by Stacey Lynn
He didn’t answer. Instead, he took a long swig of his beer without removing his eyes from mine. He set it down, and wiped his lips with his thumb.
“I wanted to make sure you were safe.” He sounded like he hated himself for his admission.
It irritated me, again. I leaned a bit away from him and crossed my arms. “So, you followed me?”
I watched as his eyes erased any emotion they previously held and went back to his typical professional indifference. He was starting to give me whiplash with his looks that looked like he cared, only to have them erased immediately.
He shrugged unashamedly. “You’re important to me.”
I had a sense there was something more to his statement, but I was too nervous to ask. If Jack cared about me for something other than my job, it would cause disaster. Because as much I was attracted to him, I knew his style, and I knew it wouldn’t last. And if something happened, and then ended, it could be uncomfortable working at his place all day. The best thing for me to do, regardless of how much I wanted to be important to him in an unprofessional way, was to shake it off.
“I’m sure you could find another housekeeper.” I rolled my eyes in a teasing way, hoping to break the ice. It worked.
Eventually, we fell into an easy banter, much like we normally shared during the week as we talked about a few new properties he was investigating. The man in front of me was a finance genius.
All things I could appreciate since I majored in finance and headed into corporate law before I dropped out of law school.
“So, your date tonight.” He frowned and waved for the bartender to send him another drink.
I smiled as I thought about how nice Dean was. He was wholesome, the perfect boy next door. He was the guy every mom wanted their daughter to bring home. Unfortunately, he caused nothing to stir inside of me, unlike the man currently sitting in front of me.
“We will be good friends,” I answered with a slight grin. I didn’t miss the sudden tenseness that rippled across Jack’s chest and shoulders as he shot to a straighter sitting position.
“Friends?” He asked after he took a sip of his beer.
I nodded. “I felt like his sister.”
Something deep inside me enjoyed watching him relax. He was jealous. I never would have guessed before that very moment that the reason for all of his tension had nothing to do with Jessica, but something, whatever it was, to do with me.
“That tie looks nice on you.” Instantly I wish I could take the words back, my fingers however were short in getting the message. They slowly reached out and played with the ends of the dark purple tie I bought for him just a week ago. Jack looked down at my hands, fiddling with the sharp point at the end of the tie and back at me.
“My assistant has good taste.”
I rubbed my tongue across my teeth. This wasn’t happening. I had known Jack too long to risk my job over throwing myself at my boss. The realization shocked me back to reality and I let the tie fall from my fingers. I needed to get a grip on myself, and quickly. I waved at the bar tender for a refill and drained my first drink, pretending nothing had just happened.
It didn’t last long though because almost instantly Jack’s hand was on my thigh, resting softly just above my knee.
He looked down at his hand and then back at me. “This is probably inappropriate isn’t it?”
Fuck no...or yes. Good grief, what was wrong me? I took a sip of my re-filled drink, wincing slightly at how strong it was before turning to him.
“I’m not sure anymore to be honest.”
Clearly I had drank too much to think straight. I wanted to smack my head into the bar and at the same time, grab his tie and take him….where? My place? Not with Logan there.
“If it helps, I’m glad the guy thought of you like a sister.”
I swallowed, slowly, wondering if he was implying what his deep, lustful voice sounded like. His eyes darkened and he leaned closer to me, incrementally slow, as if giving me the time to back away. I didn’t. Maybe I should have but I was in such shock over what was happening a bomb could have gone off and I still wouldn’t have moved.
“We’ve been drinking.”
He nodded. I could feel his breath on my cheek. “This is probably a really bad idea.”
***
Don’t Lie To Me is available on Amazon.com