“Sure. Let’s go,” I said. Owen returned to the elevator without so much as a goodbye, which was fine with me. I was here to do a job, get paid, and get out.
I’d expected a change in Ryker’s demeanor once Owen left, but he retained the serious manner. I didn’t expect him to do anything inappropriate, obviously, but I didn’t know what to make of this frostiness between us.
With a pang of disappointment, I wondered if finding out I was a single mom had put him off me romantically. Maybe it had nothing to do with the stuffy office and he just didn’t want to get involved with someone with a child. It’s better that way, I told myself. I didn’t have anything to offer him anyway. I’d just gotten through a bad breakup that left me feeling empty and unsure if I wanted a relationship again. I was sure a man like Ryker wasn’t interested in a ready-made family, so that was just fine.
Ryker led me through a labyrinth of corridors, and we stopped in a huge room with at least three dozen desks. Wow. If I thought the waiting area was deafening, it was nothing compared to this. Most were on the phone, and everyone was loud. The floor-to-ceiling window captured my attention. Up above the street, Manhattan looked different, like a snapshot of a science-fiction movie.
We stopped in front of the desk of a gorgeous brunette. Her curly hair was wild around her face, her dark eyes contoured with light blue eyeliner.
“Ruby, here is the reporter I told you about, Heather Prescott,” Ryker said.
“Fantastic. You’re just saving me from a boring lunch break, Heather.”
“Do you want to do the interview here?” I asked.
“No, no, no. We have meeting rooms. Those are more private. Not gonna spill my secrets in front of everyone. They’ll just have to wait and read about them along with the rest of the country.”
Ryker grinned. “We can always eavesdrop.”
Ruby narrowed her eyes. “You do that, Ryker, and I’ll drop salt in your cocktails at the next company party. Accidentally, of course.”
Judging by the friendly atmosphere, camaraderie wasn’t frowned upon. And yet, Ryker still remained serious with me when Ruby led us to the meeting room. I was so used to him either joking or flirting that it completely threw me off-balance.
As Ryker walked beside me, I realized I had to stop being so aware of him, but it was impossible. The scent of his aftershave mixed with a cologne that smelled like cypress and leather. The result was knee-weakening sex appeal. How come I hadn’t noticed it before? Probably because I’d always met him in the evening until now, when the scent dissipated.
I rearranged the strap of my shoulder bag, mentally chastising myself for my wayward thoughts. I couldn’t react like this to a man I didn’t know, and I shouldn’t want to anyway.
When we stopped in the doorway of a small meeting room, Ryker set his hand at the small of my back. I tried to ignore the jolt coursing through me and was ready to dismiss it as an involuntary touch, when he moved his fingers in small, deliberate circles. They set my skin on fire even through the two layers of clothes.
I tilted my head in Ryker’s direction, cocking a brow. His mouth curled in a half smile. He dropped his gaze to my feet, and then raised it slowly. I felt as if he was undressing me and barely bit back the irrational impulse to check if I still had clothes on.
Sheesh, this man was a danger to my senses.
I couldn’t get a good read on all the mixed messages he was sending... though my body didn’t find anything mixed about them, it was just on fire. Added to the fact that I was still melting because he’d gotten me this opportunity in the first place, and he wasn’t a danger just to my senses. He was just a danger all around.
“Here is where I leave you,” he said. “If either of you needs anything, just let me know. Ruby, you know where my office is.”
Ryker had his own office? I’d assumed he was an analyst, housed in a cube setup like everyone else.
After he left, Ruby pointed at the ten chairs around the table. “Where do you want to sit?”
We ended up sitting opposite each other, my trusty recorder between us.
After writing about the business world for years, I knew the lingo and had even done my homework on this department’s activities before coming over, thinking that everyone would be more comfortable if I eased them in by first asking about the business before moving on to more personal questions. But I needn’t have worried; all Ruby needed was just a little prompting, and then she couldn’t stop talking.
She told me everything. First about what had driven her to take this job in the first place, why Wall Street, why this specific branch, why she would do this even without the bonuses. What the atmosphere was usually like at the office, about their work ethic.
This was going to be epic. Since I was recording everything, I was already mentally editing the article.
“You know, with all the changes in this in industry, I don’t think anyone can do it if they don’t have a passion for it,” she said.
“I know what you mean,” I told her. “It’s the same in my business.”
I was lucky to still have a job, what with the ever-changing landscape in the print world. I’d escaped all three layoff waves at the newspaper, and my boss had assured me more than once that I was a highly valued employee. I wasn’t kidding myself, though. The way the news world evolved, I was certain that in a few years, I’d have to pivot and find another career. By then, though, Avery would be older, and I’d have time to breathe and actually consider my options. Maybe I could even venture into a similar industry, like publishing. I’d always been a bookworm... eh, truth be told, I’d always wanted to write a book. But that wasn’t for another few years. Until then, I just had to make sure I didn’t fall off the hamster wheel.
“Ruby, I think I’ve got a lot of intel from you.”
“Oh, no. You’re sure we can’t keep on going for another hour? I love my job. But a break now and then doesn’t hurt,” she said with a wink. I laughed, shaking my head.
“I still have to talk to four other colleagues of yours.” She’d given me a list. Ryker’s name wasn’t on it.
I’d decided not to dwell on that... or on Ryker in general.
By the third interview, I knew I had a winning article on my hands. Maybe it would even get me that entire bonus paid out earlier, but I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. I was happy enough if I got half the bonus. Then I wouldn’t have to leave my girl in someone else’s care three nights a week.
During every interview, I managed to forget about Ryker, but during every break... oh boy, oh boy. He was everywhere. At the coffee machine. At the water cooler. How did he know exactly when I had a break? I felt his gaze on me everywhere I went.
I was exhausted by the time the day was over but so happy that I could jump up and down with joy. My instinct had been right. I had a winning article on my hands. I’d have to come back at least once for more interviews, but my priority right now was editing the material I had.
Ryker was nowhere to be seen as I left his floor. Had my instincts been right about him too? I was just trying to convince myself it was for the best when I stepped out of the building and noticed a certain sexy venture capitalist who doubled as guitarist twice a week waiting for me with a smile the size of Texas.