"Hello Miss Walker. You're right on time," my grandmother said to the woman.
I stepped out of the elevator, stopping short because it didn't seem like it was a good sign that my grandmother knew this woman.
My grandmother's gaze caught mine and she looked at me in surprise. "Noah, what a surprise."
She looked at me and then at Andi. "I see you have met my new intern, Amanda Walker."
Inside all my plans and dreams for an adventure with this angel evaporated.
A glance at Andi and she looked at me in surprise.
I extended my hand to her. "How are you? Noah Strong."
Andi smiled, but I think she sensed that our time together was coming to an end because I could see disappointment on her face.
"It's nice to meet you," she said, shaking my hand.
That year she interned with my grandmother, I’d been away most of the time. But once I returned, I ended up seeing her more and more. At first my grandmother had harped on me to come to work for the company, which I didn't want to do but I did offer to help when needed.
Somehow over the years, the pent-up sexual frustration morphed into an interesting relationship between us. One filled with banter and sexual tension.
But now that I had touched her, it seemed impossible to not do it again. Over the years I’d gotten to know her, she turned out to be the woman I had first begged her to be; smart, feisty, outspoken, with a tongue that could sting, particularly if I needed it. Some might call me a sadist because sometimes I poked at her just to feel the lash of that tongue. We had about three years of foreplay that finally erupted the other night on the table.
Of course, all this could be one-sided, I thought as I crossed another street a few blocks from my hotel. She seemed to be into it when I was fucking her, but she didn't seem terribly distraught when I called things off. She was angry because I was being an asshole, but I didn’t get the sense that she disagreed or felt jilted. The fact that she was spending the day with Chen was proof that whatever was between us was purely physical.
The roll of my heart in my chest, though suggested that maybe there was more to it.
16
Andi
Hong Kong was an amazing exotic bustling city. It was like being in another world. I was loving every minute of my tour. The only thing that could have made a better is if my guide had been Noah instead of Marcus.
Not that Marcus wasn't a good guide. He knew the city, and had fascinating tales to tell about the variety of places we visited. He was sweet and charming. His manners were impeccable. He was everything that Noah wasn't, which I suppose was the problem.
I couldn't quite get the look on Noah’s face when he realized Marcus was my escort out of my head. There'd been a moment where I thought Noah might actually physically assault Marcus but then he accused me of not doing my job. He even threw in the fact that he would be talking with Margaret, and I wouldn't be there, making me look like the slacker.
Why was he being such a jerk? Was he jealous or was he just playing the role of a boss?
The fact that I wanted him to be jealous was really discombobulating. If he was jealous, that would mean he felt something for me. It was a silly girl’s wish to want a man like Noah to feel something for her. Noah slept with a lot of women, so the fact that he fucked me on my table didn't mean anything. At the same time, he hinted at jealousy right before he touched me.
I had to remind myself that what he felt didn't matter, since he felt like it was a mistake. I shook my head unable to wrap my brain around any of it.
"Yoo hoo?" Marcus waved his hand in front of my face. "Are you there?"
I blinked as I realized I was lost in thought. It was so rude of me to be thinking of Noah while Marcus was showing me a lovely time around Hong Kong.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
He arched a brow and stopped us on the path in the garden that we were strolling through. He took my hand and looked at me seriously. "Is everything all right? Are you in trouble with Noah or something?"
I shook my head. "It’s just worrying over the company and what’s going on."
"It must be more serious than what Noah is making it out to be. Is there anything I can help with?"
I was smart enough to know that I couldn't give Marcus any details. At the same time, I thought he might be of some help. He knew the distributors, suppliers, vendors and everyone that Strong Incorporated worked with here in Hong Kong.
I decided to play coy. "Oh, I don't know how you could help. All that technical stuff goes over my head. I guess I just have to trust that Noah will figure it out."