Not that it would, mind you. He might still press on with his behavior, but I didn’t spend all this time and energy to ‘fool around with the boss’.
This was it.
But then, all of a sudden, Gabe was upon me. I hadn’t even heard him approach. For no sooner had I steeled my resolve than he stood mere feet away.
Damn lab booties.
Gabe made his way around my workstation, and I glanced up to see if anyone happened to be looking. Not only was everyone watching but Melissa and Amanda were grinning like idiots.
“Lab coat fits to your liking I see.” Gabe said as he gestured towards my partially covered hands. “And here I thought you'd turned a corner.”
I tried not to smile at his comment. Instead, I twisted my expression into a face of displeasure.
“So this is how it begins…” I muttered.
Gabe paused for a moment and did a double take. “What’s that?”
“Hmm?” I said as I looked up at him. “Oh nothing.”
While a part of me felt a sudden urge to challenge him, my more pragmatic side thought better of it. And anyway, even though our banter had been playful, I had no idea how he’d respond if I accused him of wanting to involve me in an office tryst. In fact, when I realized how close I’d come to being caught at my attempt at an insult, adrenaline coursed through my veins with a fantastic shock.
It terrified and thrilled me at once.
In spite of my internal reaction, Gabe seemed unaware or unaffected. Either way, he shifted the interaction to the work I’d been doing. We discussed the issue I had with the lab results in good bit of detail. I wasn’t sure why, but once again, Gabe’s knowledge impressed me.
It was going to take some getting used to. You know what they say about first impressions. Still, I’d have to get past it and the sooner the better. After all, he was the CEO.
More so, by the time we’d finished our discussion, he had me doubting my own conclusions about the tests. That just didn’t happen. Not in the lab. Not to me.
Ever.
“Well, all right then, enough of that for now.” Gabe began as he leaned away, pointing at my results in the process. “You know what you've got to do?”
I nodded in agreement as he spoke, making notes in my planner.
As I scribbled, Gabe walked around behind me, disappearing from view. As best I could, I traced his movements with my peripheral gaze, as I didn’t turn my head to follow. Perhaps sensing it, once he’d vanished from sight, he stopped.
“How are things going so far?” he asked. I stopped breathing as he paused. “Are you enjoying it here?”
I nodded but didn’t dare turn. I had the strange sensation he was looking me up and down. Searching my mouth for moisture, I flicked my tongue across my lips before I replied.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Mmm, hmm,” he replied.
Gabe lingered behind me for a moment or two longer. If this had been any other man in any other situation, I would have spun around and gotten to the bottom of his disappearing act. The seconds crept by. I froze in place as uneasiness came over me. What the hell was he doing?
Suddenly, he spoke once more.
“Seems as if you’ve attracted some attention from the other ladies in the lab.”
As he finished, I drew my eyes from the charts filled with numbers and looked in the direction of Amanda and Melissa. But no sooner had I done so than they looked away. Gabe reappeared in my peripheral vision. I turned my head in his direction as he entered my line of sight, smirking.
“Everything okay, Fiona?” he said as he narrowed his eyes at me. “You seem… tense.”
I swallowed and tugging a strand of hair behind my ear, I broke eye contact with him and looked back down at my lab work.
“Yes,” I muttered. “Everything is fine.”
“Lying again, I see.”
My eyes darted towards Gabe. His flickered with a mischievous glimmer.
“I can always tell when you are, Fiona. So, don’t make a habit of it.”
As he finished speaking, Gabe turned and
This was it.
But then, all of a sudden, Gabe was upon me. I hadn’t even heard him approach. For no sooner had I steeled my resolve than he stood mere feet away.
Damn lab booties.
Gabe made his way around my workstation, and I glanced up to see if anyone happened to be looking. Not only was everyone watching but Melissa and Amanda were grinning like idiots.
“Lab coat fits to your liking I see.” Gabe said as he gestured towards my partially covered hands. “And here I thought you'd turned a corner.”
I tried not to smile at his comment. Instead, I twisted my expression into a face of displeasure.
“So this is how it begins…” I muttered.
Gabe paused for a moment and did a double take. “What’s that?”
“Hmm?” I said as I looked up at him. “Oh nothing.”
While a part of me felt a sudden urge to challenge him, my more pragmatic side thought better of it. And anyway, even though our banter had been playful, I had no idea how he’d respond if I accused him of wanting to involve me in an office tryst. In fact, when I realized how close I’d come to being caught at my attempt at an insult, adrenaline coursed through my veins with a fantastic shock.
It terrified and thrilled me at once.
In spite of my internal reaction, Gabe seemed unaware or unaffected. Either way, he shifted the interaction to the work I’d been doing. We discussed the issue I had with the lab results in good bit of detail. I wasn’t sure why, but once again, Gabe’s knowledge impressed me.
It was going to take some getting used to. You know what they say about first impressions. Still, I’d have to get past it and the sooner the better. After all, he was the CEO.
More so, by the time we’d finished our discussion, he had me doubting my own conclusions about the tests. That just didn’t happen. Not in the lab. Not to me.
Ever.
“Well, all right then, enough of that for now.” Gabe began as he leaned away, pointing at my results in the process. “You know what you've got to do?”
I nodded in agreement as he spoke, making notes in my planner.
As I scribbled, Gabe walked around behind me, disappearing from view. As best I could, I traced his movements with my peripheral gaze, as I didn’t turn my head to follow. Perhaps sensing it, once he’d vanished from sight, he stopped.
“How are things going so far?” he asked. I stopped breathing as he paused. “Are you enjoying it here?”
I nodded but didn’t dare turn. I had the strange sensation he was looking me up and down. Searching my mouth for moisture, I flicked my tongue across my lips before I replied.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Mmm, hmm,” he replied.
Gabe lingered behind me for a moment or two longer. If this had been any other man in any other situation, I would have spun around and gotten to the bottom of his disappearing act. The seconds crept by. I froze in place as uneasiness came over me. What the hell was he doing?
Suddenly, he spoke once more.
“Seems as if you’ve attracted some attention from the other ladies in the lab.”
As he finished, I drew my eyes from the charts filled with numbers and looked in the direction of Amanda and Melissa. But no sooner had I done so than they looked away. Gabe reappeared in my peripheral vision. I turned my head in his direction as he entered my line of sight, smirking.
“Everything okay, Fiona?” he said as he narrowed his eyes at me. “You seem… tense.”
I swallowed and tugging a strand of hair behind my ear, I broke eye contact with him and looked back down at my lab work.
“Yes,” I muttered. “Everything is fine.”
“Lying again, I see.”
My eyes darted towards Gabe. His flickered with a mischievous glimmer.
“I can always tell when you are, Fiona. So, don’t make a habit of it.”
As he finished speaking, Gabe turned and
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