Chapter 10 Jonah
JONAH
Igot into work an hour early the next day.
I couldn’t shake off the nagging question in my mind. Will she show up, or worse, not show up at all?
A few minutes before seven, my assistant sent Lexi in. “The board is convening in the conference room in ten minutes,” Kacie informed me as she shut the door behind her.
That left me with a view of Lexi standing a few feet away from my desk, her hair down to her shoulders.
She was wearing a plain cream blouse, tucked into high-waisted slacks that looked like they had seen better days, with a worn belt and sturdy flats.
She hadn’t bothered with makeup beyond a touch of gloss.
My eyes locked onto hers. “I don’t have much time, so let’s make this quick. Your letter was unprofessional,” I said, keeping my tone measured rather than threatening. “But I’m willing to hear your apology. Help me understand why you thought that approach was appropriate on your first day.”
Her breath steadied, and I noticed the way her shoulders straightened in preparation. She’d expected me to fire her on the spot. The fact that I hadn’t seemed to catch her off guard.
“When I got here, I was determined to do a fantastic job and convert my internship to a full-time position at Altika,” she said finally. “Your email sent that dream crashing, and I took it out on you.”
“So, if the internship program wasn’t going to be eliminated, you’d be here to stay?”
I held her gaze, letting the challenge hang between us. She nodded.
Something about her directness made me pause. Most employees would have stayed silent or resigned quietly. She’d chosen confrontation instead.
I absorbed that, felt the sting of it. She wasn’t wrong. “Yes. Other people were affected, but only you had the spine to challenge the CEO directly.” I let that sit between us for a moment. “That takes either courage or recklessness. I haven’t decided which yet.”
She said nothing, just flicked her gaze over me with that same defiant look from the bar. My suit probably made me look older, more corporate than I had that night, but I could tell she was trying not to be affected.
I respected that more than I wanted to admit.
“I hadn’t pegged you as someone who could hold her ground,” I continued.
Irritation flashed in her eyes. That I’d made assumptions about her clearly bothered her more than my threats.
“I had pegged you as being the last person to care about my words,” she shot back.
A wry smirk tugged at my lips. “You think I hate you?”
“Don’t you?” she asked simply. “I saw it in your eyes when I first walked in here.”
“What you saw wasn’t hate. I don’t like mixing my personal life with my professional life,” I said. “When you walked in, that was exactly what happened.”
She stood there, absorbing what I’d said. “Well, like I said before, I never knew you were Joe. I thought you were a businessman, but I didn’t know what kind exactly.”
Why was I drawing this out? Kacie had already told me about the meeting waiting.
A knock at the door interrupted us, just as Lexi moved to hand it over.
“Five minutes,” I called out in response. I heard a murmured apology from the other side of the door, then retreating footsteps.
I kept my eyes on Lexi, watching her eyes widen with fear. Fuck. I didn’t want her to be scared.
Her hands fell to her sides, and I couldn’t help but let my gaze travel over her once again. She was looking radiant today, though dressed more simply than yesterday.
If only she’d shown up at that bar again…
Our gazes locked, and her breathing quickened, and I felt arousal spinning around us, turning me dizzy.
She’d never get that night back again.
And neither would I.
At that sudden, unwelcome reminder, I turned away, frustration pounding in my chest. I knew then what the consequences would be for her original message to me.
Nothing.
I’d thought about this woman every single day since our time together.
There was no way I’d be firing her, even if she deserved it.
“Well, then you can leave,” I said, my irritation clear as I tossed her letter into the trash. “Your insolent message will not be discussed again.”
She stared at me, disbelief written across her face. “You mean I’m not going to be fired?”
I walked closer to her. “Not today. I may be demanding, but I’m not unreasonable, Lexi. You expressed your thoughts, and I won’t punish you for your honesty.” I paused and leaned in closer.
“If you want to fire me like you did Adrian for speaking up, do it now. Don’t draw it out.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I snapped.
“You fired Adrian Wells because he complained about losing free drinks and snacks at work,” she said, voice sharp. “That’s … horrible.”
“Is that what people are saying?”
“It’s what everyone is saying.” Her voice had an edge now. “People are scared to speak up.”
I moved back to my desk and met her gaze, calm and steady. Usually, I would let this assumption slide, let them think I’m ruthless.
But with Lexi, I didn’t want her to think of me that way.
“Do you really think I’d fire someone over soda?”
She didn’t answer.
I leaned against my desk. “Adrian Wells was logging freelance hours for another company. During work hours. He was submitting designs to a start-up that’s building a competing app. I had IT check his activity. It was all there.”
Lexi blinked. “Why didn’t you tell people?”
“I didn’t need to humiliate the guy on his way out,” I said simply. “Even if he didn’t offer me the same courtesy.”
She stared at me for a long moment. Then her defensive posture slowly relaxed.
“Well,” she said, voice quieter now, “that’s … surprisingly decent of you.”
I gave a slight shrug. “People don’t need to like me. They just need to trust I know what I’m doing.”
Kacie’s voice crackled over the intercom. “Mr. Walkers, the board members are here for the morning meeting.”
I never took my eyes off Lexi, who stiffened at the words.
I pressed the button. “Make them wait.”
Releasing it, I kept my gaze locked on hers.
“I should go,” she breathed out, just as I wondered if I’d ever see her again.
We both wanted to pretend that this was something we could forget, but the tension crackling in the air said otherwise.
I stepped closer, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet my eyes. “I wonder,” I mused, my voice lower now, “if I gave you another chance, what kind of e-mail would you write then?”
She lifted her chin. “You’re not getting another e-mail.”
My lips curved into a smile. “That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”
She gave me a victorious smile as she headed for the door. “I’m never one for following orders, Mr. Walkers,” she said, pronouncing my name with mock formality.
But then, just as her hand reached for the doorknob, she paused and tugged at her collar, pulling it aside.
For a second, I wondered if she had lost her mind, before I noticed a glimpse of navy lace beneath the fabric.
The Carine Gilson bra.
The one I’d bought for her that night after her dress was ruined.
I felt the air leave my lungs as I registered she was teasing me.
“This?” she said with a mischievous look. “I’m planning to wear this on my next date.”
I stepped forward, frustrated at the idea of another man seeing her underwear. At seeing my gifts to her.
“If you wear that for another man, Lexi—”
But before I could finish, she was gone, the door shutting in my face.
I dragged my hand through my hair, letting out a pained groan.
It shouldn’t be possible to want someone this much while simultaneously wanting to throttle them. Why didn’t this anger just kill my sex drive?
At this rate, one of us was going to kill the other.