The Design(21)

He leaned back in his chair, running his finger along the edge of his desk. “I’m a busy guy, Cameron. I don’t get out too often.”

I crossed my arms and settled my weight onto my left leg. “But you’ll come out for me?”

He sighed and pointed to the door. “You realize that no one else comes into my office without an invitation. Yet you just wander in here like there’s a revolving door with your name on it.”

I glanced back at his door, standing wide open. It beckoned me forward, but I imagined that to everyone else, there was a giant red “X” warning them away.

“I like it in here,” I admitted, scanning the decor around the room. It was masculine with dark forest green wallpaper and built-in wooden bookcases spanning from floor to ceiling along an entire wall. “Besides, we have a history together.”

“I need to get back to my work,” he said, his tone gentle enough that I could have probably pulled another five minutes out of our encounter, but I didn’t want to annoy him, so I started back up toward the door.

“Tomorrow then,” I said.

His blue eyes locked onto my face and he nodded. “Tomorrow. Now shut the door.”

“Wait.” Do it, ask him. Do it. “How was lunch?”

“Cameron.” His voice was tired and annoyed. “Get out of my office.”

“She was pretty,” I said, pushing him even further out of his happy mood.

He narrowed his eyes.

“Yes and we had sex directly where you’re standing,” he spoke, his words like venomous talons. “Is that what you wanted to know?”

He didn’t have to ask me to leave again after that. I turned without a word and slammed his office door shut behind me. The hinges rattled and Beatrice gave me a curious glance as I passed by her desk.

“Nice of you to join us,” Alan snapped as I took my seat.

I didn’t bother offering an apology for my absence. For all he knew, Grayson was giving me an assignment as my mentor, but my silence must have pissed him off even more.

“Since you have time to bat your eyes at the CEO, I suppose you can stay late and finish drafting those bathrooms I need you to have done by tomorrow,” Alan continued with a harsh tone.

Stay late?

Peter shot me an apologetic smile.

I wanted to argue, but I wouldn’t give Alan the satisfaction of getting a rise out of me.

“Sounds great,” I said with false enthusiasm. The smile felt sour on my face.

Alan grunted and went back to work.

At 5:00 pm, the office started to empty as one by one employees picked up their bags and briefcases and headed for the elevators. I, on the other hand, stayed in my seat, drafting light fixtures for the bathrooms of some high-rise condominium. My hunger was gnawing away at me, but I didn’t want to have to ask Alan if I could grab dinner, so I stayed put. My first day on the job had taught me three things: Grayson was an arrogant bastard, Alan was a suckwad, and I needed to shove snacks into every free space around my desk if I had any hope of surviving at Cole Designs.

At 6:00 pm, Grayson left his office with his phone pressed to his ear. Goosebumps bloomed on the back of my neck as he walked behind my desk en route to the elevators. Would he stop and talk to me? I concentrated on the drafting pencil in my hand and pined to listen to the conversation he was having. Had the room been full, I wouldn’t have been able to hear him, but we were practically alone— save for Alan—so I could hear every word crystal clear.

“I’m leaving now,” he said. “I’ll have my car pick you up at your apartment. Don’t bother dressing up, we aren’t leaving my place tonight.”

His words were acid and I had to fight the urge to throw my pencil at the back of his head. There’s no way that Grayson was that open with his relationships. He was putting on a show for me. Right? He wanted me to know he was unavailable. Extremely unavailable. Little did he know, I didn’t want him to be easy and available. I wanted prey.

“You have another twenty of those bathrooms to draft before you leave tonight,” Alan reminded me, effectively emptying a bucket of ice water over my head. I inwardly groaned. Alan really knew how to ruin a moment with his drab orders and terrible breath.

Soon, Alan and I were the only two employees left in the office and I knew that in any other situation, I’d have thought he’d asked me to stay late so he could hit on me or something. Maybe another man would have, but not Alan. I had a feeling he was asexual. Like a cactus. Although, to be honest, I was so hungry that if he’d told me I could go home if I let him touch my boob or something, I’d have whipped it out. I was really hungry and I have great boobs, so whatever. But this wasn’t a soap opera and he was probably not a sex offender, so I had to keep working.