that had me watching and wishing Jim was in my life for a moment. If only to see this smile on Addy’s face.
“Promoted?” he asked after greeting her. “So that means you’ll be working up in the top, boring offices with me now?”
“No, silly,” she said. “I get to go in there.”
“Why yes, you do,” he answered. He pointed up to the man I stood next to now, “This is my friend. His name is Alex, and he’s going to make sure you have fun teachers today. Sound good?”
“It does.” She hugged Jim again and patted his cheek sweetly.
“Addy, go to class. Jim needs to go to work too,” I said, and then nearly choked when I realized I’d said used his name in a way that didn’t fly around here.
“His name is Mitch, Mom,” Addy said and then spun around and went into the classroom area.
“Jim and Mitch, eh?” Alex said, looking at me with a knowing smile. “I’m Alex Grayson.” He reached his hand out to mine, “I believe we’ve met before.”
I smiled after Jim walked with the woman into her office.
“Yes, in London, when we all played musical dining tables, I think.”
He chuckled. “Do you always curse-out old ladies?”
“Just the ones who screw with my kid,” I said. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. It’s great seeing you again, Alex.”
I left the man who’d blown Jim up the entire time I was with him in that castle, leaving him standing there and looking at me with great curiosity, I’m sure.
“Amir,” I said to my co-worker, “are you gonna eat those fries?”
“God, what have we done all these years without you here?” he said, sliding the fries over to me.
“The crows are going to be pissed when they starve to death,” Alyssa teased. “You want the last of this milkshake?”
“That’s where I draw the line, my friends,” I said, crunching into Amir’s still piping-hot French fries. “I don’t drink after others. Total germ freak on that one.”
“Not like you’d have room for it anyway. All this food, girl,” Amir said. “Your body can’t process this food. You’re too tiny.”
“Guys, we have to get back. This will be the second time I would be late today,” I said, checking my phone and seeing the time.
“Can’t have that,” Alyssa said. “Oh,” she added like a mystery was being revealed, “want to know why the execs were on the floor yesterday?”
“Someone mentioned something about footage being erased from the company cameras after a sales manager got caught screwing a rep in his office,” Amir said.
“Shut the hell up,” I said.
“That’s the rumor. I also heard the reason Mr. Mitchell was with them was because of the documentary on his doctor friend. I think he’s a brain surgeon or something. They’ve been recording bits and pieces, but I heard it sucks. That’s what Cary in media production says, anyway. Don’t say I told you,” Amir said.
Jesus, and here we were talking about the boring video Jim was watching in England, which led to him getting me off in the most glorious way I could have ever desired. I had to shut these thoughts down and now. My body was already aching for that sensation again—and from only him.
“Good God, you two. Does the gossip run that thick in this place?” I asked, changing my mind’s gears.
“When Mr. Mitchell comes off the top floors, yes. Everyone looks for some sort of reason he’s on their floor.”
“Goddamn,” I said. “He’s treated like a god here, isn’t he?”
“He sure looks like one. A Greek god.” Alyssa giggled.
Try seeing the man without his clothes on. I thought with a smile.
It was a lame way to compare a man with a perfectly chiseled body and a beautiful face of perfection, but hey, sometimes you had to call it what it was.
We were stopped when Stefanie met me at my cubicle. “I have no idea what’s going on,” she said. “Maybe it was yesterday, you know, with your daughter being here inappropriately, or something else.”
“What is it? Am I fired, Stefanie?” I asked, cutting her off.
“Why would you think that?”
“Because you look like you’re going to pass out.”
“Well, I wish I could give you more information, but I can’t. Mr. Mitchell would like to see you in his office,” she said. “Follow me, please. I’ll show you to the executive elevators.”
“Should I be worried about this?”
“He’s possibly addressing your daughter being on our floor.”
“If he has a problem with her, maybe I do need to pay him