I was having lunch with Luci every day at one o’clock. We would go down to the sandwich shop. After the first time I told her I couldn’t afford to eat until I got paid, she told me not to worry about it because the company was paying for it. Being mindful of that, I made sure to only buy what I could eat. And truth be told, I was enjoying spending time with Luci. We talked so much, the hour we were allotted always seemed to fly by.
I hadn’t seen much of Mr. Parker since Wednesday night because he had been out of the office all day Thursday, but this morning he had returned. I was getting to spend quite a bit of time with Mr. Snowden, which I enjoyed immensely, but I was also hoping for a little time with both of them. After the amazing fireworks that took place on Wednesday night, I’d found I was craving more time with them.
Clearly that wasn’t going to happen this afternoon, though, because Master Edge was expected at any moment for an interview with both of my bosses. He was coming here first, then they were going to take him to lunch. Since we didn’t have a receptionist, I had opted to go to the front desk and wait, not wanting him to arrive with no one there to greet him.
About four minutes before eleven, the elevators dinged, signaling his arrival.
“Good morning, Master Edge,” I greeted with a smile.
Seemingly amused, he grinned. “It’s good to see you, Addison.”
“Likewise, Sir.”
Another smile. “I think we should probably cut the formalities since we’re not in the club.”
“Oh, right.” I blushed.
It was just natural to refer to him as such. And considering what took place here in this office, I doubted that I would remember to call him anything else, but I nodded my head.
“If you’ll follow me,” I told him as I motioned toward the double doors that led to the back, “I’ll take you to Mr. Snowden and Mr. Parker.”
“Thank you.”
I gave him a brief tour of the upper floor, not sure whether he’d been there before or not. Then I led him down the stairs to our floor.
“And this is where Mr. Snowden and Mr. Parker work. There are additional offices on this floor, which are empty. Hopefully soon you’ll be filling one of them.”
“Very optimistic, are you?”
“Of course.”
I stopped in front of Mr. Parker’s office, then rapped my knuckles on the door.
“Come in.”
I eased the door open. “Mr. Parker, Mr. Edge is here to see you.”
“Thank you. Please send him in and ask Ben to join us.”
“Yes, sir.”
I stepped back out of the way and once Master Edge passed me, I headed right for Mr. Snowden’s office door. When he called out to me, I opened the door and informed him of the new arrival.
“Thank you, precious.”
Anytime he called me that, for some reason, my body heated.
“We’ll likely be in there for a while. Will you see if anyone else wants coffee and then bring me some?”
“Of course.”
Before I turned to leave, Mr. Snowden called out to me.
“And I need you to do me a favor.”
I waited with a smile.
He moved closer, and with every step he took, my body heated another degree. I was hyperaware of this man in every way. Ever since Tuesday after we’d shared dinner and spent the evening talking, I had been looking forward to more time with him. It didn’t even matter if it was only a glimpse while he was in his office, I still longed to be in his presence.
“We’ve decided to have drinks at the hotel bar across the street tonight. I need you to tell Luci. Landon and Langston are waiting for our decision.”
“Of course. I’ll make sure I tell her right away.”
“Thank you.” He brushed his fingers down my cheek and then headed out the door.
I touched my cheek, loving the tingle that his touch left in its wake.
*
Before I had the chance to make my way up to Luci, the phones started to ring. I hurried to answer them, taking messages and sending people to voice mail if necessary. A solid hour passed before I had a chance to get up from my desk again. Just to be safe, I turned on the after-hours answering system, then decided on a potty break.
Once that was taken care of, I headed up the stairs. My focus was on Luci’s desk, but I realized it was empty. I was about to turn around and return to my desk when I noticed her walking toward the receptionist area. I quickly followed, figuring she was going to the break room.
When I caught up to her, I saw Luci slip into the conference room, closing the door behind her.
Knowing that it was important to get her the message, I figured I could briefly interrupt and then be on my way. When I got to the door, I heard voices coming from inside the room. They were masculine voices. Before it all registered, I had my hand on the doorknob and I was opening the door.
