Bossy Neighbor

by Erika Lynn

  Dante sat up even straighter, his hand finding his mouse, presumably to check his calendar. He pointed to the screen. “This says the meeting isn’t for another hour.”

  I was already shaking my head. “I received an alert ten minutes ago that it got bumped up. Hurry.”

  He looked me in the eyes. “Shit.” Dante began collecting what he needed. “Is Joel already with him?”

  I nodded but then realized he was no longer looking in my direction. “Yes, he’s there and as smarmy as ever.”

  Dante’s head whipped up. He lifted a solitary eyebrow, then hustled around the desk. “Let’s go.” He grabbed my arm as he passed through the doorway, spinning me on my heel. I struggled to once again keep up with his long stride.

  “Why didn’t you come get me before the meeting?” he asked, voice gruff and doing something to my body I couldn’t quite comprehend.

  Then I heard what he just said to me.

  My stomach plummeted. “You told me to only talk to you when you needed something. You insisted you could stay on top of your own calendar.” He shot me a frustrated look. I gulped. “Sir.”

  “Never mind, we’ll talk about this later. I just need to get in there before Joel has too much alone time with him.”

  I silently agreed.

  As we approached the room Dante’s face transformed from frustrated to calm and collected, an easy smile taking the place of the scowl he had given me.

  Following suit, I plastered on my best I’m here to be helpful face and retook my seat.

  Joel looked decidedly less happy than when I had left the room. He’d been deep in conversation with Sam when we entered the room, scooting back only when he saw us.

  Too bad, buddy.

  I didn’t trust the man, even though he served as Victor’s second in command for almost as long as I’d worked for Inferno Construction.

  I’d been weary of him since he asked me out my first week on the job.

  And the several more times after that.

  Each time, without fail, I politely rejected him. But that didn’t stop him from trying again.

  Sometimes persistence was a bad thing.

  Eventually, he got the hint, but that meant he started to treat me with less and less respect.

  Like now. “Kate, get me a water,” he commanded. The other two men in the room shot him a look. I’d seen Mr. Mendelson get his own water but Joel clearly wanted to pull a power move. Putting me in my place.

  Victor never asked me to get him his water. Sometimes I did preemptively, just to be kind, but he’d always managed to serve himself just fine.

  Not wanting to draw more attention to myself, I pushed my chair back from the table and did as I was told.

  Once I set the water down in front of Joel, I made the long trek back to my chair. Seconds felt like minutes as I felt the stares of the other men in the room.

  When I sat down Dante reached under the table and squeezed my thigh. A subtle acknowledgement that I shouldn’t have had to get the water.

  Again, the unexpected touch warmed my body. But this time it wasn’t just because my skin tingled where his palm met my skirt. It was for his unexpected show of support. Nothing he’d done up until this point even indicated he cared about anything other than himself.

  Maybe that wasn’t the case.

  But now wasn’t the time to figure that out.

  Dante called the meeting to order. “Shall we get started gentlemen?”

  Sam Mendelson, a cheery, middle aged man who enjoyed his donuts, nodded in agreement. “Yep, just filling Joel in on the project so far.” He pointed to the man sitting next to him. “But you need to hear it too,” he said.

  I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Sam was a good guy. Whatever Joel’s intentions might be, Sam wouldn’t try to mess with Dante, especially on his first day.

  Dante nodded. “That’d be great, thanks Sam. Take it away.”

  Sam began to fill us in on the new downtown project, a multi-story, outdoor mall and recreation space. Inferno Construction had won the bid at the end of last year. I knew because I had been the one to submit the final paperwork.

  Normally, Inferno Construction focused on more traditional office buildings, so the mall was a risk. A high-profile one at that.

  I opened the folder in front of me, sliding a few extra documents over to Dante that I thought might be helpful. I could tell by the questions he was asking that he came well prepared, but it never hurt to have all the info.

  When Joel focused on the site specifications like the square footage and the environmental impact report, I pulled out the corresponding documents so that Dante could take a look.

  Dante’s head tilted as I pushed over one of the scientific reports about the soil. Our hands collided, then our eyes met for a flash before I turned mine away. But not before I saw the clench of his jaw.

  Was touching me so abhorrent?

  “I’ve attended the city council meetings regarding the project,” started Joel. “This project is as much about keeping the peace among the locals as it is creating a building.”

  I jumped in. “That’s true,” I nodded. “I’ve been going to the public meetings to see what the community has to say about the new mall.”

  Dante swiveled his chair so he could get a better look at me. “And what have you found?”

  My eyes widened, happy he asked. “Well, as you might guess, there are a lot of mixed feelings. A venue of this size in this area of the city means that rents will rise, and some of the homeless people will likely be displaced. So, we’ve had some picketers at the construction site as the land is being prepared.”

  Dante nodded then ran a hand through his scruff, the rough sound hitting my ears. “What else?”

