Elena bows her head respectively. “Right away, sir.”
She turns away, ready to leave, and I know it’s now or never. I tense and call out, “And Elena?”
“Yes?”
“Please send in Miss Price.”
She pauses for a moment, a question in her eyes. But she doesn’t question me. “Right away, sir.”
She disappears, and I turn back to the window. I wasn’t going to call her in. I can’t even be sure I have the right person. It could be another Roxy. But I can’t resist and I have to know.
It’s a miracle from the highest heaven or a curse from the depths of hell if it is her. I guess it’s lucky for her that it’s me and not Nathan. He would have started kicking ass at nine in the morning.
Five minutes after Elena leaves, there’s a quiet knock at my door, and it opens behind me.
I don’t turn around immediately, drawing out the moment as I hear muted footsteps on the thick carpet of my office. Instead, I stand, staring out the window, feeling the sun warm my face.
“You called for me?” Roxy’s soft voice asks, and I momentarily close my eyes. There is a hint of nervousness and anxiety in it, but her sweet, soft voice is still like music to my ears. I know I should be mad. I should be raging and demanding answers, but in those four words . . . I swear I’m hearing an angel again.
“It’s a beautiful day today, isn’t it?” I ask. “The sun is out. The view from this office beats the one at my old one.”
“It is,” she says, and I can hear the fear, the quaver in her voice, but also a note of something else, so soft that I don’t even think she knows it.
I turn to see her and the breath catches in my throat. In a tight skirt and blouse, her hands clasped respectfully in front of her, she reaches out and grabs my thoughts, a jolt going through me as I take in the vision in front of me. My God, she’s fucking beautiful. She’s still got that sweet angelic face, that gorgeous curvy body. Maybe I should’ve learned my lesson, but the things I want to do to her . . .
She gazes at me with anxiousness in her eyes. I know what she’s thinking, but she needn't worry. One look at her, and I know. Whatever happened Saturday night, she isn’t guilty of much more than maybe being overly horny.
I grin, hiding my desire behind a boyish mask. “I bet this is the last place you expected me to show up after you left me for dead.” My tone isn't harsh but playful. I’m trying to break the ice, but it seems to have the opposite effect.
Roxy frowns, crossing her arms over her chest. “I didn’t leave you for dead—”
“I checked the footage. I saw that sick bastard putting a roofie in your drink,” I interrupt. “I know you had nothing to do with it.”
Surprise shoots across her face. “You did?”
I nod. “We’ve set the bouncers and other staff to be on the lookout. But it still doesn't explain why you left like you did. And why you took my wallet and never came back with it.”
Roxy looks worried at first, then she cocks her head, smirking at me. “Well first of all, I thought I sent you straight to heaven,” Roxy says with spunk showing up in her voice. “I’ve gotta say, I’ve met a few guys who couldn’t hang with me, but never one who finished before we even got started. I didn’t peg you as one of those.”
I chuckle. “Is that right?”
“Oh, yeah. Had Mr. Creepy Bastard not gotten in the way, I would’ve showed you what paradise truly looks like.”
I have to laugh. It feels good to talk to her. I can’t believe my luck that I ended up where she works. “But seriously,” I say. “What happened?”
Roxy’s expression turns serious, and she walks over to the chair in front of my desk, sitting down when I give her a nod. “To be honest, when you started acting all Weekend at Bernie’s, I freaked out. I actually thought you keeled over for a second there.”
I’m caught up quickly as Roxy starts with her story, telling me everything that happened in painstaking detail. “So when I heard your friend coming, who has a foul mouth, by the way, I panicked and ran out. It was only after we got back home that I realized I still had your wallet.”
I stand there, silently taking in her story. It’s not really that hard to believe. Especially when it’s basically the scenario that I told myself happened over and over. I’m relieved to find out I was right. Because for some reason, I hate to think that the angelic vision in front of me is a thief. “So why didn’t you come back?”
She bites her lower lip. “It was all so crazy. I thought no one would believe me. I still have your wallet with me, actually. It’s at my desk in my purse. I can go get it—”
I shake my head. We’ve already wasted enough of my new work time. And I know it already looks weird that I’ve brought her into my office. I need to start getting work done. “You can give it to me later, after work,” I say. “Did you touch anything in there?”
She shakes her head. “Everything’s there. I’ll drop it off here—”
“No,” I interrupt her. “Bring it by the club.”
She pauses, confusion coming over her face. “Club Jasmine? Why would I do that when I can give it to you here?”
I nod. “I’ve got two reasons I’d rather you bring it to the club. First, because Nathan owes you an apology, and that needs to be delivered face to face. Second, I’d like to start back where we left off.”
I love how it knocks her a little off balance. Seeing the flush that comes to her cheeks, I’m reminded of how she looked in the club. Her lips part as she nervously licks them. “But It’s a work night and—”
“It’s fine. I’ll make sure you're back home by ten.” I give her a little wink.
I can tell she wants to. She’s warring with herself. She probably can’t believe I still want to be with her. “I don’t know, Jake. Maybe it’s better if we stay apart.”
“Oh, come on. We work in the same office, and you’re going to be reporting to me frequently,” I point out. “Consider this a business meeting where we can get to know a little more about each other.”
I don’t know why I’m pushing this issue. The dynamics have changed considerably. I’m her boss now, and maintaining a respectful relationship will be a challenge. But I’ve always been one to take a challenge and conquer it. Looking at Roxy, I want to conquer her, but probably not in the way that I should be thinking.
Roxy gives me an evaluating look, then nods. “Fine. What time?”
“Meet me there at eight. Bring your friend if you want.”
Roxy nods, then gets up. “Okay. Uhm, Jake . . . this is weird.”
I nod, grinning. “I know. But I’ll see you at eight.”
Roxy goes to the door and opens it. “Oh, and Miss Price?” I call out, slipping into more formal talk now that Elena might overhear.
“Yes, sir?”
“Don’t forget the wallet.”
Roxy smirks and walks out of the office.
Roxy
“So, how do I look?” I ask, turning away from my bedroom mirror to face Hannah. Instead of the bright red, tonight, I’m opting for something darker. I don’t want to admit that I’m dressing up for Jake again, but as soon as I got home from work, I couldn’t imagine going back to Club Jasmine wearing what I wore for work.
So I found this, and I’ll admit it feels even more like coming back to who I am. Dark makeup and a dark dress help slim my frame, while I’ve got on four-inch open-toe heels that make my legs and ass look good. “I can’t believe I’m going back there,” I admit to Hannah, who’s sitting on my bed and giving me an critiquing look. “I mean, after what happened, I figured Club Jasmine would be one step from the seventh circle of hell in terms of places I didn’t want to visit.”
“So why are you doing it again?” Hannah asks, and I turn, adjusting the gold chain belt that I have around my waist.
“I feel guilty for leaving him there,” I lie. Well, I do, sort of, but I’m also obviously attracted to him. “So how do I look?”
“Like a five-hundred-per-hour hooker,” Hannah jokes. “Maybe a thousand if you do something about that damn hair.”