Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 35957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
“I am.” He sits back in his chair, makes quick work of his sandwich as I slowly start eating the broccoli cheese soup. There was chicken noodle, beef minestrone of some kind, and this. When Crew preferred the second, I went after my favorite, not that any soup isn’t good in my opinion.
“Oh, that reminds me. What do I owe you for lunch?” I ask Crew. My uncle pretends to be busy with his phone while making a mess out of his sandwich, dropping a dollop of condiment on his dress shirt in the process. And this is why Aunt Val keeps his work closet well stocked.
“Don’t worry about it,” Crew replies.
“Dang it. Whelp, I’m out of here. I need to change my clothes. It seems like Crew is showing you the ropes. By next week, you should be good to be out on your own, you think?” Well, I guess my uncle just came in to make sure Crew wasn’t doing anything he didn’t approve of? Hmm, I guess he wouldn’t like to know that it would more or less be the other way around. Crew might have placed light touches here or there, but he has yet to do anything that I wouldn’t want. In fact, I’m pretty sure I would be the aggressor.
“If not sooner. She’s a pro already with the software,” Crew acknowledges what I’ve been working on since we started this morning.
“Very good. Thanks for the sandwich. I’ll see you two later.” When we’re left alone again, we both remain quiet. I notice that my uncle kept the door all the way open when he took his leave.
“Jesus, Todd didn’t say a word about you being his niece. Only told me it’d be a conflict of interest,” Crew finally says once the coast is clear. He stands up, goes to the door, and closes it, probably in order to keep the noise at a lower decibel. Between Mary’s gasps and the soap opera actors on the tablet she has set up, it’s a wonder one can hear themselves think.
“Am I, you know, a conflict of interest?” I didn’t think of it that way when my uncle offered me a job after I finally figured out what direction I wanted to go career-wise. I had to really prove not only to myself but to him as well that this is what I want.
“I don’t. I figured there was more than what I know now, which is him being your uncle.” Crew sits down beside me. The small sofa has us sitting close together, and my body blazes like an inferno.
“Did you… Oh my god, no. You didn’t think…?” I scrunch my nose, place my soup down on the table, and just about lose my appetite for lunch.
“Had no idea, but yeah. Probably thought more along the lines of you could be anything but family. A mistress, maybe. Not like he brings anyone except Val around familywise.” I make a gagging noise in the back of my throat, covering my mouth for added effect, and try my hardest not to run to the nearest restroom.
“Absolutely not. Ewww.” I grab a bottle of water, untwist the cap, and take a healthy gulp.
“It’s been a long week,” he says beneath his breath, probably thinking I can’t hear him. Crew settles on the armrest and leans against the back of the couch. The need to kick off my shoes, pull my knees beneath me, and get comfortable is almost more than I can take. Except I’m essentially in front of my boss, and while there’s sexual tension, the last thing I’m going to do is act on it.
That must be the reason why any time I happened to see so much of a glimpse of Crew, he’d turn around and look the other way. Or he’d avoid me entirely. I’d be ready to say hello only for him to veer off toward another direction.
“Try wearing heels.” I stick my foot out, stretching my calf in the process. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Crew looking at what I’m doing. There’s a hunger, but from what I can tell so far, he’s not going to act on it. Even if he does find the smallest reason to touch me, I’ll just have to up the ante before he sends me on his way when we’re done training.
“You don’t have to wear those. I mean, it’s up to you at the end of the day, but the dress code here doesn’t state that you need to wear those every day, either.” His tongue slides along his lower lip, and my core pulses with desire. I stretch the other leg out, pointing my toes before tucking them in. Our lunch hour will dwindle down shortly, and the last thing I want to do is waste the soup and sandwich Crew paid for.