"So how"s this new boss of yours, he seem like a nice guy?"
I took my time answering, I knew because of what had happened in Arizona everyone felt they had to s.h.i.+eld me from everything but I didn"t want them to, I was wounded yes, but not broken, I fought very hard not to be that person.
"He seems nice enough dad, it"s just answering phones and keeping track of supplies and stuff like that, no biggie."
"I could probably get you on part time down at the station as a filing clerk or something, just for the summer, until..."
"Dad, I"m fine, stop worrying about me, I"m okay, I promise."
"Okay Kat, I"ll back off but if things change you let me know right away."
"Okay dad." I kissed his cheek as I heard Jared outside.
"You tell that scamp to be careful with you on that death trap or I"ll have his hide."
"Yes sir."
I left the house before he locked me in my room to keep me safe from the big bad world.
"Hey Jared."
"Morning Kat, you ready?"
"As I"ll ever be."
I climbed on the back of his custom made bike the legs of my baggy trousers almost covering my ballet flats.
I loved the feel of the wind on my face as it rushed by, the freedom I felt on the back of a bike, it felt like I could just fly away from it all.
We got to the bike shop way too soon and Jared left me to go in by myself as he sauntered off to the shop in back.
My palms were sweating and I felt sick.
Get a grip Kat he"s just a guy, just don"t pay any attention to his arms or his tattoos or his face, s.h.i.+t, just don"t look at him.
"You plan on hanging around out here all morning Sloane?"
I almost jumped out of my skin, where the h.e.l.l had he come from?
"No sir...uh..I mean no Mr. Lyon."
"Colton, my name is Colton and I believe I told you about talking to the ground when addressing me."
s.h.i.+t does that mean I have to look at him, not good.
I lifted my head and hoped for the best.
Well h.e.l.l, didn"t the man wear anything other than muscle s.h.i.+rts, how"s a body supposed to breathe around all that hotness.
Down girl he"s way out of your league.
I took a deep breath and tried again.
"Colton, I"m ready to get to work if you"ll just show me where to start."
Good, my voice didn"t crack or anything.
He turned to lead the way into the office, and I got a look at his buns, s.h.i.+t, was there anything about the man that wasn"t perfect?
And how had I forgotten that I would be working this close to him, please G.o.d let him spend most of his time in the shop and not cooped up here in this office with me, I wouldn"t last a week.
"Something on my a.s.s?" Oh s.h.i.+t, kill me now, the worlds hottest man had just caught me staring at his a.s.s, my mortification knew no bounds.
Chapter 3.
"Oh no, uhmmmm, I wasn"t looking at your...uhmmmm,my mind just wandered there for a minute."
Yep, right into the gutter.
He kept going and dropped it thank G.o.d.
I shrugged my shoulders trying to keep the too large suit jacket from falling off of me.
I"m sure I looked a sight, I hated it, but I needed it, baggy clothes and drudgery had become my crutch since the incident and it was hard to give them up.
The fact is I hadn"t really felt alive in a long time, until yesterday when I first laid eyes on Colton Lyon.
A part of me that I had believed died at callous hands came back full force without warning.
Now all I had to do was keep my head on straight and stop obsessing over his f.u.c.k hot body and those to die for tattoos.
"This will be your desk, mine"s through that door, you"ll have the place to yourself mostly since I"m usually in the shop working or on the showroom floor.
No one comes in here when I"m not around, my guys already know this.
I run a tight s.h.i.+p, no slacking off, you get an hour lunch, your hours are nine to five unless I need you to stay a little extra for some reason, that shouldn"t happen too often but it could happen.
You know your way around a computer?"
"Yes sir...uh I mean Mr...Colton."
It"s not my fault that I was a stuttering, blus.h.i.+ng mess, for crying out loud you should see him, he"s standing with his arms folded which only makes them seem more built, legs braced apart, biker boots, tight black tee stretched across his chest with a picture of a naked Betty Boop on the front.
His tatts are dark and s.e.xy and cover one forearm and runs up to his neck and my panties are wet. So there!
Even my thoughts are exhausting.
He sighed as though I was a trial, whatever big boy, try being on my end of things.
He finished showing me around the office, doling out instructions, his highbrow accent and elocution in total contrast to his bad boy looks.
"You got all that?"
"Yes, I believe I do."
The first half of the day was a snap.
I uploaded the orders from the sheet he"d given me, placed calls to suppliers as he"d instructed and fielded calls for new orders.
Seems everyone wanted an Colton Lyon original.
True to his word he was only in and out sparingly but each time was worse than the last.
Like now, sweat made his T-s.h.i.+rt stick to his body, he looked a little flushed, I guess from the heat in the shop and the way he was drinking that bottle of water, eeeeeeek.
"What is it now?"
"Huh, what?" Oh merciful heavens please tell me he didn"t just catch me ogling his junk, but what did he expect, walking around here in those tight jeans,... that hid nothing, didn"t that hurt, to stuff all that in there?
"You"ve been staring at me with a blush on your face for the last five minutes Swan, you got a fever or something?"
"Yeah I"ve got a fever alright." Of course I mumbled that under my breath, the man was going to be the death of me, no wonder I kept spazzing out, and did he have to wear that cologne?
"What was that?"
"Nothing, nothing at all sir, just getting back to work here, lots to do."
Please take your package and exit far left, I need a d.a.m.n cigarette and I don"t even smoke.
I turned back to the computer screen before he opened his mouth and almost gave me heart failure.
"Am I f.u.c.king you?"
Say what now?
"Uh...no?" Was my new boss. .h.i.tting the pipe?
"What did I tell you about that sir s.h.i.+t?"
Gulp.
"Sorry, I"ll try to remember."
"See that you do."
Would you get out of here already before I combust?
The big guy upstairs must"ve been listening because he made an exit not long after.
Jared brought me lunch which I ate at my desk because I found that the last person had made a mess of the files, not that anything was missing, it"s just that there was no real order to anything.
Around two the phone rang, good, break up the monotony.
"Lyon"s Place, how may I help you?"
"Where the f.u.c.k is Lyon?"
"Excuse me?"
"Lyon, the quack that runs that outfit over there, where the h.e.l.l is he?"
"Sir, how may I be of service, Mr. Lyon is rather busy at the moment..."
"Listen girly..."
"No you listen, I don"t know who you are and quite frankly I don"t care, but your telephone manner leaves much to be desired.
Now either you speak to me in a civil tone or I"ll be hanging up on the count of five, one, two three, four..."
"I"m almost there little missy, we"ll just see about this."
He hung up the phone.
Oh s.h.i.+t, my first day and I"m gonna get canned, who the h.e.l.l was that?
d.a.m.n, when will I learn to keep my big mouth shut, Jared was going to be so p.i.s.sed.
Not long after I heard the same gruff voice outside the door followed by a few others, namely Colton"s.
My stomach was in knots and I had to throw up.
"Marcus what the h.e.l.l?"
"Fight"s not with you Lyon."
"You have a beef with anyone on my staff on my property, the fights with me Grimaldi."