Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 66330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
“So nice of you to give her all that and more,” Laura said.
My unamused silence didn’t stop her from laughing again.
“Okay, okay. I’ll stop,” she said. “Listen, I don’t need an intern, but I do need a receptionist. Think you can sell her on that?”
“I think she’ll be there tomorrow. Thanks, Laura.” I hung up the phone just as Lily came in. She’d changed into a black pants suit that somehow managed to accentuate her curves, making her look less and less like the college girl she’d been when she got here. Now she looked like a full-blooded woman. Or maybe it was my perception that had changed since I’d made her one, taking the last vestiges of girlhood. Whatever it was, she looked too damn good to stay.
I buzzed her. “Lily, can you come to my office for a minute?”
She’d just hung her purse on the hook and was saying good morning to Angie. Now she looked up and met my eyes through the glass. It was a cliche to call it a deer in the headlights expression, but that was exactly what it was. Eyes wider than Bambi’s, lips parted in surprise. She made her way around to the door, let herself in, and turned around to face me, still holding the handle with one hand.
“I’m not going to bite,” I said brusquely.
Her cheeks flushed, and I remembered that I’d bitten last night. Nipped the soft flesh, tasted. I looked away, jaw clenching as I tried to get a grip on myself. “This isn’t going to work,” I said tightly, directing my words to the Ficus beside my desk. “I can’t have you here. Not after…” I looked back to see her face was now very pale.
“What do you mean?” Lily asked, her voice trembling. “Are you seriously firing me after–?”
I cut her off before she could get to what came after. “No, I’m giving you a better opportunity. My friend is a top divorce lawyer in this town. She needs a receptionist. It’ll be a good way to learn the business. Better than you could get here.”
Lily’s eyes had lost their focus. I couldn’t tell if she was looking at me or through me, and I had no idea what was running through her head as she listened to me list all the reasons this would be better.
“It’s not about any of that though, is it?” she said quietly when I was done. “It’s about us.”
“It’s about there not being an us,” I corrected. “Last night was a mistake.”
Lily lifted her chin, her eyes snapping to life again the way they did when I pissed her off. “And this morning?”
I exhaled in frustration. “Another fucking mistake, Lily. That’s why I can’t have you around. I’m going to keep making mistakes with you, and I don’t want to be that asshole.”
“And you think firing me–”
“Reassigning you,” I corrected.
“--makes you, what, a standup guy?” Her blue eyes were blazing now, but she kept her voice quietly controlled.
“No, I don’t think it makes me a standup guy,” I said, struggling to keep my own voice from rising. My hands balled into fists with the effort of keeping them to myself. Even as I was trying to send her away, I wanted to drag her closer. Why had I succumbed to this open concept office bullshit? If I had a wall instead of a window between my office and the reception area, I could touch her.
And the fact that I was still thinking about touching her was the reason she had to go.
“I’m not a standup guy,” I said, my voice low and rough. “We both know that. That’s another reason why you’ll be better off with Laura.”
“Fine,” Lily said, clipping her syllables. “But if you think that’s going to solve the problem, you’re wrong.”
I didn’t say anything as she turned on her heel and walked out. Of course it would solve the problem. It would take a few days, but eventually, the old principle of out of sight, out of mind would take effect. I turned back to my computer, trying to ignore the shape of her in my peripheral vision.
Just a few more days, I told myself.
Lily disappeared at lunch. I told myself I was glad. But when I saw her sitting in the cafeteria with a guy from the media rights advisory team, my fingers curled into fists again. I knew Devon just well enough to know I didn’t like him. I made a mental note to fire him the next time he so much as forgot to return a phone call.
Lily was laughing at something he was saying, and the slant of sunlight she sat in gilded her golden skin and hair. She looked luminous, and Devon couldn’t keep his eyes off her. I’d planned to grab a quick bite here, but now I decided to go out.