Page 112 of Office Intrigue (Office Intrigue Duet 1)
About an hour later, Landon stuck his head out of his office and told me I should go home early.
“I’m all right,” I informed him, not sure why he wanted to send me away.
“You worked your ass off this week,” he said with a smile. “Take a break. It’ll all be here in the morning.”
Clearly, he wanted me to go, so I wasn’t going to be petulant and argue with him. When he slipped back into his office, I grabbed my purse and my phone, then headed out. I was surprised to see that Jordan’s desk was empty. I figured they had sent him home as well. Hopefully that was the case, because he had worked as hard as I had making everything as perfect as possible.
Of course, I spent the rest of the afternoon fretting over what happened to Justin until finally I caved and texted him.
Luci: Hey, it’s me. I don’t mean to be a bother, but I wanted to check in. Make sure you’re all right. I’ve been worried.
I probably should’ve expected my text message to go unanswered. If he was dealing with a personal matter like Ben had said, then he was probably busy. However, I felt better knowing that I had at least checked.
I knew how it felt to be ignored. My mother ignored me as much as she could. In fact, I hadn’t heard from her since the last time I’d gone over there for breakfast. Then again, I didn’t make much of an effort either.
Of course, I probably shouldn’t spend too much time dwelling on emotional issues. I knew exactly what my problem was. My period was about to start, which was expected but inconvenient at the same time. And that whole bitchy/emotional thing that went along with PMS? Well, I got it in spades.
Deciding a hot bath was in order, I took my phone, grabbed a wineglass and a bottle of wine, then headed for the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, as I was immersed in the warm water, bubbles surrounding me, I received a text message.
Justin: Thank you for thinking of me, princess. I’m fine. I’m sorry I left without letting you know. Look forward to seeing you on Monday morning.
And just like that, my mind was put at ease.
That was all I’d needed.
Well, that and maybe the sexy text I’d been promised.
But I wasn’t going to be greedy. Not today, anyway.
Forty-Six
BOSS MEETING
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Ben
A MEETING WITHOUT MR. PARKER wasn’t the same, as far as I was concerned. Then again, it was hard to have a meeting with the man when he was out of town taking care of his personal business. I had offered to go with him, but he’d told me that he needed me to stay in the office for now.
Although the two of us had forged a bond over the years, even I recognized that it was difficult for him to open up to me. He felt as though he was burdening me, or so he’d said. Didn’t matter that I had informed him that was part of a relationship, he still held himself back.
“What’re your thoughts on the quarterly meeting outcome?” Landon prompted as we sat in his office at one thirty on Friday afternoon.
“I was highly impressed,” I admitted, pulling my attention back to the task at hand. “Luci and Jordan went above and beyond. I think she’s the brains behind the operation, but she utilized the tools necessary to make it successful. I’m glad to see that she works so well with Jordan.”
“They definitely work well together,” Landon noted. “And my managers are highly impressed with her.”
“As are mine.” Which was no small feat, as far as I was concerned. Being in the tech industry was far different than the publishing industry, yet Luci had managed to bring them all together without any issues.
“Any suggestions for the next one?” Langston asked.
“Other than we give Luci free rein to handle it as she sees fit?” I chuckled. “As long as she’s at the helm, I think it’ll be fine.”
“She mentioned wanting to send out a survey to the attendees.”
Seriously, I was impressed with the girl. She was remarkable. “I think that’s a great idea. And I can tell you, they appreciate being included.”
“Any news from Justin?” Landon prompted.
I shook my head. “Nothing much. But he assured me he’d be back on Monday.”
I wasn’t sure how much information Justin had shared with them, so I didn’t want to overstep.
“If he needs anything…” Landon held my gaze for a second. “Let him know we’re here to help him. I know he hates asking for help, but that’s what we’re here for.”
It was true, Mr. Parker did not like asking anyone for anything. He’d been that way since the day that I met him. In fact, it was one of the reasons he retreated from everyone from time to time. He could’ve very easily sought comfort from me and Luci; however, he’d opted to vanish. It bothered me, but I had learned not to question him. The man was nothing if not stubborn.
