2. Kyle

2

KYLE

A layna leaned on my desk. Her hip had her almost sitting. She watched over the tablet as I scrolled through the digital sketches from the interns.

"I like this one," she said as I swiped, and a new design displayed.

For a sketch, the lines were clean and precise. The idea was clear and creative. "It's good. Who did it?"

I lifted my eyes to her. She oversaw the interns and their projects. I was in and out of the office too much to know too much more than the personalities I had mentally assigned them—the Frat Boys, the Party Girls, Sick Steve, and Clarissa.

"That's Clarissa's," Alayna said.

"Clarissa? She's the… quiet one?" I had to stop myself from saying something else, like the curvy one. Clarissa was quiet, but she was also perfectly lovely. She had beautiful curves and lips that inspired dirty thoughts. And I didn't think she even realized it.

I took a deep breath and girded my unintentional thoughts. My first thoughts regarding Clarissa had no place in an office setting. A bedroom? Yes, but not here. Not here.

"Are all her sketches like this?"

"Yeah, she's got raw talent. Keep going. Check out the next one."

Another well thought out and executed sketch appeared.

"Clarissa again?" I asked.

Alayna shook her head. "Steve did this one."

"Steve? Which one?"

"Steve from University of Illinois, Chicago," she answered.

"Sick Steve?" I asked.

"You did not just call him that." Alayna laughed.

I shook my head, suppressing a chuckle. "You don't want to know what I call the other Steve in my head."

"You're right, I don't. And for the record, I don't want to know your internal monologue about me."

"I don't have an internal monologue about you. I know your name. The nicknames are so I remember," I said.

"Do I even want to know how you remember our clients?" she teased.

"Clients are easy. Their names are on the checks." I returned my attention to the drawings. "Okay, I know who I want. The Party Kids can be in one team, and I want Clarissa and Sick Steve working together with me."

Alayna picked up the tablet and stood. "Got it. ‘The Party Kids' is an accurate description, but you're going to have to stop calling him ‘Sick Steve'. Who do you want to meet with first?"

"Set up a lunch with the kids, and then I want lunch and a full afternoon blocked off for Clarissa and Steve."

"Lunch with kids before you leave so I can get them assigned, and an afternoon with the other interns when you get back?"

"Sounds good."

Within a few minutes, I had a calendar confirmation for the first lunch on Thursday. I didn't put any more thought into the interns for the rest of the day, and halfway through the next day, until I overheard a conversation I shouldn't have.

"Did you notice Kyle didn't invite Clarissa or Steve?" It was one of the party girls.

"I feel so bad for them. They are trying so hard. It's clear they just aren't cut out for this. Do you see how she dresses? She needs to do something about her weight if she wants to be taken seriously."

"This is gonna be lit. Steve and Conner are so cute, and we're going to be working in a special group with them," the other one said. I think it was Kendall.

"Shut up, here comes Clarissa."

They were quiet for a moment and then they were talking again.

"Hi, Clarissa, have you heard anything else from Alayna about these projects?" Kendall said with a certain sneer in her voice.

"No, not yet. But she had mentioned we would be divided into groups. I'm sure that's all it is," Clarissa said. She was quieter than usual and sounded sad.

My gut bunched. I did not want Clarissa to be sad, and I very much did not want her to think I wasn't impressed with her work. Eavesdropping was middle school behavior, but there I was like some kid, sneaking around my own firm.

"Ladies, how is everyone this morning?" I greeted them loudly and with a hint of too much enthusiasm. The party girls twittered with giggles. "Kendall, Bella, I look forward to our lunch tomorrow. Clarissa"— her eyes were cast down, and when she looked up at me through her lashes, I had visions of her looking up at me for very different reasons— "come with me. We should chat about your sketches."

I kept walking, and Clarissa took several rapid steps to catch up.

"What? Of course, yes. I'm sorry if they?—"

"Never apologize for your sketches. More people need to be able to draw as cleanly as you do."

Behind us, the party girls were continuing to giggle and gossip in the hall.

