But then, there was Thomas to think about.
I carefully avoided his eyes as I snatched up the last of the documents and made a mad dash for my coat.
“Jenna, please,” Michael tried again softly, “let me explain—”
In my periphery, I saw Thomas make a furious, threatening gesture, and his brother fell silent.
“Miss Harks,” he went on automatic damage control, soothing in his low voice, “if you would please let me assist you, I’m sure we can come to some sort of—”
Some sort of arrangement? What was this—a table reading for the Godfather?! The words sounded scripted. Did he run around behind cleaning all of his little brother’s messes?
“That’s alright,” I cut him off, “I’m just going to head home.”
On any other day, I would rather literally shoot myself in the foot than interrupt Thomas Larchwood—but right now, I couldn’t bring myself to care. As I stuffed my arms through my designer coat sleeves and peered around at the dazzling penthouse and equally dazzling men staring imploringly back at me, I suddenly wanted to have nothing to do with the whole family.
“Miss Harks, you—”
But I was out the door, doing my very best not to slam it behind me. I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for the elevator. On the other side of the door, there was a hushed argument followed by the shuffling of feet.
Please don’t let it be Michael, please don’t let it be Michael, I silently prayed as the handle turned and it pushed open. It wasn’t. It was Thomas. But now that we were standing face to face, I was suddenly sure that wasn’t any better.
“You forgot your phone.”
I looked up in surprise to see him holding it out in the air between us. That had been what he was trying to tell me? My cheeks flushed pink, and I took it quickly, careful not to touch his skin. While the lines of propriety had already been thoroughly savaged today, that didn’t mean that I couldn’t try to salvage what was left of the aftermath.
“Thank you,” I murmured quietly, not meeting his eyes. I looked instead at the elevator, willing the numbers to move faster.
“Jenna?”
It was strange hearing my name come out of his mouth, however uncertainly, and I flashed him a look before I snapped, “It’s Miss Harks.”
He actually seemed to appreciate this. “Of course. Miss Harks, please allow me to apologize for any...transgressions on the part of my brother. If he crossed a line, I don’t—”
I whirled around. “You mean when he kissed me?”
It was impossible to keep the anger out of my voice. A very strange look passed across Thomas’s face and he studied me carefully before moving cautiously on.
“Yes, when he...” He paused again and considered me with that same curious expression.
I honestly didn’t understand it. What did he think I was going to do? Throw away my entire career and sue? I continued my anxious foot tapping, praying to the elevator gods to step it up a notch. What—was this thing broken?
“Yes, when he kissed you,” he finally repeated quietly. For a moment, he looked incredibly uncomfortable, shifting uneasily in his suit. “Miss Harks...if I interrupted something between you two, allow me to apologize—”
What?! My head jerked up in bewildered surprise.
“I would only advise you to be careful. I was very impressed with your presentation, and I would hate to see a mind like yours go to waste. The last of Michael’s conquests,” he caught himself quickly, “I mean, relationships...well, those women don’t work for us anymore.”
I didn’t know if it was a warning or a threat. First the little brother kisses me; now it seemed like the older one was somehow blaming me for the whole thing.
My eyes narrowed viciously. “Let me assure you, Mr. Larchwood, not only do I in no way reciprocate your brother’s feelings, but I spent almost the entire day openly rebuking his advances. Not that it made much difference in the end...”
The shock and dismay of what happened aside, I had to admit, I was a little stung. By the end, I’d actually been having a good time with Michael—I thought we were on the same page.
It was clear by now that the elevator was playing some sort of cosmic joke on me, so I tightened my grip on the briefcase and pulled open the door to the stairs.