14. Lorelei

14

LORELEI

K ian was right. Damn him.

The sandwich he bought me was one of my favorites. Did he know, or was it just a damn good guess? I've no fucking idea, but all afternoon I've been grateful for his moment of thoughtfulness, even if it was accompanied by a side of demands.

Our afternoon has been busy and full of meetings, just like he promised. One of which was with Martin and his new assistant, Charlie.

She was lovely, and I've no doubt she will be great at her job. I wasn't sure if I was jealous that she was down there embarking on the job I was meant to have, or happy that I managed to score myself something better…

Is it better?

On paper, I'm sure the role of Chief Financial Officer Assistant trumps that of Finance Manager Assistant. But the reality…

I bet she didn't have a sandwich dumped in her lap and was told to eat.

But equally, I bet she hasn't spent the day trying to push her boss's buttons just to see how long it takes to make him blow, purely for her own amusement.

I smirk. Maybe my first day hasn't been all bad. Even if I was meant to go home an hour ago.

I'm lost in the numbers filling the spreadsheet before me when the ding of the elevator floats around the room. I don't look up. I've no reason to. Melissa is positioned to greet anyone who dares come up here. I, however, have been strategically hidden behind a big plant.

I've no idea if he's actually done that on purpose, or if it's just a happy accident on Kian's part that I can't see what's happening in my own workplace, but whatever. I guess it stops me from getting distracted.

"Oh my gosh, look at you," Melissa gushes, giving me a tiny hint about who might have just invited herself up to the top floor of the building.

I haven't seen her husband again; I can only assume he spent the rest of his day at the Warner Group office, trying to strengthen his argument for why that chain of hotels is right for them.

"She's growing nicely," my best friend says. I can picture her clearly rubbing her rounded belly with a wide smile on her face. "How's my girl done today?"

"Your girl is hiding behind the plant," I call out at the same time as a deep voice growls, "Managed more than six hours."

"I warned you, dear brother-in-law, my girl will stand up against all your bullshit and throw it straight back."

Pride is evident in Tatum's voice, and it makes a wide smile spread across my face.

"I don't know what I was thinking," he muses, his form moving on the other side of the plant, making my stomach erupt with a million wild butterflies.

Tate laughs. "That you're jealous of the way I boss your big brother around and you want in on the action."

"Oh yeah, it was definitely something like that," Kian mutters before he finally appears, approaching my desk, looking as suave and put together as he was first thing this morning.

Asshole.

I feel like a hot mess after running around the city all day and trying to focus harder than I'm sure I ever have in my life to ensure my notes stand up to Kian's exacting standards. And don't even get me started on this spreadsheet I'm attempting to make and populate.

I like to think I'm pretty skilled where spreadsheets are concerned, but this is pushing my limits. And I do not want to get caught Googling formulae by Kian.

I've got a list in my notes for all the things I need to look up tonight to make this work before showing him tomorrow.

My stomach knots just thinking about it.

Will anything I do ever be good enough for him?

Something tells me no.

He makes a show of looking at his stupidly expensive watch before glancing at my screen.

"Careful, Lorelei. I might get used to having you at my beck and call all hours."

"I wouldn't," I mutter, making Tate laugh.

My confidence quickly wanes when he stalks behind me and studies my spreadsheet over my shoulder.

"How are you getting on?" he asks, his warm breath rushing across my exposed neck.

My hair had been down and wild most of the day, but I couldn't cope this afternoon and it's been pinned up out of the way, something that I'm now regretting.

"I-I…yeah. Good. Should be done in the morning."

I gasp when he reaches around me and steals my mouse, moving my cursor and clicking on a couple of cells.

"Hmm," he hums.

"Is it wrong?" I ask, hating feeling like I might have disappointed him.

I shouldn't care. I'm learning here. But still…the need to please him, to prove that I can do this job takes over.

"No, not wrong exactly."

Abandoning my mouse, he begins tapping on my keyboard, changing formulae and making numbers shift and change before my eyes.

My spreadsheet.

Emotion burns the backs of my eyes as I watch hours of work vanish before my eyes.

Well, not vanish. But…it's not the same anymore, and I've no idea what he's done.

"See?" he says, pointing at a column. "Now it's pulling data from each sheet and populating the result here instead of up there."

Unable to speak through the lump in my throat, I nod.

"Easy, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Great. We'll review it once you've finished tomorrow at eleven. You can then move on to the next stage."

I nod, and thankfully, he steps back, allowing me to suck in deep lungfuls of air.

"Great. Can't wait."

"In the meantime," Tate announces as if nothing just happened—I guess it didn't, in her life. She didn't watch her past few hours' work evaporate with just a few taps of a keyboard.

He probably thinks he just helped me.

Maybe he has.

But…

Reaching out, I slam the lid of my laptop down harder than necessary.

"We are going out to celebrate my bestie's new job. Something tells me that her boss will have been an asshole and she deserves a drink."

"No idea what you're talking about," Kian mutters before picking something up from Melissa's desk and disappearing out of sight, but not before calling, "See you in the morning, Lorelei. Our first meeting is at eight o'clock. Do not be late."

I sink lower in my seat, all the air rushing from my lungs, my adrenaline and energy going with it.

