Page 59 of The Rebel
“No.”
“Then let’s meet on Saturday.”
“What are we doing?”
“I don’t know yet. I’ll think about that. For now, let’s get back to work.”
She rose to her feet, nodding. As she moved a step away from the chair, a whiff of her perfume reached me. It was the same one from last night. Damn, it was intoxicating.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to compose myself. Otherwise, I was liable to kiss her again—have her again, right here, on the couch. Or my desk. Even my chair. Or all three.
Damn it, Anthony, not at the office.
“Then I’ll see you later, Mr. LeBlanc.”
I blinked. “What?”
She smiled sheepishly. “Don’t know where that came from. I guess I was trying to make things as office-like as possible.”
I winked at her. “I’m still Anthony. And yes, let’s get the ball rolling. We’ve got plenty to do for the competition.”
“And the festival,” she reminded me.
“Anything I need to troubleshoot?” I asked as I went back behind my desk.
“I’ll check and let you know.” Turning around, she headed to the door.
“Daisy, Saturday can’t come fast enough.”
She glanced over her shoulder, smiling from ear to ear. “I’m already counting down the hours.”
I kept things between us completely professional over the next few days. Not only because it was the right thing to do, but also because Daisy seemed to need it.
I didn’t. Every time she sauntered into my office, I was tempted to lock the door and have her on my desk. Every time we went on location, I almost couldn’t fight my urge to pull the car into a dark corner.
I was slowly losing my mind, and I wasn’t sure how it was happening, why, or how I could stop it.
On Friday morning, I could already smell victory in the air. The week was coming to an end. Before going into the office, I went to Maria’s coffee shop and bought myself a coffee and a caramel drink for Daisy. I knew how much she enjoyed this sugary treat. And it was practically the weekend. I could start breaking the rules a bit.
To my surprise, I arrived at the office before she did. Then I remembered that she was at the festival location this morning. Gregory had asked her over, which meant he felt she was competent enough to solve whatever it was on her own.
After putting the drink on her desk, I went back to my office and got started on my own duties. It was all about the jazz competition today. The event was more work than it was worth, but the musician in me enjoyed it nonetheless. I wanted to give everyone who loves music a chance to prove themselves.
At eleven o’clock, Daisy passed in front of my door. I hadn’t asked her inside my office again since Monday; it was easier for me to resist my impulses if we weren’t in the same room. Some days, I wished Dorothy came into the office every day. Maybe that would give me an incentive to behave. But she worked from home a lot.
I heard Daisy’s yelp of joy and couldn’t help laughing.
Oh, fuck it.I grabbed my phone and texted her.
Anthony: Brought it with me this morning. Must be cold by now. I’m more than happy to bring you another one.Or microwave it.
I was stepping on this slippery slope with both feet.
Her reply came right away.
Daisy: I enjoy caramel hot and cold.
Mental note: I was going to include cold, sugary drinks in my repertoire from now on. Possibly ice cream too.
