The Design(23)

I’d assumed we were alone on the job site until we made it to the backdoor of the house and came upon a group of construction workers out on the grass, taking their time getting started for the day. A lanky man who didn’t look a day over eighteen was using a circular saw to cut planks of wood into even segments. The rest of the crew was unwrapping breakfast tacos and chatting animatedly until they spotted Grayson walking through the backdoor. They immediately straightened up and paused their conversations, waiting for him to speak. Grayson was both the architect and the general contractor on the project, which gave him nearly full control—a fact that I’m sure made him very, very happy.

I stood to the side as he went over the day’s work with them. They were expected to have the kitchen framed by the end of the day so that the siding and roofing process could begin the following day. A few of the guys peered over at me as Grayson spoke, most likely curious about my role. I kept my eyes on Grayson, trying not to let their gazes intimidate me.

When Grayson finished up his instructions, he turned and motioned for me to lead the way back through the empty house.

“Sorry for that. It was probably a little boring,” he said, peering over at me as we walked.

I smiled and shook my head. “Nah, it’s what I love. Don’t worry about it.”

He nodded.

“So what exactly did you do last night?” I asked, trying one last time to engage him in a real conversation.

His blue eyes slid to me for a moment and he shook his head. “What’s your angle here, Cameron?”

I laughed, holding up my hands in innocence. “Not everything has to be angles and safety factors, Grayson. Can’t an employee make small talk with her boss?”

Grayson grunted. “Sure. Except you aren’t curious about what I did last night, you’re curious about who I did last night.”

I turned to inspect the kitchen, or what would serve as the future kitchen, so he wouldn’t see me blush. My face burned with embarrassment.

“And if I am?” I ventured, still diverting my gaze.

“You’re being childish by asking these questions. You think I didn’t mean what I said the other day in my office, about us never happening. You’re playing a game.”

Of course I didn’t believe him.

“That doesn’t make me childish. That makes me willful,” I said, turning to glance at him, residual blush still stinging my cheeks. “And if you remember, this is work, not play.”

“I didn’t bring you here to have this conversation,” he argued, moving ahead so that I had to walk fast to keep up.

I should have dropped the conversation. I’d already pissed him off, but we were back on the street, seconds away from splitting off to our cars and heading in opposite directions. Any chance of having a private conversation with him would be over once we left.

“Do you ever think of me when you’re with them? The other women in your life?” I asked, pausing on the grass.

The second the words slipped out, I wanted to reach for them, pull them back in one syllable at a time and replace the question with some vague goodbye. I’d never been as bold as I’d been in the last few days. I usually went after what I wanted, but there was a difference between being confident and being certifiably insane. It’s like I wanted him to squirm, to feel uncomfortable in my presence. I needed to jar him out from behind whatever wall he was building for himself.

Something about Grayson pulled out every bit of confidence I had. Maybe it was the fact that I knew he found me attractive or maybe it was the fact that I was leaving soon. Either way, it felt like I had nothing to lose.

He stopped walking mid-step, and glared back at me. We stayed like that for a few seconds, his blue eyes warning me away as best as they could. I stayed rooted to my spot, clenching my fists and waiting for his response.

“No,” he said with a sharp shake of his head. “When I was with Nicole last night… in my bed… with her legs wrapped around my neck, I never once thought of you.”

I wanted to rear back and punch his stupidly gorgeous face. His demeanor practically begged me to, but instead, I swept up every bit of confidence left inside of me and walked up to him until I was just an inch or two away from his chest. The rounded toes of our work boots pressed together and I jabbed my finger into the center of his ribcage, hard.

“You’re such a liar, Grayson,” I declared as the tension multiplied around us.

“You know what else I am?” he asked, leaning an inch closer. I stared at his lips as he spoke. “Your boss.”

I clenched my jaw, narrowed my eyes on him for another second, and then turned away. He stayed perfectly silent as I walked away from him, heading back toward my car with emotions boiling over inside of me. My heart knocked against my ribcage as I realized there’d be consequences for the game I was playing. He was my boss, and he had major pull in this city. If I pushed him too hard, too fast, my career could be over, but something told me he was enjoying the game just as much as I was.

After all, he didn’t have to hire me, he didn’t have to be my mentor, most of all, he didn’t have to divulge the fact that he found me attractive during my interview. He could have kept that his little secret.

…



Grayson’s lover, Nicole, made an appearance in the office for another lunchtime romp later that day. As her size zero frame floated through the main room, I mentally called Grayson every nasty name under the sun. He’d called her on purpose. He wanted me to back down. He greatly underestimated me.