"I wanted to make sure that you and Steve knew what was going on," I continued.

"Well, I figured Alayna divided us into groups based on something," Clarissa said. "But she didn't say anything to me, so I don't know."

I stepped into an empty conference room and held the door open so she could step in. I closed the door and indicated that she should have a seat.

"Am I being fired from the program?" she asked before I took a seat.

"What? No. Why do you think that?"

She wouldn't look at me, and she kept sucking her upper lip behind her lower one. I saw the white tips of her teeth as she bit herself. She shrugged and shook her head. She looked up, but her gaze landed somewhere over my shoulder. "The lunch on Thursday thing. And I think Bella and Kendall might know something they aren't telling me."

Clarissa let out a dejected sigh.

I grabbed the arms of her chair and pulled it so that she had to look at me. "That's not what's happening. The interns have been divided into two groups. I'm having lunch with the group on Thursday before they are assigned to shadow different aspects of the firm. I have a meeting out of the country, and I leave on Friday. We wanted to get that group situated right away. I'm surprised Alayna hasn't already scheduled us for when I get back. You and Steve will be working with me when I get back."

She blinked a few times, and her large eyes seemed to get even bigger. "Wha… what? Are you serious?"

I sat back and nodded. Seeing her happy brought a smile to my face. "You are definitely not getting fired. You have real talent. I mean, the entire intern cohort does, but your drawing skills at the sketch level are exceptional. I can see what you are thinking. I don't need you to explain what I'm looking at or to redraw it to clarify a concept. Alayna may not have said anything yet to spare the egos of the rest of the group."

"Are you serious?" She practically vibrated in her seat.

And then, rather unexpectedly, she launched herself at me. Her arms swung up and around my neck, and she pressed her soft breasts against my chest.

She let go and jumped away just as quickly. "I shouldn't have done that. Sorry, sorry. I really thought I was being fired from the program. Oh, God, you're not going to fire me now because I hugged you?"

I still felt the hot press of her body against mine. I don't think she realized she had grabbed onto my hand and kept shaking it with excitement.

"I won't say a thing. Your enthusiasm is refreshing. You might want to curb that when it comes to working with others in the firm."

She twisted around nervously. "I know better, I really do. No hugging at work. But oh, my God, this is amazing. Can I tell Steve? I'll swear him to secrecy."

She lifted her hands to shake mine in her glee. Her gaze landed on our clasped hands as she noticed my hand in hers. She dropped me like a hot potato. "Sorry, sorry." And then she lit up like a neon sign, blushing.

She clamped her hands over her face. "Don't say anything, you'll just make it worse," she groaned.

I laughed. She was adorable, and I shouldn't have found her enthusiasm quite as attractive as I did. She was my intern. I stuffed down the urge to flirt or comment on how she could touch and hold onto me as much as she wanted.

I cleared my throat. "I won't say anything about that vibrant blush"—even though I wanted to know how far down her pale skin it went— "if you stop apologizing for everything."

She lowered her hands and blinked at me. Her cheeks were still flushed. "Sorry." The blush returned with a burst like a solar flare, and she was back behind her hands.

I couldn't help but sit and laugh, not at her, but at the situation. I hadn't worked with anyone so excited in a long time. It was refreshing. I had forgotten how to have that kind of enthusiasm over work.

I looked up when Alayna knocked and walked into the conference room. "I take it you told her? Congratulations, Clarissa."

Clarissa lowered her hands and looked at Alayna with wide eyes.

"I overheard some comments from the other interns and came to make sure you knew what was really going on," Alayna said.

"Does Steve know?" Clarissa asked.

Alayna shook her head.

"I'm going to go tell him. I won't say anything to anyone else. I'll pretend to be sad," Clarissa said as she darted out of the conference room.

"I doubt that girl can pretend to be sad. She's happy with her entire body." Alayna chuckled as she watched Clarissa scurry away.

"Uh-huh," I said as I stared after Clarissa, admiring the way her backside moved.

"You like her, don't you?"

"Of course, I like her. She is wholeheartedly enthusiastic. We need more of that around here."