“But I was just getting started.”
“Weren’t you just complaining about the fact Aunt Moira has Tilly until three?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“Mallory and I will be just fine.” I gave her a pointed look. “I know you’ll be back here tomorrow morning to make sure I haven’t fired her, so…” I made a walking motion toward the door, hoping she’d get the hint.
She did.
That was why she was wearing a huge, shit-eating grin. “All right. Let me run things over with Mallory one more time, and then I’ll be out of your hair, cuz.”
“I think she’s probably got the hang of it. She looks smarter than the last girl you hired.”
“Maybe you should hire your assistants yourself.”
The phone rang, cutting through our childish banter. Mallory grabbed for it like it was her lifeline out of here, and with a perfectly friendly tone, said, “Good afternoon, you’ve reached Cameron Reid’s office. Mallory speaking. How can I help you?”
As she slid into the cushy leather chair, I motioned for Casey to follow me toward my office. “Do you have to be such a shithead?” I hissed her.
“Yes. If you’d had an older sister, she’d be doing this.”
“You’re a month older than me. She’s just fine. Look at her. Now go look after my niece before I invest in ten years’ worth of drumsets for her.” I gave her a hard look before I slammed my office door and sat down in my chair.
My heart was racing, and it was fucking stupid. Casey had made me look a fool in front of my new assistant, and the longer I sat in silence behind my closed door, the angrier I felt. Most of my staff were used to our tempestuous, sibling-like relationship, but it wasn’t the impression I wanted to imprint on my new assistant.
Especially not one as beautiful and familiar as Mallory Harper.
How the fuck did I know there? I couldn’t imagine a situation where I couldn’t remember meeting her.
Rubbing my hands over my face once again, I pictured hers.
That dark hair that sat in loose curls around her face. Big, dark-blue eyes. Bee-stung, pouty lips slicked in red lipstick. Cheeks pink like my grandmother’s roses.
A knock sounded at my door, and I sat up straight, instinctively adjusting my tie. “Come in.”
The door creaked open, and Mallory peeked inside, holding a coffee mug in her hand. “Am I interrupting anything?”
Yes. Thinking about you.
“Not at all,” was what left my mouth.
She smiled, her entire face brightening with it. “I checked your schedule and saw that you’re free. Cynthia Carlton asked that you return her call as soon as you had a moment, if it was sooner than first thing tomorrow morning.” She hid a laugh. “I thought I’d bring you a coffee before you tackled that conversation.”
“I appreciate it, thank you.” I moved the dirty coffee cup from this morning so she could put the new one down. “I’m sorry she was one of your first conversations today.”
“Oh, it’s fine.” Mallory took the dirty mug without batting an eyelid. “If you think she’s hard work, you should meet my great aunt.” She shot me a smile before pausing at the sound of the phone. “I should get that. Sorry.”
She darted off, leaving my door ajar before I could ask her to close it.
Oddly enough, it was only at the sight of her leaving that I froze, my memory flashing with the events of two days prior.
A beautiful brunette woman, on her ass on the curb. Her Starbucks cup flattened on the sidewalk with the hot, fresh coffee splattered over the concrete, and big, dark-blue eyes staring up at me with pure embarrassment.
Holy shit.
The crazy woman who’d run in front of my car was my new assistant.
And, no matter what she’d said, after meeting her, I had no doubt in my mind that those flamingo panties had been hers.
There was only one word for this situation.
And that word was: fuck.
CHAPTER FIVE – MALLORY
I’d been staring at the clock for fifteen minutes, just waiting for the big hand to tick up to the twelve. The little hand had been firmly edging its way toward the five for far too long.
I needed to get out of here.
This new job was a disaster.
Meeting my new boss—Cameron Reid—had been nothing short of utterly embarrassing. After Casey had introduced us, I wanted to run and hide in the bathroom and attempt an escape out of the window.
I may well have done if I’d had my purse with me.
Thankfully, I’d been saved by the bell. The phone, if you wanted to be entirely specific. It’d pulled my attention away from the hottest man I’d ever met—who’d almost run me over and was now my boss.
Up close, he was even more handsome.
I mean, it wasn’t like I was able to share unashamedly at him when I was on my ass on the curb, was it? I’d been so humiliated I’d wanted to run away, and I’d done it. Complete with a portion of my ass on show.