him.
“Fancy,” I note, looking at his very bacheloresque... is that a word? If not, it is now because that’s how I’m describing his office. The floor was marbled tile, and he sat behind a chunky black desk with a big chair, like a king on his throne. He had a small bar cart off to the side of the room because, of course, who doesn’t need a drink in the middle of a workday? There were some black filing cabinets against the wall I walked through and one piece of art on the wall. It was a shadow box-type frame, and inside were different shards of what looked to be raw crystals, all of which were plastered in various colors to the frame like a beautiful, shattered masterpiece.
“Sit down, please,” he says, and I go to the only chair opposite his desk.
“So, what’s on the agenda today? Going to make some deals with scummy drug lords who want some fake crystals or something?” I quip. I knew it would get on his nerves, but I couldn’t help myself. I liked bantering with him for some reason. I didn’t get much squaller in my day-to-day life, and once James came around and did nothing but indulge me, I found it pretty irresistible. Surely, he isn’t too miffed by it either, or I doubt he’d offer me the chance to spend his days with him at work.
I watch, satisfied, as his mouth twitches, but he turns quickly into his chair as if to hide it from me. “No little owl. Today, we have a meeting with our marketing team, and then we will visit my storefront in Buffalo to see how things have been operating in recent weeks. I have to keep up appearances at my close locations.”
“Makes sense.” I nod. “But then after comes the drug lords, right?”
He leans on the desk, his eyes narrowing on me, and he’s wearing a smile like he’s amused and perplexed at the same time. Like he couldn’t quite figure me out. “I’m starting to think you want to find trouble.”
“Maybe, if only to protect my brother from it. Because if I do find trouble, Mr. Kingston, I will do everything I can to take you down without taking him down with you.”
He grins like a Cheshire cat at that, making my body internally shake. “How did someone as incredibly aggressive as you become a little librarian?”
I shrug. “All the books I’ve read about strong warrior women have gotten to my head.”
“Or noble woman that a man can’t control?” he counters.
I can’t help but blush at the reminder of my favorite book and the fact that he listened well enough to remember it a week later and bring it up in conversation. “Yes, that too.”
Hours later, I’m fighting to stay awake after the marketing meeting. James has me following him around like a shadow, and I decided to carry a notebook and pen with me to make it look like I was actually doing something other than determining if any of his other employees are potential threats, but so far, they all seem entirely normal and doing completely normal jobs. Was I the one being crazy here? Is this entire thing I’ve orchestrated absolutely bonkers?
The meeting didn’t go so well, however. They’ve hit a wall recently where sales aren’t climbing, and they’re fresh out of ideas to promote the products they already have out, and their new ideas are…well… they all sucked in my opinion, and I had a feeling James thought so too because he hasn’t said a word of praise to anyone’s pitches. He actually looks like he’s about to pop a vein in his forehead.
He looked…kind of nice today. He was wearing his standard black suit, but this time, he had a stark white button-down underneath it when I’d typically only seen him in black. He had more buttons undone at the top of the shirt than I would expect from a CEO, but I was trying not to focus on that. I liked the white on him, though. It made his features pop even more. Not that I cared about his features popping or anything. I wanted that vein to pop, though, because that would finally be some entertainment in a so far boring day.
We left the meeting shortly after, and James still hadn’t said a word, so I decided not to either. I could tell he was reeling over the marketing team's lack of progress, so I was going to let him stew on that on his own. We had to leave to go to Buffalo in a little bit to, I guess, check on things, I don’t know.
We met back in his office, and I sat in the same chair again, but I heard a faint ripping noise as I did. My eyes widened just as James’s shot to mine. “I think my pantyhose just ripped,” I squeak out, standing now and discovering the rip clear up the back of my calf.
“Obviously,” he deadpans.
I face him again, glaring at him. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t go to Buffalo with ripped pantyhose?”
“Take them off,” he suggests casually.
“What?” I bluster. “I can’t just take them off. That’s indecent.”
He tilts his head in the way he does when he’s annoyed, and his gaze roams over me, and I start to feel hot under the scrutiny of it. “You’re wearing a skirt. What’s wrong with wearing it without tights?”
“Because it will look a little…leggy, don’t you think?”
“Again, what’s wrong with that?”
“I’ve just never really worn skirts as short as this one without tights,” I admit. It was a mid-thigh purple, black, and green checkered skirt, and I had a white top tucked into it with a black blazer over the top. It was paired so well with the black tights, but now… I didn’t have a choice but to go without.
“Cecilia, we have to leave in five minutes. Just take them off, for God's sake. No one’s going to look twice at your legs in this city filled with them.”
I sigh and grumble as I chuck my heels off and slip my pantyhose down my legs. I lift one of my legs on the chair as I roll the rest off, and I look to my side, spotting James’s gaze fixed on my leg, his eyes traveling with the stocking as they roll down to my ankle.
