5

Ari dropped to her knees and crawled under the desk to check the wires of the server located there. Her boss had submitted multiple complaints about a loud noise. She was more of a programmer than a technician.

Kyle, the world’s biggest coward and the only supervisor over her, insisted she be the one to go. Everyone else was afraid of Mr. Devon Montgomery. He was well known for having a wicked temper and a forthright personality. She was the sacrificial lamb.

Mr. Montgomery was tall, dark, and handsome. Smooth umber skin, muscular build, and rich. He made even the gay males in the secretarial pool drool when he walked by. When they weren’t trying to avoid looking bored or incompetent.

Biting her lip, she used a screwdriver to pull off one of the protective wall casings. She had already turned on the server and hadn’t noticed any excessive noise.

It wasn’t as if she did not have anything better to do. Her morning had been light, she’d spent most of it trying to decide whether she should take a break from seeing Grant for a while.

This weekend had been fun and normal for them, but it also threw her heart for a loop. They’d fallen into a routine and while her mind understood she was not the one for him. Her heart was starting to write checks it could not afford. Especially now that she had Sofia.

Seeing him cradle the puppy to his chest brought up unwanted images of other little things he would look hot cradling. Ari knew being “Friends with Benefits” with her best friend was dangerous.

But her best friend was also a reasonably well-endowed stud who loved her and would do everything in his power not to shatter her heart.

Purposely…

Of course his breaking her heart was inevitable if she let herself imagine something more significant then friendship.

* * *

Devon walked into his office to find the unexpected, but definitely welcome, sight of a wiggling round ass in a skirt beneath the side of his desk facing the door. His day was looking up, Devon thought with a smirk before clearing his throat.

He heard a slight gasp before the wiggling increased and the most purposely frumpy person he had ever seen reveled herself. Her glasses were huge. Her suit was fitted, but was an unflattering shade of navy and at least three years old.

Her hair was pulled back into a low bun, but there were slender tendrils of curls framing her round face. She nervously brushed at her skirt before clearing her throat.

“Mr. Montgomery.”

“What were you doing?”

“I was sent to look into your complaints about the server. I was checking into the wiring.”

Devon nodded. “And?”

She smiled. “Nothing so far. I could replace the server, but the requisition would take a few days.”

The buzzing from the server was annoying, but being disconnected from the network for a few days was not in the cards for him. Eyeing the girl he walked over to his desk and dropped the file in his hand.

She stood to the side waiting for him to dismiss her. Devon unbuttoned his black blazer and shrugged it off. He could take pity on her and send her away.

He had things to do. Clients to call. But she looked did not look as scared of him as most of his employees did. It was intriguing.

“What’s your name?”

“Ari Carter.”

Ms. Carter… She nervously pulled on her sleeves and took a step back. He smirked. His brother, Fin, always accused Devon of focusing to hard on work. Not looking for the fun in life. Maybe, he was right.

“How long have you worked here?”

“Two years.”

Devon took a seat and eyed the chair across from him. The look of horror on her face was comical. It was obvious she wanted to bolt for the door. She wouldn’t do it though. No one was that brave.

At thirty years old, Devon was the CEO of this company because he had a reputation for making money and cuts. He was well aware of the fact most of his employees lived in fear of getting on his bad side and losing their jobs.

Ari sat down and tucked her legs together. A tense smile on her lips as she looked at him attentively.

“What do you do for the company?”

“I am a full time programmer and a part time tech. At least when it comes to you.”

“Just me?”

“You have managed to put the fear of impromptu firing in minds of most of the IT department.”

“Except you?”

“I’m good at my job.” Ari remarked with a dispassionate shrug.

Devon smiled at the bold statement. “Good to know.”

The smirk she gave him brightened her entire face. Though she tried to hide it, she was beautiful. Ari toyed with the edge of her glasses.

“I should get back to my work. If you have any more problems with the server. I will put in the forms to replace it.”

“Okay.”

Giving him another tense smile, she stood up. “Have a good day.”

“How about making it a good night as well?”

She looked surprised by the offer. Devon stood and circled the desk to look down at her. He had a feeling Ms. Carter, all cleaned up, would be a heart stopper.

“Let’s have dinner.”

“Does this count as sexual harassment?” Ari asked with a mischievous look in her eyes.

“Maybe inappropriate behavior.”

“HR is going to hate having to process those papers.”

Devon respected her lack of fear and knew she was enjoying this as much as he did. Taking a step back he offered her a smiled.

“They love me up there.”

“I don’t mix business and pleasure.”

Devon chuckled. “At least you think it would be pleasurable.”

“Well, I think that speaks more of my own self confidence than yours.”

Surprised, Devon laughed in a short bark. Ari turned and walked out of his office. He’d been looking for a new distraction and she was just what he needed.