Page 28 of Wrong Car, Wright Guy
"To the desk just outside your office." She smiles. "I'm your PA now. He told me that I needed to be at your beck and call."
I must be hormonal or something, because that makes me feel really emotional. “You’re my beck and call girl?”
She nods. “So, any research, meetings, emails and appearances, they’ll all go through me. I can even fend off your mother if you don’t like her calling at work.”
That makes me laugh. “I happen to like my mom, so you can send her calls through any time.”
“What about best friends?” a new voice says from the doorway, and I look up to find Tahlia standing there with a big bunch of flowers in her arms. “I hope this is OK. Some man with a mustache who was yelling at someone for calling him Gerry told me I’d find you up here.”
“Oh, that’s Mr. Brooks, the station manager.”
“He’s scary.”
“I’ll leave you to it,” Karen whispers, practically dancing her way out of the office. Seems she’s rather happy about being banished from Tanner’s side of the building. I could probably learn from that.
“These are for you,” Tahlia says, thrusting the flowers into my arms. “I saw Theo this morning, and he told me theamazingnews. Co-host! My best friend is a co-host on talk radio.” She plonks herself down next to me as I lift the flowers to my nose and inhale.
“Thank you,” I say, setting them on the coffee table next to my orange jasmine plant. “I haven’t really had the chance to absorb it yet, but it’s a big step.”
“I’ll say. And are you co-hosting with the big dick guy?” she asks, just as a male sounding voice clears his throat and Tanner fills the doorway. Tahlia chokes on her words. “I…I…I wasn’t. I was talking about…the car. The dick on the car!” She’s practically yelling by the end of it, and then she just closes her eyes and tilts her head toward me. “Oh, god. Just tell me when he’s not here anymore.”
Tanner steps in with that signature smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth, telling me he obviously feels a hell of a lot better today than I do. “Don’t stress it. The dick is being removed from my car as we speak,” he says, his eyes doing an appreciative sweep of Tahlia’s cute and petite frame before shifting to mine and hardening. “I thought we could speak before we head down for the pre-show meeting?”
“You can leave the bill for your car with Karen,” I say, keeping my voice and breathing even. I can’t say the same for my heart—it’s hammering like a little woodpecker in my ribcage because he seems to have that effect on me—but on the outside, at least, I feel quite calm. “As you can see, I’m in the middle of something.”
A slight frown creases his brow before he gives me a sharp nod. “You have three minutes to wrap this up and get downstairs or I’ll start the meeting without you.”And there he is.The curt, bossy asshole I’m used to. As he spins on his heels, my eyes follow his retreating back out the door, taking a moment to steel myself against any future charm, grabbing hold of this uncomfortable feeling and making it mine. Co-workers. Co-hosts. Boss and employee. That’s what we are. That’s how we’ll stay. I know that now, and I won’t be naïve enough to let my guard down again.I hope.
“He’s also very scary,” Tahlia says when the door closes. “Crazy hot though.”
“Just don’t, Tahlia. I’m begging you. Don’t ever eventryto go down that road with him.”
“Never,” she says, smiling as we stand together and she gives me a hug. “I’d never cut my best friend’s grass.”
I roll my eyes and release her. “There is no grass, Tahls. The land here is completely baron.”
“Mmm-hmm,” she says, grinning as she hooks her bag over her shoulder. “And he just stormed out when you refused to speak to him alone because he hates you and wishes you were dead. Who bought that plant that smells just like your shampoo, by the way? You?” My brow knits as she points to the orange jasmine.
“What? I don’t know. It was already here.”
“OK. Well, it smells like your hair. Someone chose it specifically.”
I take a step back. “How odd.”
“Not from where I’m standing. But hey, everything in its own time.” She heads for the door.
“You couldn’t be more wrong, Tahlia.”
“Sure, sure.” She waves a hand dismissively as she pauses in the doorway. “Wanna go to dinner this weekend? We can get all dressed up and celebrate your promotion properly.”
“Sounds perfect,” I say.
She grins back and gives me a finger wave. “Enjoy yourmeeting,” she teases, waggling her eyebrows before she disappears out the door, not realizing she’s left me feeling even sadder than I felt before. I lean over and smell the plant again. Tanner Wright is averyconfusing man. He’s two sides of the same coin, hard edges with a subtle soft center, rude and obnoxious one moment, lighthearted and thoughtful the next. And if I don’t start protecting myself here, I’ll do more than just think of him in a fuckable way. I could very well fall in love with him.
First and foremost, I need to protect my heart. It’s the only way I’ll survive.
Thirteen
Tanner
