She nodded, reluctant to move away from him but wanting to see his office and where he worked.
“There are a few women I want you to meet that you’re a lot alike, and I think you guys could be good friends,” he said.
“Are you sure they’d like me? Not many people do.”
“I absolutely think they would like you. It’s like I said, they’re a lot like you, and I think you need them.”
He lifted her off his lap and took her hand.
“Where is your office?” she asked.
“It’s in this building. It makes it very convenient to live here. But I’d like to look for a house eventually. Would you like to live in a house?”
“Yes, I would love that. I like gardening and having animals, and you can’t do that in an apartment. Uncle Jerry wouldn’t allow me to get an animal because he was allergic. So I spent a lot of time at the animal rescue league and helped with the animals there. So someday, when I have my own house, I’m going to have animals. It’s one of my dreams. Do you like animals?”
“I did, I grew up with a dog and a cat, and I miss their companionship.”
He pulled her into that elevator and punched thedownbutton before wrapping an arm around her waist. It was so nice to be able to hug him, and he seemed to like it, too.
“Here we go, sweetheart,” he said. “This here is my office.”
The place was huge. It held a very big desk, and shelves on one wall with books and electronic equipment. There was a leather sofa and a chair, and it looked like he had his own little bathroom. She thought she could probably live there very happily.
“So, this is it. This is where you’ll spend a lot of the time.”
“Are you sure you want me to work here?” she asked. “That means we’ll spend a lot of time together. I’m afraid that you will get sick of me very quickly.”
He kept her face in his hands. “That would never happen, I promise you. I want you to stop worrying about it. How about I show you around and have you meet some people I think you’ll like.”
She was extremely nervous, thinking that none of his friends would like her. But she tried the best she could. They walked down a long hallway, stopped at another office, and then stopped in another one.
“Hey, Chase,” Gavin said
“Hey, how are you two doing?”
“Good, I wanted to show her around, and I wanted her to meet my partner.”
He squeezed her hand. “Baby, this is Chase, my very good friend. We used to be partners when we were policemen, and now we work together in this security business. And Chase, you already know who she is.”
She looked up at him. “How does he know me?”
“He was there at the auction,” Gavin said.
She could feel her face heat with a deep blush, and tears burned her eyes. Chase came to her and cupped her cheek in his hand. “Honey, you have no reason to be embarrassed. The only thing I thought of when I was there was that I wished I had gotten to you first.”
“Really?” she sniffed.
Chase smiled. “Yes, really. I saw the look on my partner’s face and knew that I didn’t have a chance with you. We both thought you were beautiful right from the start.”
She looked up at Gavin. “You really think I’m beautiful?”
“Sweetheart. I absolutely think you’re gorgeous, and you’re perfect for me.”
There were so many emotions going through her, and she didn’t know which one to concentrate on.
“Alexa, Chase is the one I want you to go to if you can’t find me. You’ll listen to him as you would me, and he’ll be able to punish you if needed.”
“Punish me?” she asked.