Slipperless Series (Book #1)(17)

It terrified and thrilled me at once.

In spite of my internal reaction, Gabe seemed unaware or unaffected. Either way, he shifted the interaction to the work I’d been doing. We discussed the issue I had with the lab results in good bit of detail. I wasn’t sure why, but once again, Gabe’s knowledge impressed me.

It was going to take some getting used to. You know what they say about first impressions. Still, I’d have to get past it and the sooner the better. After all, he was the CEO.

More so, by the time we’d finished our discussion, he had me doubting my own conclusions about the tests. That just didn’t happen. Not in the lab. Not to me.

Ever.

“Well, all right then, enough of that for now.” Gabe began as he leaned away, pointing at my results in the process. “You know what you've got to do?”

I nodded in agreement as he spoke, making notes in my planner.

As I scribbled, Gabe walked around behind me, disappearing from view. As best I could, I traced his movements with my peripheral gaze, as I didn’t turn my head to follow. Perhaps sensing it, once he’d vanished from sight, he stopped.

“How are things going so far?” he asked. I stopped breathing as he paused. “Are you enjoying it here?”

I nodded but didn’t dare turn. I had the strange sensation he was looking me up and down. Searching my mouth for moisture, I flicked my tongue across my lips before I replied.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Mmm, hmm,” he replied.

Gabe lingered behind me for a moment or two longer. If this had been any other man in any other situation, I would have spun around and gotten to the bottom of his disappearing act. The seconds crept by. I froze in place as uneasiness came over me. What the hell was he doing?

Suddenly, he spoke once more.

“Seems as if you’ve attracted some attention from the other ladies in the lab.”

As he finished, I drew my eyes from the charts filled with numbers and looked in the direction of Amanda and Melissa. But no sooner had I done so than they looked away. Gabe reappeared in my peripheral vision. I turned my head in his direction as he entered my line of sight, smirking.

“Everything okay, Fiona?” he said as he narrowed his eyes at me. “You seem… tense.”

I swallowed and tugging a strand of hair behind my ear, I broke eye contact with him and looked back down at my lab work.

“Yes,” I muttered. “Everything is fine.”

“Lying again, I see.”

My eyes darted towards Gabe. His flickered with a mischievous glimmer.

“I can always tell when you are, Fiona. So, don’t make a habit of it.”

As he finished speaking, Gabe turned and began to stroll away from me. Lifting my eyebrows, but not my head, I watched as he meandered through the lab workstations until eventually he reached the doorway and exited the room.



FIONA

Gabe hadn’t been gone for the lab for more than ten or fifteen seconds before Amanda and Melissa descended on me. Weak kneed, I collapsed into my lab stool as they surrounded me on both sides.

“What. The. Hell. Was. That?” Melissa demanded.

“Yeah,” Amanda said as she nodded her head in agreement. “Gabe made a beeline for you. What did he say?”

As they peppered me with questions, I felt the room start to spin. I didn’t want any of this. I just wanted to do my job and be left alone. Nothing was happening between us. I wasn’t encouraging him to do anything. After propping my elbows up on my workstation, I dropped my head in my hands.

My eyes fluttered closed.

“Please stop,” I mumbled.

They cackled at my request. I felt indignation rise up inside of me. Even though I didn’t suspect they were trying to be cruel per se, the situation was more than I wanted to deal with at the moment. I fell silent and drew inward, squeezing my fingernails hard into my scalp. They chuckled and carried on for a few more seconds until they went quiet as well.

“Fiona honey?” Amanda said after another moment or two. “What’s wrong?”

“Yeah,” Melissa added. “We were only teasing you. Are you okay?”

“Mmm, hmm.” I muttered as I allowed my hands to fall away from my head. Afterward, I began to stand from my lab stool, scooting it with a groan across the floor. Amanda and Melissa moved aside, giving me room to make my way.

“Are you sure?” Amanda asked. “You don’t look so great.”

It was the last thing I remembered.

When consciousness returned, my eyes flickered open. Glancing down, I noticed I lay flat, on what looked to be a leather sofa. Directly overhead, florescent lighting buzzed and illuminated a harsh glow as I squinted up at it.

Lifting my hand to shield my gaze, I rolled my head to one side to try and figure out where I was. I didn’t see anyone as my eyes adjusted to the brightness, but as I looked around, I noticed an assortment of medical and monitoring equipment.