Page 13 of Tempt My Heart

"I'm okay," she managed at last, looking up at him in a daze. "I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to put you in that position."

He raised a dark eyebrow. "I'm glad I was there. Can I get you anything?"

"I should be asking you that." She tried for a smile but his concern didn't lessen, the crinkles at the corners of his eyes staying in place as he assessed her. "I need to make a call and then I'll be straight up."

Christopher stepped back and she instantly missed the smell of his cologne as he cleared his throat and gave her a nod.

She turned away and pulled out her phone, hitting Freya's name and trying to keep her breathing steady as she waited for her to pick up. She needed to make sure her mom was safe, and Freya was the one with the resources to make that happen. Or, her dad was anyway.

Freya's voice filtered through to her and Ali relaxed slightly. "I need a favor."

ChapterSeven

She knew Christopher was going to want more of an explanation than the brush-off she'd given him downstairs, given that he was her friend and not just her boss, but she still took a few minutes to compose herself in the restroom on her floor.

A mixture of emotions was rolling through her so hard she could barely keep up with them, let alone process it. Fear for herself, her mother. Anger at Jared for doing this to her and anger at herself for not recognizing him for the slimy bastard he clearly was—and a little embarrassment that Christopher had been the one to step in and rescue her.

She also couldn't stop the what-ifs swirling around her mind. If Christopher hadn't come when he had, what would Jared have done? Why had she let her anger speak for her?

She was lucky, was what it came down to. Clearly she had no real idea of who Jared was or what lengths he would or wouldn't go to, but the coldness of his pale face when he'd threatened her and then her mother had given her chills.

By the time she approached her desk she felt slightly more centered, if still lost about what to do from there. Her mom was safe, Freya had taken care of that, so at least it would only be Ali's reputation, career, and life that was on the line if she refused to do what Jared asked. She needed to talk to her boss, and leave probably the only job she'd truly loved, so that when the shit hit the fan it wouldn't blow back on him and the company too badly. She couldn’t betray him, nor could she sit back and watch David and Rose be terrorized again.

And yet, she stayed in her seat, idly checking her emails as if her world wasn't about to implode. An hour passed. Two. Compartmentalizing had always been one of her strengths, but maybe this was taking things too far. Ali glanced up and found Christopher watching her through the glass walls of his office as he spoke to someone on the phone. Ali dropped her gaze, reaching for some files behind her and printing out a few documents that had just been emailed over to go inside the briefing file.

Once she was all caught up on weekend emails, she couldn't put things off any longer. But Christopher was still on the phone and she obviously couldn't interrupt... So with a heavy sigh, she opened up the software that recruitment used to headhunt talent and started to look for some suitable options for her replacement. It seemed like the least she could do.

After narrowing things down to what she felt were the three strongest candidates, she hit print on the summation of their profiles she'd put together and then slowly stood.

Her heels made soft thuds against the floor as she made her way to Christopher's office and then paused as he swung the door open and stepped out.

"Oh, Ali. Are you alright?" His mouth was soft with concern and the olive tint to his skin seemed a little flushed as he straightened his silver tie.

"Y-Yes," she stuttered, caught off guard by his open gaze and the warm hand that steadied her elbow as she wobbled in her shoes. "I was actually coming to talk to you about—"

"Can it wait until tomorrow? I'm sorry, it’s just I’m actually on my way out."

She blinked and then nodded, relief making her head feel light. "Yes, of course."

"Great." He smiled and she wondered, not for the first time, if he knew how stunning he was. "I've got an emergency meeting with Brickham, so I'll probably be out for the rest of the day."

Brickham. One of their more nitpicky clients they'd signed recently who owned a small, but rapidly growing tech empire. Once he got talking, you could be there for hours. "Of course. I'll redirect your calls and take messages."

"You're amazing," he said, flashing her that killer smile again and melting her into goo before he turned and walked away. Normally Ali could keep her head around attractive guys, but something about Christopher specifically undid her and she couldn't help imagining another circumstance where he'd tell her those words, his deep voice coasting along her skin, the warmth in his eyes a searing inferno as she ran her hands through his thick, dark hair…

Ali shook herself, realizing she was still standing in the same spot, rooted in place. She rolled her eyes at herself. Ridiculous. At least leavingHorizonswould mean her stupid crush on her boss would fade. Or, she considered, tilting her head as she stared toward Christopher’s empty office, he wouldn’t be her boss anymore—so there was nothing holding her back from asking him out. Or maybe just a hook-up so things didn’t get complicated.

A pang went through her at the thought of not seeing Christopher again and she pushed it aside, knowing that quitting was the right thing to do. She couldn't lie to him and make him betray his oldest friend and business partner, it wouldn't be fair and would undoubtedly just come back to bite her in the ass anyway.

Sitting back down at her desk, she looked out at the room around her, committing it to memory. Tomorrow she would be leaving here. Leaving Christopher.

Her phone buzzed with an incoming text and her mouth went dry at the photo on the screen. Jared was once again proving he would follow through, because on her screen was the view of her mother's house. There was the porch with the swing that was broken and the potted plant that had long since died. It would have seemed innocuous if not for his earlier threat. Her mind swam and tingles pin-pricked her fingers as she stared and stared at the photo before picking up her phone with numb hands and dialing.

"Hey kiddo, what's up? Aren't you at work today?"

"Mom," she said breathlessly, "I need you to listen to me closely."

There was a pause on the other end of the line and a rustle like she was putting down her paper to focus. "Okay."

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