  I sat up straighter. “Some people wanted the space to be used for a new arena, or even a zoo, so they aren’t super happy about the mall, but they are less outspoken about it. Especially now that the mall project is going forward. And then of course, you have the people who can’t wait for it to open, but they aren’t problematic unless we fall behind during the construction process. Then I’m sure we will hear from them,” I said, laughing, Sam and Joel joining me.

  Dante didn’t take his dark gaze off of me. He tapped his pen on the table. “Interesting.”

  “You should come check out the site before we officially break ground next week,” Sam suggested.

  Two taps of the pen. “Great idea, Sam. Kate and I will look at my calendar and get back to you on dates and times that work.”

  For a few more minutes Sam filled the team in on how the staffing of the project was going. This was Dante’s forte, coming off his recent project.

  I listened closely as he exchanged ideas with Sam, even providing him with a few tips the foreman hadn’t already thought of.

  After we all shook hands, I followed Dante out the door.

  Rather than leave me in the dust, Dante kept his strides shorter, allowing me to walk with him, side by side.

  He kept staring at me, a look of confusion on his face. Like he was trying hard to figure me out and coming up short.

  I swatted at my face. I’d eaten a strawberry white chocolate scone right before the meeting. Maybe I still had some of it on my face? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.

  We were the only two people in the elevator. When I realized neither of us pressed the number for our floor, I lifted my hand, just as Dante did, our hands colliding mid-air.

  I retracted my hand quickly, letting him do the honors.

  “You did good in there,” he commented, as he selected our floor, his voice smooth and deep.

  I suppressed a smile. “Thanks.”

  “Why did you bring the extra copies of those docs with you?”

  I shrugged. “I've been to enough of these meetings to anticipate what topics might come up. I thought they could be helpful to reference.”

  “You did it even though I asked you not to bother.”

  I winced at
the accusation in his tone. “It's what I would have done for your father if that makes you feel any better.”

  One sharp nod. “Very good.”

  I spilled out of the elevator when the doors opened, walking ahead of Dante. He didn't feel the need to say anything else so I kept quiet, reveling in my little victory.

  Taking a seat at my desk in front of Dante's office, I retrieved my phone from my locked drawer.

  Before I could text Quinn, a dark figure loomed above me.

  “You free for dinner?”

  I dropped my phone on my desk.

  Wait what?

  Did Dante just ask me out?

  DANTE

  Did I just ask out my assistant?

  I waited for a surprised Kate to respond. Her lips opened and some sort of squeak emitted from her mouth.

  I felt the corner of my lip pull up in amusement.

  She's impressed me in the meeting and something felt off about the last-minute time change. Maybe Kate could look into it for me.

  I started second guessing doing everything myself. Clearly, Kate had come through today and maybe I should accept her as an asset.

  If only her assets weren't so distracting.

  It took all my willpower to not adjust myself in the meeting after I squeezed her thigh. It's been a foolish move to make in the first place being her boss, then add on top of that my apparent attraction for her and it was a goddamn shit show.

  My body reacted like that of a teenage boy. And the hormones that flooded my system when I was around her hadn't been that potent in years.

  I rarely reacted this strongly to women.

  And the timing, along with her position, made any possibility of something happening between us a moot point.

  I couldn't act on it if I wanted to. And what I wanted to do now was figure out the downtown project and break ground without any issues.

  Kate could help me with that. But from a safe distance.

  “I want to go over the deal and pick your brain. Just to get up to speed on the project since you know it so well,” I clarified for Kate.

  Last week she'd been poised and put together in all the meetings I observed. This week she was something else, I mused, wondering if I wasn't the only feeling something.

  Still, it didn't matter, I told myself. On repeat.

  I watched as she swallowed, way too distracted by the movement. “Sure,” she agreed. “What time do you want to go and where? I can make us a reservation.”

  She used her best what I like to call 'professional' voice, turning to her computer to wake it up.

  I shook my head. “That won't be necessary. We don't need a reservation,” I told her. “Why don't I pick you up at the apartment complex at seven? I want to get some work done here before we go.” She didn't need to stay late just because I had to.

  She bit her bottom lip and I once again felt a stirring in my pants.

  “Okay, that works,” she said, this time turning away for good and calling up her inbox.

  I shoved my hands in my pockets, trying to hide the not so small hardened member in my pants.

  The rest of the day flew by. Meeting after meeting left me spinning, desperately needing time at my desk to get some work done. Once the regular work day ended, and staff started to leave, I closed my door and buckled down, trying to play catch up so that I was fully up to speed on all the current and upcoming projects in our portfolio.

  The business had done well for itself. When I did my summer internships at Inferno Construction, it had mostly been during the recession. Business certainly picked up since then, which meant I had to work extra hard to keep up.

  When a pop-up appeared on my screen, alerting me that it was time to pack up for dinner, I did so happily, wanting to get out of the office and out of the suit.

  Working on an active construction site for these past few years meant working outdoors and with my hands. The physical demands kept my body and my mind active.

  It made wearing a suit all day and sitting in an office challenging to say the least.

  One that I'd have to adjust to.

  I arrived home just before seven, giving myself enough time to change into something more comfortable. Dark jeans and a black t-shirt were much more my speed.

