4. Billie

CHAPTER 4

BILLIE

" R ight this way." Audrey, my new manager, bustles down the eighth-floor hallway of GarrisTech, her heels clicking with every step.

"Over there is one of the kitchenettes." She points.

I nod and don't say anything. Being here still feels surreal. I got the job after only one interview, and they asked me to start the following week.

So here I am, step one of Operation Retrieve Medical Information in place.

What step two is, I really don't know. Right now I'm planning on winging it.

Audrey stops and gestures to a large office with floor-to-ceiling windows. "That's his office."

I walk over and lift my hand to peek through the glass. James Garris is sitting at his desk, talking on the phone. His expression is one of annoyance as he glances at his computer screen. The way his brow furrows when he narrows his eyes makes him look truly terrifying. He's wearing a suit, and it's tailored perfectly, but he somehow manages to make it look like he's ready to tear something apart.

Audrey steps beside me. "I know I shouldn't say this about the boss and all, but the man is a jerk. He chews people up and spits them out."

I blush as I turn to face her. "I'm sure he's not that bad."

She laughs. "Oh, honey he is. But you're in luck. He's only starting his day now."

"Well, that's good," I murmur.

"So…" She eyes me. "How did you get into graphic design?"

I shrug. "I've always been good at drawing, so I guess I just fell into it."

"And what made you want to work here more than any other company?"

I look over at the office. "I need the money. The starting pay was good."

She frowns at me. "You don't have to lie about it, you know. Nobody will fault you if you're here because you want to be with him."

What? Did she honestly just say that?

"I'm not lying." I shift uncomfortably. "I'm… here to take care of my daughter."

Audrey smiles. "That's really sweet. It's so hard being a mom."

"She's my world." I bite my lip. "Well, I should get to work."

I hurry across the office, mind reeling. Was she seriously trying to get me to say I wanted to hook up with James Garris? Or was I reading between the lines and imagining something that wasn't there?

I reach my cubicle and suck in a breath as a wave of anxiety threatens to overwhelm me.

James Garris is in the office, and he's only a few hundred feet away from where I'm sitting. If I turn my chair to the right, I can look out and see the huge windows that look into his office.

This is so strange. It's almost like having an ex-boyfriend move in next door.

My phone buzzes, and I see a text from Monica. How's it going? Got any info yet?

She has to be joking. I've been here for all of thirty minutes.

I glance back at James's office. He's up now, pacing around the room while talking on the phone. One strong hand reaches up to adjust his necktie, and I swear I melt into the chair.

Suddenly, he turns to the side and his blue eyes lock right onto mine. We stare at each other for a long second, and all the noise in the office fades away.

My heart pounds. I'm on the verge of getting up and walking into his office and…

He breaks away from my gaze and turns back to his desk. His hand goes up to his head and he runs his fingers through his hair. I feel like I might pass out.

His phone call ends, and he strides out of his office and out of view.

I'm a complete and total dork, but I'm almost certain I'm blushing.

Instead of coming over to the cubicles, James gets into the elevator and disappears. It feels like I exhale fully for the first time since entering this building.

If I'm going to be this undone every time I see him, how will I ever talk to him?

I need to get over being so affected by him. So what if he's attractive? So are millions of other men.

"Hi." A guy with close-cropped blond hair and a kind expression appears on the other side of my cubicle. "It's your first day here, right?"

I turn to face the stranger, grateful for the interruption. "Yes, it is. Hi, I'm Billie." I hold out my hand, and he shakes it with a friendly smile.

"I'm David." He points to the cubicle next to mine. "I'm your neighbor. Welcome to the neighborhood."

I chuckle. "Thanks. Nice to meet you, David."

"So, how's the new gig treating you?" He leans against the partition between our cubicles.

"So far it seems… intense," I admit. "But I'm excited to be here."

David nods sympathetically. "Yeah, it's a cutthroat environment. But if you can handle it, you'll go far."

I frown. "What do you mean, ‘if I can handle it'?"

He shrugs. "This place isn't for everyone. You have to be willing to work longer hours, put up with a lot of pressure, and sometimes even sabotage from your colleagues."

My stomach drops. "Sabotage? What do you mean?"

