The hours trickled by, and my new boss was in and out of his office several times. On instinct, I found myself observing how he interacted with people. He must have only been in his early thirties, yet he had this confidence that made people eager to do his bidding, to impress him. It was a little addicting to watch.

It was almost lunch when Gillian appeared at my desk and told me that Mr King wanted to have a quick word. I swallowed and stood, hesitantly making my way into the office. It was pretty impressive. Two sides of the room were all windows, looking out onto the hustle and bustle of Canary Wharf. King’s attention was fixed on the screen of one of his computers (there were several set up around his desk) as his fingers typed rapidly. I wasn’t sure if he even realised I was there until he started to speak.

“How’s your first day going, Alexis?”

It was a little disconcerting that he wasn’t looking at me, but I answered anyway. “Very well. Eleanor’s giving me a good schooling.”

A smile graced his lips. “She’s something, isn’t she? I’ll be sad to see her go, but she and her husband are retiring to the south of France, and no amount of money I’ve offered will convince her to stay.”

“Well, if given the choice between soaking up the sun in St. Tropez or staying cooped up in an office all day, I know what most people would choose.”

As soon as the statement was out, I regretted it. He paused typing and finally looked at me. A long moment elapsed, and I wondered if I’d been too free with my mouth again. This wasn’t a pub. This was an office. This man was my boss, and I really needed to learn that certain banter wasn’t appropriate.

“Have you ever been?” he finally asked.

“Huh?”

“To St. Tropez.”

“Oh, no, I haven’t,” I said, eyes glancing out the window and then back to him.

“Then how can you know it’s the better option? We need evidence to prove a point, Miss Clark. Guesstimations are a waste of time.”

“It wasn’t a guesstimation,” I replied, using his word, which definitely wasn’t in the dictionary. “I was simply using my imagination.” Plus, wasn’t his whole career based around guesswork and taking risks?

Pondering me a moment, he asked, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re very direct?” He smiled and tapped a finger on his chin as he studied me. “I like it. I’m direct, too. That being said, sometimes my directness can come across the wrong way. Which brings me to the reason why I called you in here. I’ve been told it would be wise to apologise to you for my behaviour at your interview. I sometimes have a problem with tact, and it seems what I said to you could be considered offensive.”

Wow, he was apologising? I didn’t want to show any weakness, so I simply stared at him head on and replied calmly, “You’ll have to get up a lot earlier in the morning to offend me, Mr King.”

His lips pressed together. “Really? How early are we talking?”

I suppressed a laugh and smiled. “The crack of dawn, pretty much.”

He let out a playful sigh. “It’s a pity I treasure my beauty sleep.”

I didn’t respond, only raised an eyebrow. In my opinion, his beauty didn’t need any enhancing.

“Anyway, it’s a good thing you don’t offend easily, because teary-eyed assistants are a bother.” He paused, eyeing me closely, his voice turning serious. “I value honesty, Miss Clark. Too many people in this world hide behind lies and duplicity. Needless to say, the way you so outspokenly responded to me in your interview left me truly impressed.”

His compliment surprised me. I was at a loss for words, and when I couldn’t think of anything to say, I normally made a joke. And that’s exactly what I did.

“In that case, maybe I should have told you that I have a bod for business and a brain for sin,” I quipped, humorously fluffing the line from the movie Working Girl. After all, it was an appropriate theme. “Or is that the other way around?”

King’s attention, which had momentarily wandered to his computer screen, snapped back to me, and for a second he looked halfway between amused and perplexed. Not the laughter I’d been aiming for, but not the worst possible reaction, either.

I cleared my throat, suddenly needing to get out of there. “Well, if there’s nothing else?”

“That’s all, Alexis. You can return to Eleanor,” he replied.

It was only when I was halfway to the door that he muttered under his breath teasingly, “A bod for business sounds interesting.”

I turned around, and he glanced up at me, flashing me a quick, heart-fluttering smile. I smiled back, and his attention returned to his computer screen. All at once, my uncertainty and embarrassment vanished. My chest felt fuller, and as I continued my way out of the room, I swore I felt his eyes return to me once more.

Two

I picked up some groceries for dinner on the way home, my thoughts centring on my new job, but, more importantly, my new boss. Yeah, he was appealing to look at, but there was something else about him. Something beneath the surface that got me curious. I had a feeling that there was far more to Oliver King than met the eye.

Counting the flights of stairs as I climbed my way up to our flat, I tried to remember whether Karla was working days or nights this week. Being a constable with the Metropolitan Police meant she didn’t always work a simple nine-to-five.

When I heard the shower running, I knew she’d been on the day shift. As I turned the TV on and made a start on dinner, I heard the shower turn off. A few minutes later, she came out wrapped in a towel and gave me a tired smile. Wet tendrils of her bright red hair fell across her forehead, and her clear blue eyes seemed weary.