  I locked up and knocked on the door next to mine.

  Immediately it opened, revealing Kate in the same blouse and pencil skirt combo she'd worn at work.

  Her eyes took their time scanning my body from head to toe. I lifted my lip. “Why don't you go put on something more comfortable? I'll wait here,” I told her, pushing my way inside her apartment. Curious what I would find.

  She stepped back so that our bodies barely brushed up against one another.

  I heard her sharp inhale, which she then covered with a cough.

  “You going to change?” I asked her again before walking over to her entertainment center. On the right and left of the TV housed books, picture frames and little trinkets from her travels. I took my time looking at them as I heard a door close down the hall and her muttering something under her breath that sounded an awful lot like “bossy.”

  A few minutes later she emerged wearing black skinny jeans that hugged her curves in all the right places, a white tank top tucked in only at the zipper line and a mustard yellow cardigan that highlighted her luscious red curls.

  I must have stood there staring because it was her turn to lift an eyebrow. “You done snooping?” she joked.

  I ran a hand through my hair, ignoring her question. “Let's go,” I motioned towards the door, indicating she should lead the way.

  She locked up and we took the elevator down in companionable silence, our bodies a hair's breadth away from each other.

  I inhaled her scent, a mix of vanilla and lavender. A potent combination that was fresh, feminine and intoxicating.

  Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.

  It was Kate who broke the silence between us. “So where are we going?”

  This brought a smile to my face. “Leonardo's. Best pizza in the whole city.”

  Her face lit up and she smacked me playfully on the arm. “Hey, I love that place.” Then she realized what she did, reaching out to grab my arm again in apology while wincing. “Sorry about the smack.”

  I stiffened, surprised at the contact. Confused, sure, but certainly not mad about it. I lifted a shoulder.

  “It's fine,” I said in a voice that made it seem like it wasn't actually fine.

  “I figured we would walk,” I told her, holding the door as we exited the building.

  She looked down at her feet and more specifically at the ballet flats she wore. “Works for me. I’m glad I changed my outfit,” she laughed, good naturedly.

  After a block or two she spoke again. I could practically feel her bursting at the seams wanting to make conversation, while I’d be fine without it.

  “How’s the apartment treating you? Do you have everything you need?” Her hands rung together nervously.

  I tried to stop myself from picking up on her mannerisms, but I couldn’t seem to help it.

  “It’s fine,” I assured her, grabbing her clasped hands with one of mine and giving them a quick squeeze before pressing the button to cross the street.

  I’m not sure why I did that.

  When the light turned green, I stepped forward, taking a few steps before realizing Kate wasn’t behind me. I looked back to find the little lines on her forehead furrowing.

  “Come,” I beckoned her. Snapping out of it with a rough shake of her head, she moved, catching up with me.

  I wondered what she’d been thinking about. Specifically, I wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was thinking. That we needed to stop touching each other. Every time I did, accidentally or on purpose, felt better than the last.

  That was dangerous territory.

  At last we arrived at Leonardo’s. They didn’t take reservations, so we waited for a few minutes before a table became available. The
smell of spices and piping hot pizza filled the space. My stomach growled.

  Kate shook her head. “I noticed you forgot to eat lunch today,” she said with humor in her voice.

  I rubbed my stomach. “I guess so.”

  Just then the waitress appeared, inviting us to our table. I held out a chair for Kate and then took my own before dismissing the offered menu. “I know what I’m getting.”

  Kate took the proffered menu. “Well, I need a minute,” she said, sending a polite smile to the waitress.

  When it became apparent Kate’s decision would take a while, I took out my phone to check my messages. Forty-seven unread emails. I rubbed the back of my neck. The work never stopped.

  I began triaging them, deleting the spam newsletter emails and the updates from the IT team. I flagged a couple that I’d want to address first thing in the morning with fresh eyes.

  Finally, I pocketed the phone and looked across the table. Kate’s bottom lip twisted as she stared at the menu as if it were written in Greek. Or in this case, Italian.

  It wasn’t.

  It was just a standard menu for an Italian pizza joint.

  “Need some help?”

  She peered over the top of the oversized menu. “Everything looks good. I can’t decide if I want pesto or if I want to go more traditional with a marinara-based dish.”

  I shrugged. “Just go with whatever you want the most.”

  She just laughed at me, then placed her menu on the table. The signal alerted the waitress that we were ready to order.

  I motioned towards her. “Ladies first,” I insisted.

  Pointing to the menu, she said, “I’ll have the pesto tortellini and the caprese pizza.” She smiled, as the waitress collected the menu.

  “Who’s the hungry one now?” I mused.

  She put her hands in the air, as if to say, what can you do? I honestly wasn’t sure where she would put it on her tiny frame.

  Folding her hands on the table, Kate asked, “So, what did you want to talk about?”

  I inwardly groaned. Suddenly, the last thing I wanted to do was talk about work. But that was why we were here.

  I sipped water from the glass in front of me, wishing it were the Chianti I ordered.