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)
I wanted to be pissed off, but he was dead serious. For some unknown reason, I burst into laughter. “You don’t care about making people uncomfortable, do you?”
He stilled. “I’m making you uncomfortable?”
“Not me!” I flapped my hands in the air. “That guy you just barred from the elevator.”
He dragged a hand through his hair. “Let’s just go speak in my office.”
Neither of us said another word as we rose to the top floor, got off the elevator, and wound our way through a series of halls to get to the big corner suite. Jagger closed the door behind us. I took the same seat as yesterday, but he didn’t this time. He moved the guest chair beside mine and turned to face me head on.
“What have you decided?” he asked. “Do you want me to recuse myself, or do you want me as your mentor?”
I’d been feeling prickly, but being this close to Jagger made me feel something entirely different. Electricity crackled inside of me. “I probably should ask you to recuse yourself.”
Today’s bespoke suit was navy. It brought out the color of his eyes more than usual—and that was saying something, because his irises were the color of an Alaskan glacier. Our chairs were set two feet apart, but Jagger’s long legs were only inches from mine. It made me want to lean forward and brush my knees with his, just to see how he reacted.
“That’s not a yes.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ve never been very good at doing the things I should do.”
His lip twitched once again. Why did I love that so much? “I’m sure you’re good at anything you set your mind to.”
I sighed. “You scare people, you know.”
“Who?”
“People who work here.”
“Do I scare you?”
I thought about it and shook my head. “Scare me? No.”
He shifted in his chair, leaning forward until our knees touched. When they did, his eyes stayed firmly focused on the contact for a long time before lifting to meet my gaze. A wicked smile spread across his face. “Are you sure about that?”
Electricity zapped from my knee to…other places. I swallowed. “Yes.”
I thought he was going to delve further into the subject. Even if he bought that he didn’t scare me, it was clear he did something to me. Instead he adjusted in his seat, breaking the connection, and cleared his throat. “One o’clock today.”
Had I zoned out and missed part of our conversation? I felt my brows draw close. “One o’clock?”
“For our mentor lunch, the one we were supposed to have yesterday. Meet me downstairs in the lobby.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Jagger got up and walked around his desk. It was the equivalent to what he’d done to Jack in the elevator without saying “You may go.” Still, I took the hint, stood, and walked to the door.
I turned back to look at him. “You’re sort of rude, you know that?”
I loved the surprised look on his face. Jagger’s eyebrows nearly reached his hairline. “Is that so?”
“You asked if I was afraid of you. I’m not, but you’re dismissive, and it makes people feel disregarded.”
He stared at me for a full five seconds before shifting his attention to his desk. “I’ll take that under advisement.”
***
Miles: How are things going with Daddy Discipline?
I was sitting in a conference room with all the other interns, watching some mandatory HR videos on a big screen. I lowered my phone under the table and typed back.
Sutton: I decided to keep him as my mentor.
Miles: I already knew that.
Sutton: How?
Miles: Because I know you. This guy is like the Rubik’s Cube your mom brought home in fourth grade.
Sutton: I’m not following…
Miles: When something intrigues you, you can’t stop playing with it until you figure it out. You pretended to have a stomach virus so you could stay home from school and solve it.
Sutton: Well, hopefully this puzzle is as easily solved, because I got bored with the Rubik’s Cube after I made all six sides into solid colors.
Miles: Something tells me that man is neither easily solvable nor a toy you’ll get bored with.
HR videos weren’t the most exciting things to watch, but it seemed to take forever for one o’clock to arrive. When it finally did, I stopped in the ladies’ room to freshen up—like I would for any lunch meeting. Sure, tell yourself whatever you want, Sutton. Then I rode the elevator downstairs. The car was packed, and people got off and on at every floor, making the nerves I already felt fray a little more as the seconds ticked by.
Though the sight of Jagger Langston looking at his watch, impatiently waiting in the lobby, made me want to stay on the elevator and ride it up and down again. It probably wasn’t a good thing that I felt a strange urge to make the CEO of the company bristle. I took a deep breath and stepped into the lobby.