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.
Completed Works
Secrets, Lies, & Betrayal Series:
The Virgins Club:
Lipstick Diaries:
Solo Romances:
The Young and The
Powerful
