Page 109 of Scandalous Secrets

“What does that mean?” My father raised a brow.

“I’m leaving.”

I started walking toward the door.

“Troy, get your ass back here,” my father bellowed.

But I ignored him as I pushed open the door and walked past the others who were pretending they hadn’t heard anything, except for Jeremy who had a smile on his face. To hell with him. To hell with my father. I was taking the next flight home to New York, and I didn’t need a private jet to do it.

Chapter 47

Monica

“Monica,” said Connor, smiling at me from behind the counter in the coffee shop.

“Hey, Connor,” I said, returning the smile.

“I haven’t seen you all week. I was worried you and Mr. Gunner found a new coffee shop or something.”

“Never.” I shook my head and looked up at the menu, even though I already knew what I was going to order. “He’s away on business.”

“Ahh, of course. Business never sleeps for that guy.” He nodded in quiet admiration.

I smiled to myself, wondering if it was really business keeping him up at night or me. I willed myself not to blush as I thought about our last night, and morning, together.

“What can I get you?” he asked, looking at me with a smile of curiosity.

“I’ll take my usual, please.”

“Ahh, the Connor special. I got you hooked.”

“You certainly did. I never thought I would see the day when Troy would drink anything besides his iced Americano.”

“I aim to please,” he said, turning his back and getting started on the espresso machine.

I slid a twenty across the counter and walked to the other end of the coffee shop. It was crowded, as usual, with its mixture of businessmen and moms donning their leggings for morning Pilates. I had been coming here for months now, and had become one of the regulars.

I remembered the first time I had come in here with Troy’s ridiculously precise order. One that I had memorized now. I had wondered what I had gotten myself into that morning, not knowing it would lead to all the good it had.

Connor called my name from the counter and slid the white insulated cup toward me. I thanked him and headed out the door into the morning air. It was still crisp, but there was less of a bite to it. Spring was just weeks away, and I breathed in the last of the winter as I walked toward the office.

Upstairs, I sat at my desk and opened my emails. There was nothing new. I refreshed the page, but it remained the same. I sighed and leaned back in my chair. Already I was bored, even though I had just gotten here. I looked around the office. Everyone was busy click-clacking away on the computers in their cubicles or answering phones. I realized the only thing that made this job interesting was my boss.

Troy had reminded me I didn’t need to come in if he wasn’t here, but it felt strange to not come into the office on a weekday. Plus, being here made me feel like I was close to him in some way.

Thankfully, Kathy hardly came around when she didn’t have Troy to babysit or keep a watchful eye on us. I knew she was suspicious of us. I didn’t know if it was because of his reputation or if it was because we were really bad actors. The thought made me smile.

I loved the flustered looks that Troy would send my way when she would come sniffing around. Or the looks that knocked me off my feet when no one else was looking. I missed those looks. I missedhim.

As I sat at my desk, I wondered if being a personal assistant to someone other than Troy would be what I actually wanted. A big part of the reason why I didn’t want to leave the job was because it would mean less time with him. I had grown so used to being with him every day, and hated the thought of not being around him as much.

I also knew if I went anywhere else, I would be back to retrieving someone’s coffee and dry-cleaning. Here, Troy let me speak up in meetings and give input. Most CEOs would never permit that. Their egos were too big. But Troy welcomed it, and made me feel valued. My thoughts were valued.

My internal debate was why I hadn’t accepted an interview yet for another personal assistant job. I figured when Troy got back, we could sit down and talk about it. I could get his feelings on my potential new bosses. He would know their reputations and characters better than anyone. I knew, deep down, he didn’t want me taking another job as a personal assistant. But we both knew I had to if we were ever going to be together.

It was better for me to leave than him in this situation, even though he had his own life to figure out. I had way less to lose if I stepped away. He could possibly lose everything.

He kept encouraging me to write more. It was pretty cute, actually. The nights I would stay over, which was almost every night, I would spot one of my novels on his nightstand. He had actually bought out the entire shelf at the bookstore. My face turned a rosy shade of pink knowing he was reading my words on the page, especially the more explicit scenes.

---