I prepared for work, mad at him. Instead of talking about something so important, something that obviously still affected him, he was choosing to ignore me, to deflect, to dismiss my questions. I was still stewing in my office when he called.
“I’m sorry,” he said as soon as I answered the call.
His apology caught me off guard. I sniffed, still hurt. “I’m still mad at you,” I said.
He sighed. “I apologize. It makes sense that you’re curious, and I should have trie
d to explain instead of shutting you out…and bringing up your mother…I was way out of line.”
I closed my eyes. “I’m sorry too. I…I shouldn’t have been so pushy, especially since I don’t know the whole story.”
“That is true,” he said frankly.
I chuckled. “Well, I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too.” He paused, and I heard a series of taps, like he was drumming his fingers on his desk. “Lunch?” he asked.
“I’d love that,” I replied, welcoming the chance to talk face to face. “Where?”
“You choose.”
“What about your office?” I suggested, remembering the naughty thoughts I’d had about a private meeting on his desk. “I have a fantasy I’m sure you’d like.”
He laughed softly. “I’m looking forward to this,” he said. “Leonard will pick you up.”
The drive to his office was only a few minutes. The building was a chrome and glass architectural beauty that stood multiple floors above the structures that surrounded it. It housed offices while an adjacent building in the same plaza housed a five-star hotel, and the two were linked by a twentieth-floor crosswalk.
Leonard dropped me off in front of the building entrance where a young man with short dreads and a well-cut suit was waiting for me.
“Hi, Daphne,” he said with a smile. “I’m Andre, and I’m here to take you to Jason’s office.”
“Hi, Andre.” I smiled. “Lead the way.”
He gave me a sharp nod and led me into the beautiful marble lobby and through the bank of turnstiles in the security area. At the elevators, he used a keycard to select the floor, and in a few short moments, the car deposited us in the lobby of one of the top levels.
As the elevator opened, I saw Jason’s company logo enlarged to cover the wall opposite me. Andre didn’t wait for me to study it as he quickly led me through a series of glass-partitioned areas to Jason’s office.
It was a large, glass-walled space that stood half a floor above the rest of the open-plan office. Jason was seated behind a large desk, visible from outside but beautiful and impossibly sexy. He looked unreachable, focused entirely on his work.
Andre opened the door for me, and after I stepped into the office, he closed it quietly behind me.
At the faint click of the door, Jason raised his eyes from his computer screen, and his face broke into a welcoming smile.
“You’re here,” he said, rising and walking around the desk to take me in his arms. His jacket was hanging over the back of his chair, but even without it, with his shirt tucked into his slim pants, he looked like a boss—which he was.
I looked around the office. It was large, and on the only wall that wasn’t clear glass, there was a large screen showing at least four channels talking about finance topics. There was also some art—a picture I recognized as one of Amy’s and a few paintings. One of them, a bright, colorful, modern-style painting of a little boy playing in a shallow pond caught my eye. It was eerily familiar, and very beautiful.
Jason’s eyes followed my gaze to the painting, and as I turned back to look at him, his face was blank.
“Nice office,” I said, not sure if I’d missed something. “Andre brought me up.”
He chuckled. “I asked him to, and I’ll thank him later.” He gave my lower lip a quick nibble. “You look good. I like the librarian sexy-chic.”
“I don’t look like a librarian,” I said. I was wearing a soft jersey top and a knee-length black skirt. I only needed glasses to complete the librarian fantasy, but I wasn’t going to admit that.
“Okay, if you say so.” Jason laughed. “I was just going through a report, but I’m all set.”
“Your office is very modern, but not very private,” I observed. “I’m a bit disappointed. I was looking forward to joining…whatever the office version of the mile-high club is.”