Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102479 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102479 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
“Are you going downstairs for the morning management briefing?” he asked.
I nodded. “They said it was optional, but it sounds interesting. That’s why I came in early.”
Every day, Apex held a fifteen-minute management briefing on the tenth floor, though it was open to anyone. It had been described during yesterday’s orientation as the morning news—with highlights and a few stories getting a deeper dive—but of course all the news was Apex related. I thought it was a cool idea, a way to get staff at all levels invested in everything going on across all the different lines of business.
Jack lifted his chin to the cubicle next to mine, where his assigned intern sat—or would sit, when he got here. “Guess you’re the only one who thinks it’s interesting.”
I smiled but wasn’t about to badmouth my peers. Tucking my purse into the drawer, I picked up a pen and notebook. “Do you attend the morning meeting every day?”
“Not usually. I go to the gym in the morning, so I don’t generally get here until closer to eight.” He put a hand out for me to walk first. “But I’m going to make an effort to get here now.”
I didn’t ask why as we headed for the elevator. Jack pressed the button, and a few seconds later the doors slid open. There was only one occupant inside the car, Jagger Langston.
My pulse sped up. He was looking down at his cell, but when his head lifted and he saw me, a slow grin curved his lips. Though when his eyes shifted to the man standing next to me, that grin flattened to more of a grim line.
“Morning, boss.” Jack put his hand on my back, guiding me to enter. It was innocent enough, but the way Jagger’s eyes seized on it made it feel anything but. Tension radiated from the boss, filling the car as we stepped in. I smiled, but he just offered a curt nod and went back to his phone. It wasn’t hard to figure out why Jack had said what he’d said about him earlier.
Awkwardness set in as the doors slid closed, so I did the only thing I could do—held my breath and stared up at the illuminated numbers, willing them to move faster.
The entire encounter probably took less than twenty seconds, but by the time the doors opened, I desperately needed air. Jack again put his hand out. “After you.”
I started to take a step, but a hand at my elbow stopped me.
I turned to look at the man holding it. “I’m going to the morning briefing.”
“We have an appointment this morning,” Jagger said.
Jack was still standing next to me, waiting for me to get off the elevator. The boss glared at him. “You may go.”
“Uh…” Jack’s eyes flickered between Jagger and me. He seemed hesitant to leave me alone, but I didn’t want this to turn into a scene, so I smiled and tapped my temple.
“Silly me. I completely forgot I’m supposed to meet with my mentor. Probably not the best thing to do on the second day of my internship.”
Jack gave me a look, and I got the feeling he didn’t believe me, but at least he stepped off the elevator. “I’ll see you around.”
I continued staring straight ahead until Jagger pressed the button for the top floor, and the elevator doors closed. Then I yanked my elbow from his grip. “What are you doing? We don’t have any appointment, and you just made me look like a jerk.”
“I told you to figure out what you wanted, whether you preferred I step back from the mentorship program or not.”
“So? That doesn’t mean you can manhandle me in the elevator!”
“I didn’t manhandle you.”
“You grabbed my elbow and told Jack I had an appointment, which we both know is not true. What else would you call it?”
Jagger’s eyes swept over my face. The stern façade he’d had since he saw me with Jack fell away. Both his face and tone softened. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
I sighed. “You didn’t offend me. Just…just don’t do that in front of people who work here.”
The elevator doors opened at the next floor. Thankfully, no one was waiting. Though at the last second, a wing-tip shoe slipped between the closing doors and they bounced back open. The owner of the foot attempted to step inside, but Jagger showed him his palm.
“Wait for the next one.”
The guy’s forehead wrinkled. “Uh... Okay. Sorry.”
Jagger leaned forward and pressed the button for the top floor, though it was already illuminated. I waited for the doors to slide closed once again before speaking, since the man he’d just rejected was still staring at us.
Once we were alone, I turned. “Why did you do that?”
“You told me not to touch you in front of people who work here. He works here.”