“No, he’s out at meetings all day, but I can get him for you if it’s urgent.” Her eyelids fluttered, and I was pretty damn sure her voice wasn’t usually this throaty.
“I actually came to see you.” Her eyes widened. “I need his daughter’s number. What was her name, Gabrielle? Everyone knows you’re the girl with her finger on the pulse around here.”
She lowered her voice and looked around like I’d shared a scandalous secret. “James Skye, are you planning a surprise for Richard’s birthday?”
What? Oh. Why hadn’t I thought of that? I hunched my shoulders, stuffed my hands in my pockets, and gave her a shy smile, like she’d caught me in a lie. “Yeah, something like that. I need to talk to the daughter about it, though. Can you help a brother out?”
“You are just so sweet, you know?” she gushed as she pulled up her contact list on her computer. “If you need any help, you just let me know. I’m not sure how much help Gabrielle is going to be.” Olivia wrinkled her nose.
“Thanks, Liv, but I just need to get some info from her. I need to get some stuff from someone who can get into Richard’s house.”
“Okay, keep me in mind. I would be a much better partner in crime if you need one.” She winked.
My stomach rolled a little. It wasn’t that Olivia wasn’t attractive; she was a raven-haired beauty with dark eyes and olive skin that could send your heart racing and your cock throbbing.
Hell, when I’d first started out, I’d chased that skirt so hard you’d have thought that getting on her was my job, not getting on the team whose owner she so jealously guarded. The guys had all warned me against her, and pretty soon, it became clear why.
Olivia was on the wrong side of the hot/crazy scale. As hot as she was, it didn’t come close to balancing out the craziness. Even that little white lie about the surprise for Richard’s birthday had the potential of coming back and biting me in the ass.
Getting Gabrielle’s number was worth the risk, though. I would deal with Olivia if the time ever came. “I’ll do that. Thanks, Olivia. My plan is still in the beginning stages. If anything does come up, I’ll give you a shout.”
She tapped on the keyboard, and my phone buzzed. “Done. Her contact details are in your inbox.”
“Thanks, Liv. You’re the best.” I shot her another trademark smirk. “You won’t tell him I was here, will you?”
She flushed and shook her head. “Of course not, I’ve planned surprises before, you know. I’m looking forward to seeing what you have planned. I’m sure Richard is just going to love it. It really is so thoughtful of you to be planning something for him so far in advance.”
If I was being honest, I didn’t even know when Richard’s birthday was. “It’s no big deal. Really, it’s nothing more than a half-assed idea at the moment.”
If she knew that it was so half-assed that it didn’t quite exist, she might not have been singing my praises. It was more likely she would chase me from the building with her stiletto in hand and outing my sorry ass to the man himself at the same time.
“You’re so modest, James. Everyone loves that about you.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and started the mental process of removing my clothes with her eyes again. My skin crawled. It was time to get out of there.
“Thanks again, Olivia.” Feeling like I’d robbed a bank, I hauled ass out of there.
Chapter Ten
Gabrielle
I wasn’t used to having nothing to do. It frustrated me. I’d been scouring the internet, trying to figure out my next step, but so far, nothing caught my interest for more than a perfunctory examination.
For a couple of minutes the night before, I’d considered photography, but I was bored to death once I started reading about composition and placement and other words that didn’t ring my bell.
I’d moved from photography to social work. I knew it was quite the leap, but I honestly had no idea what I really wanted to do.
Social work seemed interesting for lo
nger than photography had, and I could use some of the credits that I already had towards the degree. Then I realized I had no desire to return to school full-time and gave up on that idea.
I was going out of my mind. I needed a goal. I needed something to focus on. I played around with the idea of applying for a position as a secretary earlier that morning. At least until I figured out what my next step would be, but all the listed positions required experience. Which I didn’t have.
The only upside was that Heather had called. She wanted to go to the mall later. She’d thrown out some stuff that she’d deemed “beyond saving” when she’d finally gotten around to clearing up her disaster zone of an apartment. She claimed that retail therapy was exactly what she needed.
My phone buzzed. I snaked an arm out and grabbed it quickly. As it had been since Friday night, every time my phone buzzed, my heart flipped, and the butterflies in my stomach went mad.
James had awoken a sexual need in me that I’d never felt before. Then he dropped off the face of the planet. I almost regretted not giving him my phone number, but then if he didn’t call, I’d know it was because he wasn’t interested in me, which would be disappointing. This way, I still had some hope that he just hadn’t been able to track down my number.
My heart sank, and the butterflies in my stomach turned to stone when I flipped the phone and saw my dad’s smiling face staring at me from my screen. I had the phone on vibrate, so I hadn’t had the advance warning of his ringtone.