“I thought you said no one would look?” I muse.
He blinks as if snapping himself out of it. “Just hurry up. You’ve already wasted enough time as is.”
I roll my eyes, slip my heels back on, and toss my tights in the trash. But I don’t miss his eyes on my heels again and traveling back up my legs. It makes me feel even hotter, and I think I’m also beginning to sweat a little now. Was that unprofessional? Taking my tights off like that in his office? I couldn’t take it back now despite wanting to with every fiber of my being because he’d never looked at me this long before, and it was making me feel in ways that I wasn’t used to. But I won’t say anything about it this time. I ignored the tension I was suddenly feeling all over and waited for him to gather his things before he led me out of his office and to his car in Buffalo.
The whole way there, I feel like I can’t breathe. ?
We’ve only been at the Buffalo store for an hour, and I quite literally stand around the store doing absolutely nothing while James seems to be doing everything. He’s in and out of the back office, flipping through random binders and talking to each and every employee. He’s walked around the showcases, inspecting them more than once, and currently, he’s on the computer slash register at the front counter, looking at God knows what.
This was all so freaking boring.
Not only has it been one full, long day of actual work, but I have also yet to see my brother and spy on him once today. He’s supposedly at one of the warehouses. Go figure. My first day on the job, and he was out of the building.
I tip-toe around the store, patiently waiting for James to finish up with whatever it is he’s doing. I’ve had my legs pressed firmly together the entire time I’ve been here. I was not used to the breeze this high up on my bare thighs, and I felt like everyone was staring at me because of it, but in reality, one of the employees here, a very pretty brunette with legs for days, was wearing a suit set with a skirt shorter than mine. She still somehow looked professional, so I should, too, right?
Sparkling green catches my eye, and I prance over, looking inside the case to find the same pair of earrings the woman from the last store had shown me. They really were pretty. Like I’ve said, I’ve never tried to wear earrings because I always assumed they’d get caught in my hair, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try. I wonder if I get some kind of employee discount now that I’m working for James. I bet I still couldn’t afford these earrings even then.
“What are you looking at?”
An undignified squeal bursts out of me as I jump at James’s abrupt presence at my back. “You scared the hell out of me,” I breathe out, trying to catch my breath as my heart fights to not have an attack.
He gives me a distasteful look, watching me sputter and regather my composure. “Apparently not enough. Do you ever act graciously in public?”
“I do if I’m around gracious people.” I make a show out of looking around him. “Nope. Don’t see anyone.”
“Your comedy is the least bit amusing, little owl.”
“Please stop calling me that.”
“I will when you call quits on this whole charade.”
“Not a chance,” I fire back.
“It looks like it’s sticking, then.” He looks over my shoulder into the case where my attention was just a minute ago. “What is it you like?”
“Oh. Nothing.”
“Show me,” he demands.
I narrow my eyes at him. I really couldn’t stand his cocky attitude. “As if I could like anything with your name on it.”
He chuckles. “You couldn’t pull off my taste anyways, given yours is,” His eyes drape me from head to toe. “Questionable.”
“Are you serious?” I guffaw. “My taste is fun and cute. Yours is…uptight and dull.”
“Says the woman with butterflies on her undergarments. Shall we visit the toy store today, too?”
My face heats, and I look down at my shirt as my hands reach over my chest. “How do you know that?”
“You don’t think people can’t see the bright blue of your bra beneath your top? The minute you took your blazer off and walked into the light, I could instantly see the tiny little butterflies scattered across it.” I hug my blazer tighter over my chest as hot mortification burns every inch of my body. I had only taken my blazer off for not even twenty minutes while I ate lunch. How could he have possibly noticed that quickly? Oh yeah, because he’s a typical man.
His annoying saccharine smile scorches me, and I’m too embarrassed to respond. I could tell he was thoroughly enjoying it. “Now, now, don’t be too upset,” he teases. “It’s cute, little owl. Who doesn’t love butterflies?”
“You’re an asshole,” I scold lowly. It was the only defense I had left in me.
He takes one step closer to me. “Don’t you forget it, babe. You don’t have to return tomorrow morning if you don’t feel up to it.”
“Oh, I’m up to it. Your pervy eyes aren’t enough to steer me away.”
His smirk drops into a displeased frown. “Then tomorrow, I expect less of a show. Arrive appropriately with thicker clothing. Preferably ones I can’t see through and don’t rip halfway through the day.”
I grind my teeth together so hard I briefly wonder if I could spit the dust at him. “Sure thing, boss.”
He frowns at me a moment longer, his expression full of pure disdain, before he shoulders past me toward the exit. “Let’s go,” he barks out, barreling through the door and officially ending this day.