turning to find Parker right in front of me. I nearly fell backward again, but he caught my elbow, righting me.
“Oops, sorry,” I said with a sheepish smile. He was looking at me oddly and I figured I had to look pretty ridiculous, crawling around his bed and now with a huge handful of rose petals. I lifted my hands slightly. “Got ’em. No stains.”
“Yeah, rose petal stains on the sheets would have kept me up nights.”
I blinked. Had Parker just made a joke?
“I know, right?” I deadpanned. His lips twitched.
For a moment, neither of us moved. His hand still lightly gripped my elbow as he looked down at me. His cologne had faded, but he was so close, I could still smell it combined with the scent of his skin. If someone could bottle that combination, they’d make a fortune. The fabric of his slacks brushed my bare legs below my skirt, sending a wave of goose bumps over me.
I gazed into his eyes, unblinking. Acutely aware of the very available bed at my back, I wondered what Parker would do if I sank down onto the mattress and tugged him down with me. Did he find me attractive? Would he kiss me?
Or would he push me away in shocked disgust at my forwardness? Would he be disappointed that I’d “gone there” and ruined the good working rapport that we had? There was nothing on the planet more cliché than a secretary and her boss.
Either outcome would spell the end of my job and my relationship with Parker. He didn’t do relationships…and he didn’t sleep with his secretary. I refused to even contemplate losing what we did have, platonic though it might be, which meant there was really only one option for me.
“So I’d better get going,” I said, sidling out from between Parker and the bed.
He released me at once, although it felt as though the imprint of his hand on my skin remained.
“Yes. Thank you for bringing everything here,” he said, following me as I headed for the kitchen.
I dumped the rose petals in the trash, his comment reminding me. “I’ll just leave the file on your desk,” I said, retrieving the thick ZNT file and heading into the second bedroom, which Parker had made into an office. I set the folder on his desk and a moment later was grabbing my purse. Nearly at the door, I glanced back and saw Parker had poured himself a scotch.
He stood with his back to me, staring out the windows at the city skyline, the crystal glass with an inch of amber liquid held at his side. As I hesitated, he tipped up the drink, emptying the contents in one swallow.
Hmm. Parker rarely drank like that. Must’ve been a rough day.
I felt a pang of sympathy and wished I was someone he confided in, someone he could unburden himself to, but knew I wasn’t that person to him. Did he have anyone he confided in? I wasn’t sure. He had guy friends, but guys had odd friendships, so I couldn’t say for sure.
“Is there anything else?” I asked. All I could really do for him was to just do my job the best I could and try to anticipate anything he might need or want. I thought I was pretty good at both those things.
Parker glanced around. “No, that’ll be all, Sage.”
I nodded. “Okay. Have a nice weekend.”
“You too.”
The door closed softly behind me.
Standing on the sidewalk outside, I glanced up the street for a taxi. Nothing in sight yet. I sighed. I couldn’t wait to get home and go to bed. People passed me by, but it wasn’t super busy. Parker’s area was nice and I didn’t worry about being out here alone at night.
Glancing around as I waited, a man caught my eye. He was standing about ten feet away, dressed in a dark suit, and had just lit a cigarette. Unlike everyone else, he didn’t seem to be going anywhere and just stood there, leisurely smoking. There was something about him that made me abruptly decide I wouldn’t want to run into him in a dark alley. He was huge, with hands that looked like they could crush me into a fine powder. A tattoo of barbed wire crossed his knuckles. Nice.
As if he sensed my gaze on him, he shifted and looked right at me. A chill went through me and I hurriedly glanced away, gripping my purse a bit tighter. Time to go.