Chapter 6 Whitney
Whitney
When I hear the elevator door ding, announcing that someone is getting off on our floor, I hastily reach for my purse and pull out my powder compact.
I feel silly as I open it and glance at my reflection, making sure that every hair is where it should be and that I don’t have lip stain on my teeth, or mascara marks under my eyes.
Just as I’m snapping it closed, Theo walks around the corner and into the line of sight of my desk. He has a folder in his hands, but the minute he’s in my vicinity, he looks up and gives me a wide smile. My heart skips a beat as my lips pull up.
His eyes quickly survey me sitting behind my desk, which sends my heart into overdrive. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of how he looks at me as if I’m the most important person on Earth.
“How’s the day looking?” he asks as he comes closer to my desk. He sets his folder down on top of some of my papers and then leans over the desk, into my personal space.
I catch a whiff of his clean scent, and my mouth goes dry with something I can only attribute to desire.
With every day that passes, my crush on my boss seems to deepen. And I don’t know what to do about it.
Swallowing thickly, I turn my computer toward him so he can see his schedule.
It’s a somewhat light day because I know he still has a lot of headway to make on his reports.
There are a few video calls scheduled with different agents whom Theo has yet to meet, but I did my best to cluster them together so he could use the rest of his time efficiently.
Theo hums low in his throat as he peruses his schedule. He points out a block that I manually put in there this morning. It’s holding the spot right before our lunch hour. “What’s that for?”
I grimace. “Elena asked to have a phone call with you today.”
Theo looks as if I’ve just betrayed him. “You’re kidding.” I shake my head ruefully. “Did she say what about?”
Again, I shake my head. “No, she didn’t. I’m sorry.”
He groans and hangs his head, his dark curls flopping over his head. “You’re killing me over here, Whit.”
Whit.
That’s the first time I’ve heard him shorten my name. Of course, my family and friends all call me Whit when they’re joking around, but I like the sound of the nickname on his lips.
“Guess I better get to work then, huh?” he teases further.
I tilt my head and give him a smile. “I guess so, Mr. Boss-Man. Otherwise, I’ll tell Elena you’re wasting her payroll.”
He narrows his eyes playfully. “You’re mean. I like it.”
I chuckle, and he winks at me before disappearing into his office. My face feels warm, and I press my hands to my cheeks, fighting off the blush that’s already raging.
“Come on, Whitney, get a grip,” I whisper to myself. I shake my head a few times and breathe sharply through my nose. I have to get a hold of whatever emotions are raging inside me.
Ever since we had lunch a few days ago, my interest in Theo has increased exponentially. The more I got to know about him, the more I liked what I saw.
I almost fell out of my chair at JTs when he told me that he volunteered and donated frequently to Habitat for Humanity.
That was one of the most attractive qualities for me—willing to dedicate time and energy to those who need it most. And I could tell by the way his eyes lit up when he spoke about some of the projects he had worked on that this was something he was very passionate about.
It was almost too good to be true, that the new CEO of Nexus Realty Group had a focused goal in assisting Habitat for Humanity.
Though our business focused more on commercial properties and selling realty for large businesses, there was something poetic about the fact that Theo was dedicated to improving what the word ‘home’ means to so many other people.
Theo would never know, but that small admission checked off the sixth item on my list, putting him at meeting four of my little requirements.
Number 6: Has a philanthropic passion
This was one quality that not very many of my previous love affairs had met. I live in a big city and often find myself attracted to many of the working upper class. Surprisingly—or maybe not—they are much more focused on helping themselves, rather than helping others.
Which is why I wasn’t too concerned when most of those relationships didn’t work out.
I ignore the fact that Theo has already met four of my ten list items. I think about the little notebook at home and fight off a smile. Though that seems insignificant, I have the feeling that Theo is going to surprise me in many more ways, the more I get to know him.
My morning passes uneventfully. I focus on responding to emails and other correspondence. Then I move on to filing and scanning essential paper documents into an e-file.
Lunch time comes up quickly; before I know it, my stomach rumbles in protest, letting me know it’s time to take a break and get some food. As if on cue, the phone line rings, and I pick it up, placing the receiver to my ear. “Nexus Realty Group—Theo Hurst’s office.”
“Ms. Palmer,” a frigid voice greets me from the other line.
