I had. Daniel and I had worked late the previous night, but somehow after I left, he found the energy to go out to one of the hottest new clubs in the city. There had been photos all over the tabloids that morning of him dancing with a couple of hot blondes and rumors that he had a new girlfriend.
It was none of my business, so I hadn’t asked him about it. Honestly, it would probably be better if he did have a girlfriend; maybe it would make it even easier for me to forget about how sexy he was if I knew that he was really off-limits, and not just because he and I worked together.
No, I hadn’t asked him about any of it, even though seeing those pictures made jealousy flare in the pit of my stomach.
“Just be careful, that’s all I’m saying,” Matt said. “I know how badly you want to make a career in business, and I would hate for anyone to not hire you because they thought this guy Daniel had hired you for the wrong reasons.”
I couldn’t be angry at Matt for wanting to look out for me. And I knew just as well as he did that there were possible repercussions to my working so closely with Daniel. It would be so easy for the press to find out about those late nights alone in the office together and spin it into something it wasn’t. But Daniel and I were both careful about it, and anyway, his reputation in the business world outshone his reputation with women, at least as far as other businessmen were concerned.
This job had been everything that I wanted so far. I wasn’t about to let Matt’s worries push me to find something different already.
“Honestly, Daniel’s not a bad guy,” I told Matt. “He’s a good man, and an even better businessman. And he’s smart as hell. Sure, he might like to go out and have a little too much fun sometimes. But where’s the harm in that, as long as he gets his work done?” Matt still didn’t look so sure. “You should see the way the other employees treat him,” I continued. “They all love him. He’s good to them.”
Matt frowned at me. “I want to believe that you’re right,” he said. “But just remember, you’ve only known the guy for a week now.” He paused. “I hate to say it, but from a dude’s perspective, based on everything that I’ve read about him? I have my doubts. I don’t think the guy is as good as you seem to believe he is.”
I shook my head. “You know the media is just trying to sensationalize him. That’s what sells papers. But that doesn’t mean that’s what Daniel is really like.” I could tell that Matt was still worried, though. “Look, if things start to go south, if there’s any kind of impropriety around the office, I promise I’ll bail. I’m not committed to this job forever.”
Matt nodded at me. “Good,” he said. “I just don’t want to see you getting hurt or ruining your future. That’s all.”
“Thanks,” I said to him, but inwardly I was wishing he were a little less protective of me. I was old enough to look out for myself. And not only that, but it wasn’t like Matt really knew the business world. He didn’t really understand what he was talking about. Daniel was just like any other boss. What he did in his private time was none of my business.
Leanne slipped downstairs, miming wiping her brow, and we all laughed. She dropped down on the couch next to me and accepted the glass of wine that Matt handed her. Then, she cocked her head to the side, looking back and forth between me and her husband. “Did you guys talk about Daniel?” she asked quietly.
“Yes,” I said, rolling my eyes. So both of them were worried about me. I would have expected better from Leanne, though. She knew that just because a guy was attractive, it didn’t mean that anything was going to happen between me and him. And not only that, but she had been the one pushing me to apply for the job in the first place. Even though she knew full well all of the rumors about Daniel, even better than I did.
“I’m a big girl,” I reminded both of them. “And I know what I’m doing.”
“We know,” Leanne said. “It just seems like you’re spending a lot of late nights at the office with him. And, well, we all know how one thing can lead to another. Especially with someone who’s basically a god, as far as looks are concerned.”
I snorted. “I’d have to be stupid to sleep with Daniel,” I told her. “Sure, there are a lot of late nights. And it’s comfortable with him, I won’t deny that. I like working with him. But at the same time, I am just working with him. He’s never made a single move, and I’m not going to make one, either. Now, will the two of you get off my case about him? I swear, nothing is going to happen with him.”
“Okay,” Leanne said, holding up both hands in a placating gesture. “Sorry, I just wanted to talk to you about it. Because like Matt said, we really just don’t want to see you get hurt. That’s all.”
“I’m not going to let the past repeat itself,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m not going to let some asshole play with my feelings again. Now, can we please talk about something else?”
Leanne and Matt exchanged a glance, but fortunately, they finally let the awkward subject drop. Matt started telling us all about his trip, and I tried to forget about what the two of them had said. Of course I didn’t have any plans to sleep with Daniel. The man would never even be interested in me for something like that. He might like to sleep around with random women, but I felt sure, based on what I had seen, that he had never slept with one of his employees before.
And like I had said to Matt and Leanne, I wasn’t going to let Daniel play with my feelings. As long as I didn’t think of him as anything more than my boss, I wouldn’t invite him to play any sort of games with me. I was safe, as long as I kept him at arm’s distance.
There would be nothing for any of the other businessmen to remark upon, and there would definitely be nothing for the media to report on.
I wouldn’t let him get close to me. So there was no point worrying about his reputation. His relationships and indiscretions were none of my business.
Chapter 13
Daniel
WHEN I GOT TO WORK on Monday morning, I was surprised and pleased to see that Abby was already there. She had really proved herself as an advisor already. Oh, it would take some time to see if her advice was any good. But she was definitely driven, and I liked that about her. Not only that, but she brought something different to the table. I was always interested to hear her reasons to advocate for certain ideas. Often, she and I came to similar conclusions, but she arrived at those conclusions in a totally different way.
It intrigued me. She intrigued me.
I had decided to lay low over the weekend after last week’s unflattering tabloid reports had shown me grinding with a couple of girls at a new club in the city. It wasn’t even like I had gone home with anyone; there was no reason why my dancing should have gotten so much press coverage. It drove me crazy that I couldn’t even have one night of fun without photos of it being splashed all over Chicago and the internet.
I could have gone out anyway. Everyone knew my reputation by now, and it had yet to affect my business dealings. But seeing Abby in the office the morning the story broke, noticing how she carefully avoided looking at me, made me feel strangely guilty.
That was stupid. I knew that Abby wasn’t interested in me. She was probably embarrassed for me; that was why she couldn’t meet my eyes. But all the same, I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable around me. So I had a quiet weekend, spending hours working out until I was exhausted and sore. All so that I could quit thinking about green eyes and long blonde hair.
I leaned against Erin’s desk, smiling at the two women, who were chatting easily with each other. “Good morning,” I greeted them.