A muscle ticked in his jaw. “No.” Then he said, surprising her, “If I ask nicely, will you get me a cup of coffee?”
“Is that you asking nicely?” she asked with a grin, enjoying the way his eyes leveled into tiny slits like he was thinking about changing his mind to fire her. Which she totally shouldn’t enjoy.
“You don’t give up, do you? You want it straight forward and concise.”
“Well, it’s easier to understand a person if you’re straight forward and concise. Why beat around the bush with things? You asked a question, but not the direct question you want answered.”
He sighed, leaning against the front of his desk and crossed his legs. “I think you like testing me.”
“What am I testing you for? Midterms?” Shit! She closed her eyes, then opened them with a distressed expression. “I didn’t mean to say that. Well, I did because it came out. But I sometimes forget who I’m talking to you. I’m not trying to get fired here. I can be sarcastic at times, joking around. I’m not testing you. Unless you want me to. You could use some lightening up. Life shouldn’t be so serious.”
He eyed her for a while with an expression she couldn’t decipher. His gaze unnerved her. It looked like he barely moved his gaze, yet she felt like he was roaming her body from top to bottom. Or maybe that was her imagination wanting him to. To check her out from head to toe. To grab her around the waist and fling the things on his desk to the floor with one fell swoop of his arm. Then ravish her to the point of bliss on that very desk.
Neither spoke for the longest time. Maybe they were both having naughty fantasies in their minds. She could only hope.
Then Mia’s name popped into her brain. She shouldn’t even be having a tiny fantasy about her friend’s boyfriend.
“Ms. Stileano?” he finally said in a soft voice. Or she imagined it coming out of his mouth softly. She didn’t think he knew how to talk softly. Abruptness was more his style.
“Yes, Mr. Holloway.”
“Will you please get me a cup of coffee? I would appreciate it.”
“I can do that. I’ll be right back.” She had to give in. He asked very nicely. The first time anything came out of his mouth so nicely. How could she resist that? Simple. She couldn’t.
“Ms. Stileano?” he called to her before she stepped through the double doors.
She turned around. “Yes?”
“Thank you.”
As she walked out, she swore she saw a slight tilt of his lip. A smile. Maybe he did know how to smile.
“Yo, earth to Gabs. Did you want a refill?” Mia asked, waving a hand in front of her face.
Gabby shook her mind clear of the memories and handed her glass to Mia. “Refill sounds awesome. Action flick tonight?”
Gabby got up from the couch to dig through her movies. She hoped Mia agreed. She didn’t want to watch a romance. That would only make her mind drift to a man she shouldn’t even think about. Since when did one person dominate her thoughts? She never had a man take over her mind and make her act like an idiot.
“Yeah, works for me.”
Thank goodness for small favors. She rifled through all her movies until she found the movie that had the most action possible.
Dane pinched the bridge of his nose as the words sitting in front of him started to blur into one big spiral of nonsense. He was tired. He stayed way too late last night. This latest project had to go smoothly because the last one didn’t go as well as he had hoped. He could only blame himself. He refused to blame anyone else. These projects were his responsibility—at least, in his eyes. When he put his fingers to work to create something, he expected it to come out with perfection. If it didn’t, it must’ve meant he did something wrong.
He needed caffeine. Lots and lots of caffeine. He opened his mouth to yell for Ms. Stileano, except he found himself closing it. Almost like a fish gulping for air. She didn’t like it when he yelled for her. Something she told him several times this morning.
She had even produced a mason jar and set it on the edge of his desk. In her straightforward, honest way, she smiled and said, “It helps remind me to keep my potty mouth in check.”
Which he doubted, considering she had already added five quarters to the jar. It made him chuckle—not in her presence, of course—how adorable she was when she swore, then looked aggravated at herself for swearing in the first place. Her forehead crinkling, her lips puckered in annoyance. Then a silly smile would twist her lips as a quarter clinked to the bottom of the jar.
He almost smiled, thinking back to those times.
What? Why would that make him smile? He didn’t appreciate her wasting his time by derailing his train of thought. Which she often did. The smile punctured his expression anyway. He couldn’t help it. No one else ever stood up to him, put him in his place with simple words and a sweet smile. She may say things she shouldn’t, but she always said it with the sweetest smile.
She made him realize how much of a jerk he could be at times. He didn’t mean to act that way. He just had so much to do. Work. Work. Work. That’s all he ever did. Even his mother commented on how much he worked. Although, he’d never tell his mother he liked to work so much because it was the best excuse to stay away from them. Not her. But his father and brother. He’d never admit that to her. He loved his family. He did. But he could only handle them in small doses. Especially his brother. He couldn’t be happier his brother worked several floors above him. He wouldn’t be able to handle seeing him every day.
He stood up, taking his time. What the hell was he doing? He must be more tired than he realized. Or he wanted to see her sweet smile. It was so wrong of him to even think such things. It didn’t stop him from grabbing his jacket, opening the door, and stopping in front of her desk.
“Ms. Stileano, I need a cup of coffee. And—”
“You forgot ‘please.’” She looked up from the computer with a straitlaced face, not amused by his behavior. Where was the smile he enjoyed every time she talked back to him?
He almost smiled despite himself but held his face neutral. He wouldn’t let her see what her attitude did to him. He liked her honesty way too much for his liking. If she ever found out he liked her—more than as a simple secretary—she would quit, and he couldn’t have that.
Oh, shit.
He liked her.
Not only as a secretary. That wasn’t good. Maybe he should start looking for a new secretary.
But he’d miss her. Miss her bossing him around and sending sweet smiles his way when he did something she didn’t approve of.
“Tsk, tsk, Ms. Stileano. What happened to not interrupting each other? You didn’t let me finish.”
She cleared her throat, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. “You’re right. Forgive me. Please finish speaking.”
He liked the way her cheeks bloomed a rosy color. It made it that much more enticing to brush a hand across her face to see if her skin felt as soft as it looked. He jammed his hands into his pockets before the impulse took over.
Then he copied her by clearing his throat. Now he felt awkward with what he wanted to ask her. Nothing scared him, though. He came out here for a reason, and he’d ask her, regardless of how much tension floated between them at the moment.