Page 22 of His Secret Virgin
Chapter 9
Christopher
As I left my office to head to the café downstairs for a mid-morning snack, I saw Emma leaving Mrs. Kramer’s office, looking as if she had an errand to run. “How’s your first real day going, Emma?”
She looked up, seeming stunned to see me. “Um, it’s going okay. Mrs. Kramer sent me to get us something to snack on. She said there’s a café just around the corner and she wants a fruit cup with extra pineapple.”
“I’m heading there too.” I couldn’t help the thrill that ran through me that she and I could legitimately hang out for a little while. “I’m not sure what I want yet. Yollie has specials each day, but she never gives a hint what they might be beforehand. I usually try out whatever she’s serving up.”
She nodded. “I’m sure I’ll find something I’ll like. I’m not even hungry, but Mrs. Kramer said that it’s better to eat small portions throughout the day to keep up one’s energy levels than it is to eat only three large meals.”
“She got that from me,” I let her know. “When I got divorced, I started working out, and a nutritionist at my gym put me on the right path. With all the unhappiness in my marriage, I’d developed terrible eating habits, and I was consuming way too much alcohol, too. But a person has to cope somehow.”
She looked pained a bit. “I’m so sorry your marriage went so badly, sir.”
I couldn’t believe I’d even mentioned my marriage to her. I didn’t talk to anyone about that horrible part of my life. “I shouldn’t have said anything.” I tried to change the topic, “So, are you missing your friends from back home yet?”
“No.” She shrugged. “Val is my only real friend. She’s going to Columbia, just like you and Dad did. She was very impressed with me for landing this job, and I know I only got it because of my dad, but I’m very excited about it, too, Mr. Taylor.”
“Good,” I found myself putting my hand on her shoulder to steer her toward the elevator. And there was that sensation again, like lightning crackling through my veins. I almost asked her if she could feel it, too, as she looked up at me with a funny expression on her face. Then I noticed she’d put on the tiniest amount of makeup. “I see you’re wearing some mascara and a little blush today. It looks nice. Did your dad say anything to you about it?”
“He hasn’t seen me yet.” She watched the doors of the elevator as they closed, shutting us off from the rest of the people in the building. I’d led her to my private elevator; no one would be getting on with us. I wasn’t even sure why I’d done such a thing. “Um, no one else got on. Usually the elevators are packed.”
“This one is private.” I looked at her outfit approvingly then realized my hand still rested on her shoulder. Moving it, I commented on her clothing choice. “Nice suit. The black slacks fit you perfectly, the pale green blouse accents your eyes very nicely, and the string of pearls adds just the right touch.”
She smiled as she kicked out one low-heeled black shoe. “And the shoes bring it all together, right?”
“They do.” I found her so sweet that my mouth watered. “Did your dad give you any trouble over the new clothing?”
“Well, I didn’t tell him about that either. He left the house before me this morning.” She looked down at the floor. “I thought it best for him to see me first at work and maybe then he wouldn’t put up a fuss.”
Taking her chin in my hand, I lifted her face. “Emma, just a word of advice. Don’t drop your head so much. It makes you look timid. You have no reason to be timid. Not around here, you don’t.”
“I suppose you’re right.” She smiled at me with brilliant white teeth that gleamed. They made her even prettier. “I’ve just always been shy. I’ve always tried to blend into the woodwork.”
“Well, you’re not in the town you grew up in,” I reminded her. “You get to start fresh here. No one will think worse of you if you hold your head high, keep your shoulders back, and look people in the eyes. You get to reinvent yourself here, Miss Hancock.” I suddenly remembered that Mrs. Kramer had asked me to call Emma by her last name.
She giggled. “You don’t have to call me that, Mr. Taylor.”
The elevator stopped on the ground floor. “Oh, but I do. You’re an up and coming administrative assistant. Everyone will call you Miss Hancock. Why should I be any different?”
Her smile made my heart speed up. To see her that way just did things to me. I couldn’t explain it if I tried.
With the lobby so busy, no one noticed that she and I walked out the door together. Once outside, I walked along beside her. She glanced sideways at me. “Would it bother you if I didn’t come with my parents to dinner at your lake house on Saturday night?”
It would actually.
I didn’t say that though. “How come you don’t want to come?”
She shrugged her narrow shoulders. “I don’t know how to explain it very well. I just don’t want your daughters to see me as some weirdo who has to make friends with people just because their parents know each other.”
“That makes sense.” I stopped at the small café. “Here we are.” Opening the door, I let her walk in first.
“Good, so you understand then?” she asked as she walked past me. The scent of her hair wafted past my nose.
“Um, honeysuckles,” I muttered.
She looked back at me. “Pardon? I didn’t quite hear you.”
