Page 61 of Gluttony

Okay, I’ll admit, I’m impressed. She really seems to be taking this whole task she’s been given seriously, just like everything we’ve asked her to do. She didn’t even complain when I asked her to clean out all of the staff fridges last week.

I pull the folder closer to me and begin looking through the paperwork, flipping the pages individually to first check over the contract.

“It all looks good so far, doesn’t appear to be anything missing.” I continue flipping the pages, pausing when Bowie reaches across, her wrist skimming the back of my hand as she points to something.

“At the back here, I’ve started on a possible marketing plan for the band. I’m still looking into the possibilities and options, so I should have some more ideas by the end of the week.” I note the way her breath hitches when she realizes she’s still touching me, and her eyes slowly glide upward to reach mine. A mere second later, she shakes herself off and pulls her hand away. “Sorry. I’ll let you continue to do your thing.”

I can’t stop the way one side of my mouth tips up, but I look back to the folder of papers to hide it.

It would seem that our Diamond isn’t as impenetrable as she likes to think.

“It all looks good. The only thing left to do is to scan it all into the system to make it official.” Closing the folder, I hold her eyes with mine. I could have checked this over without her sitting next to me, but I didn’t want to. I also could have had Ginny orone of the legal team check this over for her, but again, I didn’t want them to.

Now we—well, I—have a plan in place with regards to Bowie, all the distaste I thought I felt for her has dispersed and I’m lighter. But every moment spent with her like this makes me doubt it all, yet again.

I take a deep breath before dragging my gaze away from her, because I can’t fucking think with her looking at me like that. She confuses me, she intrigues me, she pisses me the fuck off, and on top of those things, she’s witty, she’s sassy as fuck, and she passed the Ginny, Crosby, and Drew test within the first two weeks. They all fucking love her. Ginny was always going to be easy, Crosby not quite so much, but Drew generally has a bee in his bonnet for outsiders and she’s managed to win them all around with scones and cupcakes.

“Erm…” I’ve already brought my attention to my computer screen, trying to block her out, but I guess I should have dismissed her first. “I’m still waiting for someone from the IT department to fix the problem I was having with my scanner yesterday. Can I borrow yours?”

Turning to her, I watch the way she smiles, the way her eyes are filled with hope, and like this, I can fully understand why Orion gave her thisspecialproject.

“Please?” Her grin widens almost impossibly further. She knows exactly what she’s doing and I’m fucking powerless to deny her.

Clearing my throat, I adjust the buttons of my suit jacket as I stand, realizing as I do that my cock is now at her eye level. Her smile morphs into something completely different when she takes her bottom lip between her teeth as she stares straight ahead, and it does no fucking favors for me and the hard-on I’m still rocking.

Seemingly shaking herself out of whatever stupor she was in, she picks up her folder of papers and stands, too.

“Sit back down.” My voice comes out scratchier than intended, but the way Bowie’s eyes pulse slightly at the tone makes me want to do it again.

Fuck.

No.

I don’t.

The fact that she follows my instruction so quickly does not help the direction my thoughts are travelling right now.

My all-in-one scanner-printer is on the outer corner of my desk, so I really didn’t need to stand, but I make out this was my intention all along. I head to my coffee machine, sliding a mug beneath the spout, popping a pod in the top, and switching it on.

“You know how to use a scanner?”

“I do.” She nods, again, and while this perfectly professional side of her is great, I think I prefer it when she’s biting.

“Scanner’s in front of you. Get started and I’ll show you the program we use to log it all. Coffee?” I pull out my now-full mug and hold up an empty one as I ask the question.

“Oh…yes…I’d love one. Thanks.” The confusion on her face is cute. She’s been wearing that expression often ever since I started to actually be nice to her. I get it, I was a cunt, and still am, to be fair, but finding out the truth has lifted some kind of weight and it’s just easy to spend time with her.

Well, as easy as having a permanent hard-on will ever be.

So maybe not so much.

I don’t even need to ask how she takes her coffee. Hadley figured it out on day one of his stalking and kindly shared his knowledge with me and Orion.

Bowie is working the scanner by the time I stir two sugars into her coffee before adding a dash of cream. Bringing them over tomy desk, I place one in front of each of us, on coasters, of course, and sit back down.

The smile she gifts me in that moment is new, it’s real, it’s raw, and something inside of me shifts.

Her green eyes bore into mine, questioning when I don’t look away from her. Instead, I’m drinking her in, wondering why I’m resisting her so hard. I can play, just a little, and easily still do what needs to be done. It’s what’s right. I have to do it. But I don’t have to restrain myself…

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