David leans in close, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. "This is a competitive industry, Billie. People will do whatever it takes to get ahead. I've seen coworkers steal each other's ideas, spread rumors, and even frame each other for mistakes they didn't make."

My stomach twists at his words. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. "That sounds horrible."

David chuckles. "It can be. But it's not all bad. There are good people here too. Like me," he adds with a grin.

I can't help but smile back at him. "I'm glad to hear that. It's nice to have someone friendly around."

Whether his friendliness is genuine or not, I can't tell. It could be that he's trying to get me to trust him in order to keep a closer eye on me.

I hate thinking that way, but so far this whole office is giving off extreme mean-girl vibes. It feels like I'm back in high school.

"Do you have any questions?" David asks.

"Um." I look at the desk in front of me. "Is there an office supplies closet?"

"Yep. One floor down."

"Thanks."

I give him a smile and stand up. There are a few things in my cubicle I noticed I need, and I already feel constrained by this place. A few minutes of stretching my legs would be nice.

David goes back to his seat and I make my way over to the elevators. The one on the end opens immediately, and I step into the empty space.

Whew. All right. A moment alone to breathe.

"Hold on!" a man yells, and a second later he darts through the closing doors, barely making it on.

I start to say hello to him, but my mouth ends up falling open with no sounds coming out.

It's James Garris.

I'm standing right next to my daughter's biological father.

He stares straight ahead, smoothing his suit, not even noticing my staring.

Good God, he smells amazing. Like sandalwood and citrus. I can't help but take a deep breath, trying to commit the scent to memory.

The elevator starts descending, and I try to steady my breathing. This is not the time or place to be getting all hot and bothered over a man, especially not him.

But damn, it's hard not to. James is tall and lean, with chiseled features and piercing blue eyes. He's the kind of guy who turns heads wherever he goes, and he knows it.

I tear my gaze away from him and focus on the elevator doors. I just need to get through this quick ride…

Wait. What am I thinking?

This is the opportunity I came here for!

Gathering all my courage, I clear my throat. "I'm Billie. Today is my first day. I'm a…"

He gives me a withering look, and the words die in my throat. With that one expression, he says everything.

What is a pleb like you doing talking to me? Are you really going to say something?

Go ahead. Be my guest.

As if to prove my point, his phone buzzes and he fishes it out of his pocket. He glances at the screen and types out a quick message before putting it back.

I'm staring at the back of his head, seething.

I want to yell. I want to punch something.

This is James Garris, the sperm donor who knocked up Quinn's birth mom and then bailed when she got pregnant. He didn't want to be a father, and he made that very clear.

I'm shaking with anger. Taking a deep breath, I try to calm down.

At least my anger is better than my pain.

James's phone buzzes again, and he checks it.

I can't help it. I want to give this guy a hard time, want to remind him how rude it is to ignore someone. It doesn't matter that I'm just another employee at his company. I'm a human being too.

"Nice weather today," I comment.

He arches a brow. It's raining cats and dogs outside.

James doesn't say anything, though, just goes back to scrolling through his phone. I grit my teeth and stare at the elevator doors.

Why did I have to run into him on my first day? Of all the days…

The elevator shudders and comes to an abrupt stop. James looks up from his phone, his expression unreadable.

"What the hell?" I murmur, clutching my purse.

James hits the emergency button but nothing happens. "Looks like we're stuck," he says flatly.

"Yep," I snap.

Silence falls between us, broken only by the occasional beep from James's phone. I try to ignore him, but it's impossible. He's right there, inches away from me, and I can feel his heat like a physical thing.

I take another deep breath, trying to calm down. This isn't the time to lose my shit.

But then, the doors finally ding open, and I step out quickly, not wanting to spend a second longer in his presence than I have to.

As I make my way to the supply closet, I try to shake off the encounter. I have a job to do, after all. I need to focus on that.

But as I walk through the halls, I feel his eyes burning into my back.

Does he know who I am? What I'm here for? Is the hunted actually one step ahead of me?

I shake away the doubt. That's impossible. No way could he know who I am.

And not that it matters. Once I have the information I need, I'll be out of this company in a minute. James Garris will forget all about me, just like he forgot all about his daughter.