I shoot an alarmed glance over at Theo’s office. He’s buried deep in paperwork, not paying attention to me out here. “Hello, Elena.”
“Is Mr. Hurst available for our meeting?” she asks, though I know there’s really only one acceptable answer to her question.
“I’ll put you through.”
I press the hold button and then dial Theo’s line. I could just give him a holler, given that he’s only a few yards from me, but I don’t think he’d appreciate the rest of the floor knowing that Elena’s likely going to rip him a new one—heaven knows what about, but that’s her style.
Theo picks up on the second ring. “Yeah?” His voice is drained, and I instantly know he’s not having a good time with his paperwork this morning.
“Elena’s on the line for your meeting.”
He sighs, thanks me, and says, “Can’t wait to find out what this is about.”
I bite my lip and press the buttons to send Elena to Theo’s line. I hear him pick up from my desk when the phone rings, and he greets her with a fake, chipper attitude. I wheel my chair around so I can peek into his office a little better.
I roll my eyes dramatically when he sees me peering around the door frame.
He grins and gives me a sarcastic thumbs-up before turning his attention to his computer.
When he’s deep into his phone call, I laugh to myself and grab my bag and other items, taking the opportunity while he’s tied up to run downstairs and grab some lunch.
I can’t put it off any longer. My rumbling stomach is a nuisance.
I figure I’ll grab something quick and bring it back up to my desk while I wait for Theo to finish his phone call.
Roaming around the cafeteria, I find a pre-made turkey sandwich.
I pick it up and then grab a package of chips and a cookie.
To drink, I choose a glass bottle of Pellegrino sparkling water.
Once I check out, I’m ready to head back upstairs when someone calls my name.
I turn around to see some of the girls from accounting waving their hands at me. With a grin, I walk over to their table and set my stuff down.
“Hi there,” I say with a smile. “How’s it going?”
“Can’t complain,” one of the girls says—I think her name is Lucy. “Things have been pretty slow ever since Mr. Hurst took over. We’ve just been twiddling our thumbs, waiting for something to happen.”
I frown a little at this information. “Are we not selling as many properties?”
Lucy shrugs and looks at the girl sitting next to her. “It’s definitely declined.”
My lips pull down even further. Does Theo know about that or not? “I’ll have to look into that. It’s not like our agents haven’t been able to work since Theo took over.”
Lucy stirs her salad around in her bowl. “Who knows? I just work here. But like I said, you won’t see me complaining about less to do.”
My lips thin into a line, and I’m about to change the topic when I’m interrupted.
“Whitney,” a deep voice that I’ve grown increasingly fond of mutters behind me. I can sense a tinge of amusement in his tone that has my palms breaking out in a sweat.
I turn around to face Theo, who is watching me and the girls with an amused grin on his face. “Hi, Mr. Hurst.”
His eyebrow twitches at the formality, but he doesn’t object. He wouldn’t do so in front of his employees. “I thought we could debrief my phone call real quick before I have to run into my next meeting. Do you think you could come back upstairs in a few minutes?”
“Of course, I’ll be right up.”
He gives me a soft smile. “Thanks, Whit.”
I already know my cheeks are heating up, just like they did this morning when he called me that. My skin prickles with the awareness of the other girls watching the interaction closely. Theo holds my gaze just long enough for it to be uncomfortable before he walks out of the cafeteria.
“Geez, just ask him to fuck you already,” Lucy mutters under her breath, breaking me out of my spell as I watch him walk away.
I stare at her, slack-jawed, scandalized that she just said that. “Excuse me?”
“We all saw how he was looking at you,” she muttered, stabbing at her salad with her fork.
I frown at her as I gather up my things. “He’s my boss. Nothing more.”
Some of the other girls share unconvinced glances, but I don’t give them any more energy. I didn’t lie. Theo is my boss and nothing more. There hasn’t been anything further than a few awkward glances and a wink or two.
It doesn’t matter that I turn to complete mush when he winks at me or gives me his sideways grin.
Definitely not.
Lucy rolls her eyes and goes back to her meal with a little smirk playing on her lips.
“Whatever you’ve got to tell yourself, Whitney.
Trust me, I don’t think he’d be that opposed to it.
Just be careful. I’d hate to see you get fired when you’ve worked here so many years over a stupid fling. Don’t be stupid about it.”