Page 131 of Heartless
“Bye, pretty girl.”
After she’d thrown a happy wave at him, I took her hand, and we headed toward the exit.
“How are you?”she said quietly.
I kissed the back of her hand.“I’m good.”
In my truck, Sienna got close, touched my jaw, and placed a soft kiss on my mouth.
“What was that for, kitten?”
“Thank you for taking me to meet your dad.”
She was made of light.Blinding, warm light.“Hungry, baby?”
“Yes.I’m starving.”
****
Sienna
Jake’s low chortle filled the car.“The dragoness?”
I’d just told him how in my haste to avoid Dr.Nuys’s disapproving stare, I’d bumped into Willie Devereaux’s wheelchair and found myself in his lap while the dragoness had incinerated me with her glare.
“The woman likes you, so she obviously has excellent tastes, but my God, she’s terrifying.”
His brow cocked.“Excellent tastes, uh?”
I nodded.“I told you you were beautiful, now you have proof.”
He laughed harder, and I swooned.
****
Islung the strap ofmy purse over my shoulder before knocking on the ajar door of my boss’s office, Sherry.With her fingers still on the keyboard of her computer, she peered over the tortoise frame of her glasses and smiled.
“Sienna, hey.”
Shifting, I didn’t quite step in.“I didn’t want to interrupt.I was just saying goodbye.”
The tiny wrinkles in the corners of her intelligent eyes crinkled.“How was your first week?”
I loved working.“It was great.Maggie and Olly are super helpful and very patient.”
She slid her glasses on top of her short, curly hair.“Good.I think you’ll do well here with us.”Slanting back in her chair, she smiled.“All right.Go home.I appreciate the dedication, but I’m the only one who stays that late.”
“All right.Good night, Sherry.”
Waving me off with her eyes on the screen of her desktop, she said, “I’ll see you on Thursday.And remember, working from home doesn’t mean working all hours.So, I don’t expect you to read two manuscripts in three days.”
I’d planned on reading three.Chuckling, I walked out of her office.
Jake and I had spent every night together, and the thought of him made my belly warm.But first, I needed to shop.I’d promised I would cook dinner for us, and I was going to make my fish stir fry for dinner.
On my way to my car, I was reciting my shopping list when goosebumps plucked the back of my neck.When I’d started my job, Jake had hired a bodyguard, a man made entirely of muscles called Ruiz.It had felt weird at first.People like me didn’t have bodyguards, but I’d gotten used to it.And as promised, Ruiz had stayed mostly invisible.
After a quick glance at the dashboard, I started the engine.The market was closing in thirty minutes.With a bit of luck, traffic would be on my side.
