Page 13 of Office Intrigue (Office Intrigue Duet 1)
Before I knew what was happening, Jordan offered a chipper wave. “See you in a bit. Gotta get back up front so the bosses don’t get mad.” He lowered his voice a little. “I had to take off yesterday morning, and I know how they are when I ask for time off.”
I wanted to ask how they were, but I didn’t. I didn’t intend to take any time off for a little while, so it really didn’t matter.
“You might want to get coffee started,” he said in a singsong voice, tilting his chin toward a counter similar to the one in the lobby. “They all four drink it.”
I nodded.
I could do that.
“Ta-ta for now.” Jordan turned and scurried down the hall without a backward glance.
Setting my purse on my desk, I peered around, taking it all in again. It was a beautiful space. One I certainly didn’t expect in an office building. Bright, airy, very modern with high-end fixtures. That seemed to be a theme here.
I managed to pull myself together long enough to go to the coffeemaker. Within minutes I had it brewing into the stainless-steel carafe and I had nothing else to do. I was tempted to wander around, give myself a personal tour, but decided against it. According to Jordan, the bosses would be coming in soon and I didn’t want to be caught snooping.
Instead, I moved to the window and stared out.
This was definitely a place I could get used to.
•
“Good morning, Luci,” a deep voice sounded from behind me a short time later.
I pivoted to see Ben walking my way, looking just as handsome as he had yesterday. Today he was sporting a light gray suit. His tie was what I would call salmon, but to some it would simply be a pinkish-orange. Whatever the color, it did nice things to his dark complexion.
“Good morning, Ben,” I greeted cheerfully.
“I see Jordan showed you to your office.”
“He did.”
I stood there, unsure what I was supposed to do. I had yet to sit down, feeling slightly uncomfortable without anyone being here.
Ben moved to the door closest to the windows on my left. I mentally noted where his office was and tried to tie it back on the opposite side. I was wondering if that other door was their way of sneaking out or in. It seemed strange to me, but I vowed I would eventually figure it out.
“Come in,” he said with a wave. “I’ll give you a tour of my office.”
With a smile, I ran my hands down my skirt and followed.
I was momentarily speechless when I stepped inside the room.
This was no ordinary office. Not like any that I’d seen anyway. For one, it was ridiculously large, far more space than a single person should need to handle their business during the day. Or at least to me it was. It was bright and airy like the rest of the place, but it was wholly masculine at the same time. More like an upscale apartment than an office. Thick, charcoal-gray carpet covered the floor, and two long, black leather couches sat on the far side of the room, facing one another.
Off-centered on the left side of the spacious room was an oversized gunmetal-gray desk with a charcoal glass top. It was positioned to face the windows, which overlooked the city. On the wall behind the desk, there were matching metal bookshelves, but they weren’t filled with books. They were decorated with various framed certificates and what I could only assume were glass awards. To my left was the wall of windows, along with three black leather armchairs sitting directly in front of the desk.
It was a very nice office, and it seemed to suit Ben perfectly. At least what I knew about him anyway. Which, come to think of it, I didn’t really know much of anything at all.
“I’m usually the first one here.” Ben shot me a smile as he set his briefcase on the floor beside his desk before removing his suit jacket and placing it on a hanger. “Mr. Parker comes in early, too, but this morning he’s meeting with a client. Won’t arrive until closer to ten.”
I wanted to ask him why he referred to Justin as Mr. Parker, but I saved that question for a later date.
After hanging his jacket in a small closet beside another door, Ben turned to face me and I gave him my full attention.
His eyes perused me from head to toe, then back again. It seemed every spot on my body that his gaze touched warmed a couple of degrees. I could only hope he approved of the outfit. I’d chosen a black, white, and gray sweater with a belted, short, gray pleated skirt, paired with black tights and my favorite lace-up, high-heeled boots. The boots gave me additional height and the tights helped to accentuate my legs, making them look longer than they were.
