Against the Rules by Ella Goode Page 0,13

both slapped him and dumped drinks over his head. “That’s not in the manual.” He pulls out a giant white binder from a drawer in his desk, tapping the top of it. I start to reach for it, but he pulls it back. “It's boring. I’ve read it from front to back. You don’t want to. Believe me.” He drops it back into the drawer. “So you never answered me. Why do they call you Lucky?” Okay, then.

“My cousin, B.J., gave me the name a long time ago. She thinks I have a way of walking right into luck or it dropping into my lap.” I did have some strange luck. It wasn't winning the lottery luck but more a make it in the nick of time kind of luck. Right place, right time. I think it’s all run out though. The minute my hand connected with Mr. O'Hare’s face. I knew it would run out eventually. On second thought, maybe it hasn’t. I still have a job after everything that has happened. So maybe I am living up to my nickname.

“Do you have a nickname?” A few days ago I had a couple choice ones for him, but I’ve since stopped referring to him as them. I don’t know why I keep asking him personal things but I can’t seem to help myself.

I want to know more about him and I haven’t been getting much from the other employees here. They tell me the basic things, but no one really knows much about his personal life. Monica and Cesar have been the most informative out of everyone. One thing's for sure. What they say about him doesn’t match what I’ve experienced when it’s been him and me alone.

“Not that I’m aware of but I’m sure I’ve been called many different ones that I’m unaware of.”

“Yes, I believe there were a few names that they called you on that post this morning. They included dreamboat, sexy beast, and Captain America 2.0.”

“That’s creepy.” He reaches up, pulling at his tie and looking a bit uncomfortable.

“Does it bother you that you’ve been sexualized?”

“By random people it seems weird.” His answer perplexes me. He really was uncomfortable about that comment. He’d shut Monica down about them all quickly. He himself found them weird. Most people would be strutting around talking about how they could land chicks even while wearing the most ridiculous thing ever.

“You know, when you walked up to me in that restaurant I was a random person to you,” I point out. An almost aha moment plays across his face. It’s gone almost as quick as it showed up.

“That’s different,” he reasons.

“How is it different?” I roll my eyes, but I am dying to hear his reasoning.

“Because—” He pauses.

“Because?” I’m almost on the edge of my chair wanting him to answer.

“We’ll be married one day.” A bark of laughter comes from me. He doesn't laugh. He looks as serious as can be.

“Why don’t you marry one of your thousands of followers who commented on your pic from this morning?” I can even hear the jealousy in my own voice. I jump up from my chair. One that he moved halfway across the room because he’s nuts. I’m not sure if I’m mad at him or myself at this point.

“Did you comment?”

“No.” I throw my hands up in the air.

“Well then, that won’t work.”

“I can’t deal with you.” I turn, stomping out of his office. When I open the door people turn to look my way. I don’t go to my desk. Instead I hit the elevator and go up to the top floor to get some air. I keep telling myself he’s crazy, but I know he’s not.

Finn O'Hare is a brilliant man. He’s made a name for himself. He can’t be crazy. Still, none of this makes any sense. How is a man that has no history of dating that I can dig up keep coming on to me? There’s not even gossip or rumors about him being a flirt anywhere. Yet he keeps coming on to me. This sudden liking for pink was his latest attempt to get closer to me. Okay, I have to admit that it’s really kind of sweet.

I go for my notebook to look at my notes again. There are pages of them that I’ve been making about Finn. “Oh, crap.” I start hitting the down button over and over again. I left my notepad on the floor of his office. Now he’s going to