Page 751 of One More Kiss

“You’re late.” The power behind my tone makes her take notice, but she doesn’t miss a beat.

“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even check the time. I stopped to get a skinny vanilla latte, but the first place didn’t have any cashew milk, so I had to stop at this other place I’ve never been to…”

“Naomi,” I interrupt her rambling. “You will be on time every morning, or I will find someone who can manage their time better.”

For a split-second shock flashes across her face, but then she covers her surprise up with a tooth flashing smile.

“Of course, Nicholas.”

“Mr. Brooks,” I correct her.

Her smile only widens, but the tension between us builds like pressure in a kettle sitting on a hot stove. Water boiling inside, a low whistle forming at the spout.

“Of course, Mr. Brooks. It won’t happen again.”

Nodding, I continue explaining what I need from each of them before Naomi interrupts.

The tension remains for the duration of the meeting, never easing up. I give Naomi the cold shoulder, but she obviously doesn’t take the hint as she continues flirting with me, which pisses me off more.

Then there is Riley. There is a different kind of tension building between us, like a fire on the edge of the woods that’s about to engulf the entire fucking forest. I want to take her by the hand, lead her into my office, and bend her over my desk.

No. She is your employee. You don’t fuck where you work, idiot.

By lunchtime, I’m ready to call it a day. “You can work in your office for the rest of the day. I’ll see you back here in the morning. At eight,” I emphasize the time, looking at Naomi, who ignores me entirely.

Everyone gets up and gathers their things, clearly just as ready to escape this room as I am. Riley is shoving her stuff into her purse, and I know we need to talk. It was just sex, yes, but things have changed. I’m her boss now, and we need to defuse this bomb before it explodes.

“Riley, could I have a word with you before you head out?”

“No.” She shakes her head and swings her purse over her shoulder.

No?

Just no? No explanation or apology. She simply tells me no. The situation is so foreign to me, that I’m blindsided by it, which feels just as alien to me. No one tells me no, and no one catches me off guard like that. Yet, she just did both.

The door falls shut behind her, leaving me standing alone like an idiot in the now-empty boardroom. The only thing she’s left behind is the faint flowery scent of her perfume clinging in the air. Summer. Sunflowers. Strawberries. She is fucking with my head.

I don’t know if I should be angry or impressed. If I run after her now, everyone will think something, and there’s nothing worse than office gossip. While I think that over, I decide to take care of something else instead.

Leaving the boardroom behind, I walk to the other side of the floor and right into my brother’s office. His secretary has gotten used to me not asking for permission, so she ignores me as I open the door.

He barely looks up from the papers he’s examining. “Nick, what can I do for you?”

“Why is Naomi on my team? I swear to God, if you tell me you slept with her…”

“Fuck no, I didn’t sleep with Naomi,” William sneers, though there is a grin tugging at his lips. “Look, I’m sorry. I should have warned you about her. She can be… a lot. But trust me, you want her on your team. Naomi is well known in Boston. She knows people, has friends everywhere. She can give us an in that lets us cut corners, gets us put to the front of the line. That kind of thing.”

“Great, we need her and she knows it,” I growl and open up the liquor cabinet hidden inside the bookshelf. “Whiskey?”

“Why not?” I pour both of us a glass and hand him one.

“Sorry, brother.” William sighs. “Want me to sweet talk her a little? I’ll do what I need to do if it makes your job easier.”

All I can do is roll my eyes, as if him screwing her would be such a hard thing for him to handle. That’s the last problem we need right now. No more office romances.

“No, I’ll handle her myself. No need to whore yourself out. Have you talked to Dad?”

“Yes, this morning. When was the last time you talked to him?”

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