I took a seat on the couch beside her and she lifted her feet to scoot over and give me more room. I chewed my lip, shrugging slightly. “I do want to keep this job, so maybe I should try harder to behave around him.”
Max seemed to take me in for the first real time, her young eyes surveying me as if she was trying to make her mind up about something. “Nah,” she finally said. “I think it’ll be good for him if someone doesn’t take his bullshit. I mean, he’s been extra harsh with you already, even by Uncle Stones standards.”
“Any idea why that would be?”
She pursed her lips. “I’d say maybe he’s got the hots for you, but he hasn’t dated since… Well,” she trailed off and frowned. “I’m not sure he even thinks about that kind of stuff anymore. I tried to tell him about this boy I like and he looked at me like I said I was thinking about sneaking into school and removing gum from the desks with my teeth.”
I laughed. “So what was the last woman he dated like? Maybe I can try to be more like her and he will be nicer to me.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t bet on that. She was like this uptight CEO lady. I think she made seven figures and always wore these super tight pantsuits and pencil skirts. I mean, she was kind of hot, but in a battle-axe sort of way, like if you looked at her wrong, she might ruin your life all the way down to salting your pet goldfish’s bowl.”
“Which one of them broke things off?”
Max’s lips slowly spread into a grin. “Wait. Do you have the hots for Uncle Stones? You sure are asking a lot of personal questions.”
My cheeks betrayed me and went red as I shook my head a little too hard. “Definitely not. I mean, obviously he’s attractive, but leopards are pretty too and it doesn’t mean I’d want to date one.”
She frowned, then laughed, smiling wide and genuinely for the first time I’d seen. She was really a gorgeous little girl and already seemed nothing like what Mr. Stone had led me to believe I’d be dealing with. All she needed was someone to take her seriously and be open with her, or at least that’s how it seemed so far.
“You’d probably have a better chance of surviving a date with a leopard than my uncle, though,” Max admitted.
“That’s true. Anyway, I really shouldn’t be grilling you for information on him. I’m supposed to be tutoring you. Why don’t you tell me your favorite subject and we can start there?”
Max let out a long breath and gave me a look. “My favorite subject is nap time.”
I folded my arms. “Come on. Give me something to work with.”
“Fineee. I guess if I had to pick, I’d say I like history best.”
“Perfect. I can do history.” I pulled out my phone and tried to find the lessons I’d prepared. But my stupid brain was spinning in another direction–it was wondering what Mr. Stone’s history was with this uptight CEO woman. I was burning to ask Max more about him, but I knew I’d already pushed my luck. The last thing I needed was Mr. Stone imagining I was interested in him.
For some reason I felt the need to close my eyes and assure myself that I was not, in fact, interested in Mr. Stone. That was a solid no. Because I had at least two logical cells in my brain to rub together and I knew better. Because I just watched my life in New York and almost every relationship I had go up in flames. Because the absolute last thing I needed right now was a relationship.
13
CHRISTIAN
For the past week, my daily routine included a frustrating waste of time. I checked my email, then tabbed over on my computer to the security footage from the fifty-fourth floor. I made a call, then I checked the cameras again. I had lunch dropped off and took it in the penthouse while checking my phone to see what she was doing.
Fucking Lola Thorn.
The name now seemed far more appropriate because the woman was a thorn in my side.
At the time when I needed my focus and attention on the company more than anything, I was obsessing over the bubbly social butterfly who was fitting in so easily with my employees. I couldn’t even say why it pissed me off to see her adjusting so well and making friends, and that pissed me off, too.
The time was drawing near evening, and I’d made it all day without checking the cameras. I knew it was odd and unprofessional to keep such a close eye on Lola. That was part of the reason I’d made sure we had no contact for the last week. She showed up, did her job, and worked in private tutoring lessons with Max. I stopped myself from personally dragging her out of the lobby when she showed up late almost every day. I didn’t even call her up to my office when I saw her enter the breakroom alone with fucking Chase yesterday.