enviable trim waist. And brown hair that appeared to be all his, and a handsome face that likely once hooked women in college bars across the country.
He had potential, but he also had an ex-wife, and if the rumor was correct, a hefty alimony payment. Apparently his wandering eye and skillful hands had cost him big the first time around. He’d lost the house, part of his income and now depended on his fancy new sports car to start a conversation with a lady.
“You okay?” he asked.
She doubted the concern was real. More likely he decided it was time to make a run at a woman with more power in the office than his usual targets. He’d already worked his way through two interns and an assistant. Angie admired his goal in aiming higher this time around, but he needed to point his radar in a different direction. One nowhere near her.
“Why wouldn’t I be fine?” she asked him over the rim of her glass as she took a sip.
Mark glanced at Brandon. “This is a tense situation.”
Angie wondered if Mark expected some expression of guilt or evidence of shame. If so, he was looking at the wrong woman. She’d built a life and did it using the assets her mother had passed to her. If that meant not being the office favorite, so be it. Those nitwit women bugged her anyway. They were just jealous she had the thought to start climbing the office ladder first.
If her life’s choices meant upsetting an overgrown kid who didn’t understand the realities of his parents’ messed-up marriage, fine. She did what she had to do to survive and she refused to apologize for her drive. Brandon had everything handed to him. She didn’t. As far as she was concerned, she was evening the odds.
“Are you standing here because you think I need protection from something?” she asked Mark. The idea was laughable, but she knew men often bought into those foolish thoughts.
“My guess is you have a guardian angel with more power than I have around here.”
Mark grew less interesting by the minute. “I also have nothing to hide.”
“Fair enough.”
Lowell glared at her from across the room. Then his attention turned to Mark. With a flick of his wrist Lowell had his subordinate scurrying around the desk to his side.
Pitiful.
No way was she running when Lowell snapped his fingers. She wasn’t even supposed to be in this room. She should be on a higher floor, working through the steps she’d memorized. It all fell apart when Aaron McBain went hunting where he didn’t belong.
When she regrouped and adjusted her plan, she’d be sure to take care of McBain first. She wouldn’t give the man a second chance to ruin everything.
* * *
R ISA VOWED NEVER to ATTEND another holiday party. She might skip Christmas this year all together. She hadn’t planned to go anywhere anyway. With her parents gone, what little family she had scattered all over the U.S. and out of contact, and her personal life in repair mode, she didn’t have a lot of options.
When Paul had emptied their joint bank account and moved out, sticking her with a rent payment she couldn’t afford, he’d made her life miserable. Then there were the credit cards he’d opened in her name and then didn’t pay. He’d ruined her credit, which led to her losing her bank job and many friends. Amazing how they assumed she was the problem rather than the victim, which made her wonder about the stories Paul had told her friends while she was out of the room.
The engineers at Buchanan had given her a chance to start over. She appreciated it, coveted it, but she wasn’t willing to die for it.
“You’re doing great.”
When she glanced up from staring at her hands, Aaron was looking at her. Those eyes gave away his concern. He acted tough and in charge, and he was, but she spied a layer of worry underneath. That bit of humanity made her heart turn over.
“I feel like I’m ten seconds away from imploding.”
He brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. “That’s
He had potential, but he also had an ex-wife, and if the rumor was correct, a hefty alimony payment. Apparently his wandering eye and skillful hands had cost him big the first time around. He’d lost the house, part of his income and now depended on his fancy new sports car to start a conversation with a lady.
“You okay?” he asked.
She doubted the concern was real. More likely he decided it was time to make a run at a woman with more power in the office than his usual targets. He’d already worked his way through two interns and an assistant. Angie admired his goal in aiming higher this time around, but he needed to point his radar in a different direction. One nowhere near her.
“Why wouldn’t I be fine?” she asked him over the rim of her glass as she took a sip.
Mark glanced at Brandon. “This is a tense situation.”
Angie wondered if Mark expected some expression of guilt or evidence of shame. If so, he was looking at the wrong woman. She’d built a life and did it using the assets her mother had passed to her. If that meant not being the office favorite, so be it. Those nitwit women bugged her anyway. They were just jealous she had the thought to start climbing the office ladder first.
If her life’s choices meant upsetting an overgrown kid who didn’t understand the realities of his parents’ messed-up marriage, fine. She did what she had to do to survive and she refused to apologize for her drive. Brandon had everything handed to him. She didn’t. As far as she was concerned, she was evening the odds.
“Are you standing here because you think I need protection from something?” she asked Mark. The idea was laughable, but she knew men often bought into those foolish thoughts.
“My guess is you have a guardian angel with more power than I have around here.”
Mark grew less interesting by the minute. “I also have nothing to hide.”
“Fair enough.”
Lowell glared at her from across the room. Then his attention turned to Mark. With a flick of his wrist Lowell had his subordinate scurrying around the desk to his side.
Pitiful.
No way was she running when Lowell snapped his fingers. She wasn’t even supposed to be in this room. She should be on a higher floor, working through the steps she’d memorized. It all fell apart when Aaron McBain went hunting where he didn’t belong.
When she regrouped and adjusted her plan, she’d be sure to take care of McBain first. She wouldn’t give the man a second chance to ruin everything.
* * *
R ISA VOWED NEVER to ATTEND another holiday party. She might skip Christmas this year all together. She hadn’t planned to go anywhere anyway. With her parents gone, what little family she had scattered all over the U.S. and out of contact, and her personal life in repair mode, she didn’t have a lot of options.
When Paul had emptied their joint bank account and moved out, sticking her with a rent payment she couldn’t afford, he’d made her life miserable. Then there were the credit cards he’d opened in her name and then didn’t pay. He’d ruined her credit, which led to her losing her bank job and many friends. Amazing how they assumed she was the problem rather than the victim, which made her wonder about the stories Paul had told her friends while she was out of the room.
The engineers at Buchanan had given her a chance to start over. She appreciated it, coveted it, but she wasn’t willing to die for it.
“You’re doing great.”
When she glanced up from staring at her hands, Aaron was looking at her. Those eyes gave away his concern. He acted tough and in charge, and he was, but she spied a layer of worry underneath. That bit of humanity made her heart turn over.
“I feel like I’m ten seconds away from imploding.”
He brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. “That’s
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