Before I knew it, I was taking a step back so that I could fit my hand over his mouth to shut him up. I’d left the door ajar, and there was a small chance Gillian would hear. I was so panicked for a moment that I hardly realised what I’d just done. My palm was fitted against King’s sculpted lips, which, as it happened, felt really nice. He stared up at me, his bright eyes going unfathomably dark, before I snatched my hand away like I’d just been burned. Silence filled the room.

“Oh, my God, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have….”

And then both he and Dilvan started laughing.

“You know, I do feel sorry for you, working with this beast,” Dilvan told me.

“I just didn’t want Gillian to hear,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean to….”

King waved my explanations away. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” he said.

I swallowed and nodded, turning and leaving even though I hadn’t been dismissed. I needed to get out of there before I began stripping and giving him a lap dance. I swear, I did the stupidest things sometimes. I wouldn’t be surprised if that somehow happened.

When lunchtime came, I wasn’t sure if King’s invitation for me to use his bathroom was still open. He was out of the office, though, and Gillian was dining out as usual, so I decided to chance it. I’d brought a packed lunch, because I needed to watch the pennies until I got my first month’s pay.

Opening the door to the office and then to the bathroom, I furrowed my brow in confusion. The bathroom looked exactly how it normally did, only now there was a table and two chairs set up in the middle of the room, and on the table sat a chessboard. But it wasn’t just any chessboard, it was King’s. The one we’d played on at his apartment.

I didn’t get the chance to ponder it further, because the next thing I knew someone was entering the room from behind me.

“Ah, you’re here. Perfect. Fancy a game?” King asked, passing me by and pulling out a seat.

Five

“Well, are you going to just stand there all day, or are you going to come and play with me? I’m sure you’re eager for a rematch,” King went on as I stood by the door. I had to admit, I was flustered.

“Um, I….”

“Sit down, Alexis,” he urged me, but it also sounded a little bit like a command. Who knew my boss had a bossy side?

I tried to concentrate on the chessboard situation, but I had to get the “my hand on his mouth” situation out of the way first.

“I’m sorry for earlier,” I blurted. King only stared at me for a very long moment and arched a brow. “In your office, while your friend was visiting. I put my hand on your mouth, and it was so inappropriate I don’t even know where to start.” I glanced to the side and fidgeted with my hands.

“Sit down, Alexis,” King repeated, this time with more force.

Unable to resist an order like that, I finally came forward and took the seat he was offering. His knuckles brushed my shoulder as he pushed my chair in, and I instinctively sucked in a breath at the contact. Not that he noticed. Walking around to the opposite side of the table, he unbuttoned his suit jacket and took a seat.

“What you did was fine. Dilvan is a friend. If it had happened in front of anyone else, it might have been a different matter. Maybe try to resist the urge to fondle me during work hours in future.” His voice was lightly teasing, but there was also a stiffness that put me on alert.

He began to arrange the pieces to his liking on the board, and I didn’t know how to feel. Was he actually okay with it, or was he just pretending? Nah, a man like King didn’t pretend. He didn’t need to.

“Well, I’ll be more careful the next time. I wouldn’t want to embarrass you.”

He fingered his bishop and flicked his eyes to mine. “Embarrass me?”

“In front of your colleagues. I know this business can be all about appearances.”

“You think so?”

I smoothed my skirt over my thighs and saw his eyes follow the movement. Huh.

“Oh, I know so.” I paused hesitantly before asking, “Do you want honesty or the polite answer?”

“Honesty, always,” said King without batting an eyelid.

I swallowed and gave it to him straight. “I’ve only worked here a week, and already I can tell the environment is all about appearing to be successful and acting like you’re doing well, even when you might be failing miserably. And, let’s face it, more people are losing than winning, especially in today’s climate, but you wouldn’t think it to look at them.”

It was true. I might not have been working right in the middle of it all, but I’d been through the main offices often enough to be able to get the lay of the land. And the land around here was highly competitive. It was kind of a relief not to be a part of it. I had no clue why someone would actually choose this for a career. Well, okay, I did know. They chose it for the money. Though personally, I thought the amount of stress that came with the money wasn’t worth it.

King seemed intrigued as he leaned forward and rested an elbow on his knee. “And am I one of the winners or one of the losers?”

“I’ve worked on your spreadsheets. I think we both know the answer to that question.” King was winning hand over fist.

His mouth moved in something akin to satisfaction. “You have a very cynical view of my industry, Miss Clark.”

My eyes grew wide. “Can you blame me? People have lost their homes, their jobs, because of bankers speculating with their money and handing out subprime loans like candy at a fair. But really, I just see it for what it is. If somebody’s making money in this office, then it goes without saying that someone in another office is getting screwed over. There’s cash everywhere, but seemingly never enough to go around. And definitely never enough to satisfy one person’s desire for it.”