Page 82 of The Rebel
After she left, I immediately took a sip, figuring it was coffee.To my astonishment, it was hot chocolate with a sweet topping—not caramel, though. Was it almond? I took another sip. Yes, it was.
I smiled wide as I checked my phone.
Anthony: Hope that makes the afternoon slump better.
Daisy: This is delicious. Love the almond topping. Do you like it?
Anthony: Hell will freeze over before I drink hot chocolate. Like I said, the only way I’ll taste it is off your body. I already have some very specific things I want to do with it.
I pressed my thighs together, taking a deep breath. We didn’t even need to be in the same place to behave unprofessionally.
I smiled, sipping from my drink, deciding which way to play this. I could encourage him, but I didn’t think that was a good idea. Not in the middle of the day anyway.
As if reading my thoughts, Anthony messaged again.
Anthony: Forget I wrote that. How about this? We’ll only flirt in person.
What? No!That was dangerous. I called him right away.
“Anthony,” I whispered. “That’s playing with fire, don’t you think?”
“Definitely, but I don’t care. I just want to be with you.”
Swoon.
“Will you be at the office today?” I didn’t want him to stay away either. I needed my daily dose of Anthony. How had that happened?
“No, but I promise I’ll drop by tomorrow.”
“Okay.” I wanted to add something more but didn’t know exactly how to phrase it without sounding flirty or needy, so I just went with “I’ll have all those reports you asked for by the end of the day.”
“You truly are the best assistant I’ve had, Daisy.”
Even though it was a compliment, I started to feel uneasy. I knew Samantha would eventually find me something else, though now I wasn’t too excited about leaving Anthony. I reallyliked my job even though I knew this couldn’t go on like it had been. We couldn’t work together and date. But my boss was flirting the pants off me and sent me hot chocolate, so I wasn’t going to complain about anything. I was determined to simply savor it for now.
After hanging up, I noticed a message from Samantha.
Samantha: Daisy, I’ve got a last-minute position that popped up as a senior marketing manager in the food industry. The company is Farm&Garden. Job description attached. Let me know if you’re interested, and I can set up an interview for today.
Wow, that was fast. My heart beat furiously as I opened the attachment she’d sent and quickly glanced over it. Sounded interesting enough, and it was located here in New Orleans, which made me a lot more excited about the job.
Daisy: Yes, please. I’m free after 5.
Samantha: Perfect. I’ll set something up.
Samantha: By the way, I’ve got a lead on a job in North Dakota too. Want me to keep you in the loop?
Daisy: Sure, why not?
I wasn’t too into it, though. I’d much rather find something here.
My heart was racing as I put my phone down and went back to my tasks. This could work out. If I changed workplaces, I wouldn’t have to worry about Anthony being my boss.
God, I was already making far too many plans, but I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t like to count my chickens before they hatched, though, so I took a deep breath and got back to work.
The interview with Farm&Garden went surprisingly well. It was online, so I didn’t even have to leave my apartment for it. I had a good feeling when we were done. And when I came into the office the next morning, I still had a good feeling. I’d clickedwith the three interviewers, but they said they needed some time to get back to me.
I was so focused on hitting the ground running that I forgot to check if Anthony was here. So, when I got to my desk and heard his voice in the doorway, low and raspy, I startled.
