Page 29 of Brassy Bigwig

CHAPTER TEN

CHLOE

Ahh Friday.

This week has been bliss.

Except for the fact that Trey still hasn’t called. But I can’t think about that.

Dinner on Monday night was more fun than I’d expected it to be. I wasn’t sure how I felt about having Reed around because Shelby doesn’t have the greatest track record with men. However, he’s funny, sweet, and really into her—he’s even slept at the apartment the majority of the nights this week. The guys she tends to flock to are dicks who push her away at the first sign of commitment. Reed seems… different.

For starters, he’s not a trust fund baby, which I think makes a huge difference. Also, he does actual manual labor, installing residential and commercial security systems. I think Reed will be really good for Shelby, I just hope she doesn’t lose interest in him if she’s not forced to chase him around for a while longer.

When I woke up on Tuesday and saw Mr. Andino’s email telling me he was going to be out of the office the rest of the week, it was like Christmas had come early. The past couple of days have been quiet instead of filled with disrespectful emails from the cranky boss man.

I’ve been using the time to practice some interview questions. Interviews are the worst. I can sit and have a conversation with ease any time, any day. But these forced, almost fake conversations always feel so awkward.

The other reason I’ve been consuming myself with them is so I don’t obsess over why Trey hasn’t reached out to me. I’m trying so hard not to think about it. I can’t lie, I’m worried I blew my chances. Did Dex actually pass my message along? I like to think he did. He seemed so sincere when we were talking.

But if that’s true it means Trey doesn’t want to speak to me. Or it could also mean I was right to leave because he doesn’t feel the same way about me as I do him. I can feel my heart begin to crack, but I quickly return to my sheet of questions and answers before it breaks completely.

Another thirty minutes goes by before I hear the ding from the elevator arriving. My head flies up when it sounds. It’s the first time anyone has arrived since I saw Dex walk through it on Monday. I’m curious who it is. There are no appointments and no reason anyone else should be up here when Mr. Andino is out of the office.

When the doors slide open and my eyes land on the one person I thought I would never see again, shockwaves soar through me, causing goose bumps to break out over my skin. If I thought he was hot half-naked in a bathing suit… If I thought he looked like a statue sculpted from marble in bed next to me…

Okay, both of those are totally still true.

But the way Trey Everett wears a suit should be illegal.

Fuck. Me.

Slowly, I stand, unsure if my legs will be able to hold me upright. As though I’m watching a movie, he seems to walk toward me in slow motion. One hand in his pocket, the other straightening the gold tie around his neck. His eyes are locked on mine, and they look as dark and possessive as I remember them looking just before he fucked me for the umpteenth time that night. It’s a long, slow path he’s taking, and it feels like he will never reach my desk.

I sure as hell can’t move, or else I’d help him bridge the gap.

Finally, he approaches me, and my mouth falls open, but no words come out. With a final glance, he passes by me and walks right into Mr. Andino’s office as though he owns the place.

What is he doing?

The odd maneuver is enough to break me from my spell, and I follow him inside just as he’s making himself comfortable behind Mr. Andino’s desk.

“Tr—Trey? What are you doing here? You can’t be in here, I’ll get fired.”

This time when he looks at me, it’s dangerous, and I feel my goose bumps return.

“But I thought you hated this job? I thought you were quitting anyway.”

Why would he seem so angry about that? It has nothing to do with him.

“I do hate this job. I don’t really know why Dex chose to tell you that part of our conversation, but I hope he told you the most important part.”

I gaze at him with hopeful eyes as he leans back in his chair and rests his ankle on the knee of his other leg. He runs his hand over his sexy as fuck beard as he appears to think about what I just said. Before answering, he opens Mr. Andino’s bottom drawer, pulls out his laptop, and turns it on.

“Trey! What are you doing?”

“I thought today was a good day for your probationary period review.”

He stands up and gestures to the chair across from Mr. Andino’s desk, and that's when the final piece falls into place.

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