Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 35957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
“That’s good.” His hands leave my arms, and I feel a coldness settle where they have touched. He’s in dark slacks that fit him a little too well, cupping him in all the right ways. They’re the kind that make it hard not to notice the strength in his firm thighs and the bulge between them that is more than visible. The crisp black button-down does nothing to soften him. His sleeves may be rolled up to his forearms, and his collar is open at his throat, but that doesn’t mean he’s a man at ease. The tightening of his forearms after he’s slid his hands in his pockets only amplifies the man tenfold. He looks like the kind of man who could get his hands dirty in the morning and enjoy a six-course meal at dinner without missing a beat.
“Thank you. I should be going.”
“You’re welcome,” he replies with a slight tilt of his upper lip, giving me somewhere between a smirk and a smile. We both head in the same direction, nearly bumping into one another again. “Shit.”
“Oops, sorry. You go first.” I offer my hand. Our interaction ends, but I’m left with a view of his firm backside, and it seems the rough start to the morning I did have is slowly getting better.
The mystery man turns left, and I’m going right in order to make it to the elevator banks. I wait with a group of others before we’re shuffling one by one into the small space. We make stops along the way, and I’m able to maintain my area in the corner, keeping the seat of my skirt from prying eyes.
I’m one of the last out when we make it to the fifth floor, once again making sure I’m covered. When I glance down at my watch, realization hits that I need to be back downstairs and with Sandra in less than ten minutes.
I take a deep breath and wave a quick hello to my uncle’s assistant, Mary, whom I’ve met a couple of times in the past week when I came in and out of the office to fill out paperwork.
“Hi, Miss Serena. He’s in the office and has a few minutes before he meets with Mr. Dawson.”
“Hello, Ms. Mary. I won’t take long, promise.” True to her word, Uncle Todd is sitting behind his desk, looking down, studying a plan, and doesn’t realize I’ve entered his space.
I stand just inside his office for a moment, and when he doesn’t look up, I make my presence known. “Uncle Todd, I’m sorry to bother you, but Aunt Val mentioned I could use a sweater of hers or your jacket. I’ve, um, kind of had an accident with my skirt.” I wince while giving him an awkward smile.
“Whatever you need, Serena. The closet is right there. Choose whatever. And the bathroom is to the left.” I drop my purse on the chair in front of his desk.
“Thanks. You and Aunt Val are life savers once again.” I blow him a kiss and abandon any worry about the stain, because if you can’t be yourself in front of family, who can you?
“Yeah, yeah. You know we love you.” He waves me off in that direction. There’s one thing about my uncle: when he’s at work, he’s at work. Interrupting him is nearly impossible, unless Aunt Val comes gliding in, takes the pencil out of his hand, closes the laptop shut, and inserts herself between him and the desk.
“I love you, too.” I shuffle through the hangers. The cardigan my aunt suggested won’t work, sadly. It’s cropped, and even tying it around my waist won’t work. The rest are button-down shirts. Good to know if I happen to make a mess of my top, I can at least swap that out easier. “Jackpot. Do you mind if I take this?” I take the hanger out of the closet to show Uncle Todd what I have chosen.
“You don’t have to ask. Your Aunt Val already offered. Plus, it’s not like I don’t know where you live or work to get it back.” I put the black blazer on, pull the sleeves up, and use a trick my aunt taught me. It takes me going back to my purse and digging around for a couple of hair ties, then wrapping them around the cuff on my forearms.
“Voilà. How do I look?” I ask. “And you know I’ll bring it back, dry cleaned.”
“I know you will, it’s never a worry. You know that, and you look perfect. Now you'd better hurry, or Sandra will be standing with her foot out, tapping. Lunch today?”
“Can’t this week. I’m in training all week. Plus, I want to earn my position here, not make noise.” Uncle Todd nods in response. I give him a quick kiss on the cheek, grab my bag, and whirl around.