A Private Affair - A.C. Arthur Page 0,21

say something? You didn’t have to stay here with me tonight. I could have managed without you.” Despite her reputation, Riley was not coldhearted and she didn’t treat people like they were trash or beneath her.

She was friendly and easy to work with. At least, that was what Korey said after being here almost six months. The two of them had hit it off during the interview, on a day that had begun horribly for Riley. The fact that Korey had been able to make her laugh and focus on something else besides whatever headline had been floating around at that time sealed his fate as her new assistant.

He was essentially the closest thing she had to a friend.

“Nope, my job is to be here when you’re here and it pays me well.” Korey finished the email and looked up at her with a pointed smile.

Riley grinned but then sighed as her temples throbbed. “I need an aspirin.”

“Maybe you need to have dinner and go to bed. We’ve been in the office past nine every night since you came back from Milan.”

“It’s crunch time.” That was the excuse she’d been giving herself these past seven days each time thoughts of that night in Milan crossed her mind.

“True.”

She’d expected him to say more, but instead he continued to stare at her.

“What?”

He shrugged. “I’m just debating where the line is at this moment.”

Because she knew what he was referring to, Riley gave him a reassuring look. “You’re safe.”

Korey looked relieved as he leaned forward, resting an elbow on his knee. “What happened in Milan? You left focused and intent but came back a little...off.”

“What?” Panic sliced through her with a sharp edge. “I’m the exact same.”

Korey’s hands were up immediately, waving back and forth. “No. No. Not in a bad way. Absolutely not, you’re always on point. Always. There’s just a little difference. Like how quickly you were able to admit you’ve been here too long tonight. If this were last month you would have been determined to push through.”

Milan hadn’t changed her.

One night did not make a difference to her life.

“I can admit when I’m tired.” It was the safe reply. “That’s all it is, Korey. So you can go get your drinks. And I don’t care how drunk you get, I want you here tomorrow at six. Not a second later.”

“Now, that’s the prevacation Riley talking.” Korey chuckled and jumped up from his chair because prevacation or not, he knew it was only safe to cross the line temporarily.

“See you in the morning. Have a fun evening.”

Fifteen minutes later she was still sitting in the same spot.

Had she changed because of the night she’d spent with Chaz? Because that was the only thing that had been different about this year’s vacation. After thinking on it another few seconds Riley slammed her palm on the desk and shook her head. It was just sex, damn!

She shut down her computer and grabbed her bag and purse before leaving the office. She wasn’t different. Korey was overreacting, something he did frequently. He was lucky she liked him like a little brother and that he was so organized and knew a great pair of thigh-high boots when he saw them or she would have definitely fired him a thousand times by now.

Minutes later Riley stood at the elevator feeling smug because that last thought sounded much more like her. If she were acting any different, that was. But she wasn’t. Everything was the same as it had been before she’d gone to Milan. All she had to do was keep telling herself that and it would be true.

By the time she made it to the garage Riley was shaking her head. She was pitiful and she hated to admit it. She wasn’t the same since Milan because now she couldn’t get Chaz and the feel of his hands on her body out of her mind. And as if her thoughts weren’t traitorous enough, her phone dinged with a text message notification. When she read the text, saw who it was from, her heartbeat quickened and butterflies danced a happy little jig in her stomach.

* * *

Chaz hadn’t been his usual self today.

Or the day before, or even the day before that. In fact, he could admit that he’d been thinking about Milan—or rather a very enjoyable twenty-four hours in Milan—much more than he’d assumed he would.

It wasn’t like he didn’t have anything else to do. Chaz just couldn’t get Riley out of his mind.