"Been that good, huh? King said you looked a little stressed."

"It's been fine." It's not really a lie. As far as jobs go, it's probably been up there with some of my best. It's a hell of a lot better than my last place, that's for sure. And yes, Kian has had his moments, but so far, he's got nothing on the one who came before him.

I shudder. If I never have to see that asshole again, it'll be too soon.

When Tate frowns, not believing a word I've said, I follow up with, "Just a lot to learn in a few hours."

"Nothing like easing you in gently, then?"

"I don't think Kian knows the meaning of the word gentle. He did buy me lunch, though."

A wide smile lights up Tate's face. "See, he likes you."

I briefly think back to our interactions over that sandwich. "Oh yeah, we're like that, me and the boss," I say, holding my crossed fingers between us.

"Give him time. He takes a while to warm up."

"That's bullshit, and we both know it." Kingston is the one who takes a while to get used to. Kian is everyone's friend. Mainly because he's so fucking big headed he thinks everyone wants to be.

"Whatever. Grab your stuff. We're going out for dinner and drinks."

I wince. "I can't, T. I've got?—"

"To celebrate your epic new job with your best friends." Her final word makes me look up. "Cory is downstairs, chatting up the doormen."

"He is not," I gasp.

"He's trying. But they're as straight as they come—just ask their wives."

I laugh, picturing him down there pulling out his best moves.

"We should probably go and rescue them."

After saying goodbye to Melissa, who's also finishing up for the day, we step into the lift and hit the button for the ground floor.

The second the doors close, Tatum squeals, "I can't believe you're up here. It's so freaking cool."

"Tate," I warn.

"What? You can't still think this is a bad idea."

"Bit late, even if I do still think that."

"First days are always hard. But give it a few weeks and you'll figure out that I was right."

"You're insufferable."

"And you deserve this. You worked your ass off for nothing in that last place. Here, you'll get paid what you deserve, along with a whole host of benefits along the way."

"Benefits," I balk.

"Yeah," she says with a calculated smirk. "Someone told you that you have free access to the gym on level two, right?"

"The gym. Oh yeah. That's a massive benefit right there."

"You should use it. Rumor has it that Kian does a couple of times a week."

"Why would I?—"

"First thing in the morning, then he showers in his office bathroom."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Why not? I think it's important information to have about your boss."

I don't get a chance to respond because the doors open and Tatum spills out into the foyer in search of Cory. I want to say I follow hot on her heels, but that would be a lie. My head is lost in visions of Kian, hot and sweaty in a gym.

I wonder if he uses the sauna…

"Lori," Cory calls, ensuring all sets of eyes leaving the building for the day turn on us. "How is Callahan Enterprises's newest and best employee?"

Heat burns my cheeks and down my neck.

"Shut the hell up," I hiss before he wraps me in his strong arms and kisses my cheek.

"It's been too long, girl. I've missed your sexy ass."

"I'm sorry. Things have been?—"

"Girl, don't. I know all about you kicking that cheating fuck to the curb. Good for you. My girl deserves so much better than that. You deserve this," he says, holding his arms out from his sides and spinning around. "It's fancy as fuck."

"It's sure something," I mutter, still unsure how I feel about it all.

"It looks so fucking good on you," he praises with the widest smile I think I've ever seen playing on his lips. "Now, let's go celebrate." He threads his arm through mine and marches me toward where Tate is laughing with the doormen. "You're paying, by the way. I have it on good authority that you've had an epic pay rise."

Laughter tumbles from me, and I finally feel some of the stress from my first day beginning to leave me.

My shoulders relax, and my smile loosens, becoming more genuine and less forced.

I think of the figure on that job description Kian handed me earlier and shake my head.

Something is going to have to give soon because this is all too good to be true.

Even Kian and his stupid demands and irritating remarks can't bring me down from this high.

"Hell yeah," I say as we collect Tate and emerge into the autumn evening sun. "Where to?"

"Where do you think?" Tate laughs before Lewis opens the door and gestures for us to climb inside.

"I have the best friends in the freaking world," Cory announces as Tate pops a bottle of champagne that she had waiting for us inside the car. "Now, I have a question," he says, sounding a little more serious.

"Shoot," Tate says as she begins filling our flutes full of bubbles.

"What are the chances that I can turn Kieran so that I can have a brother too?"

Tatum barks out a laugh. "Sorry, but I don't think that's going to be happening anytime soon. That man is about as addicted to pussy as they come."

"Worse than Kian?" I blurt, regretting the words the second they spill from my lips.

"Pretty sure they're in competition," Tate explains.

It's nothing I haven't heard before. But now that Kian is my boss, it's not something I need to be thinking about, let alone talking about.

"Oh, because Kingston was any different before he got stuck with you," Cory teases.

"Nice. I think I'll take this back then," Tate says, trying to steal the champagne back.

"I don't think so," Cory argues before downing the entire glass. "What's the problem? You tamed that beast. Someone out there will do the same to the others, and until that happens, I'm going to continue thinking that one is secretly gay and longing for a man like me."

"Dude, you're not even gay," I tease.

"I will be whatever I'm needed to be for the right person."

"Whore." Tate laughs.

"Just the way you like me," he says, blowing her a kiss.