Reputation (The Lockharts)

Chapter Two

It's like I can't see anything buther.

My heart gives an extra beat as I approach her at a faster pace. My eyes take her in, enjoying the fact that she's not aware of my presence yet and I can get an eyeful of her beautiful figure and creamy skin without her noticing my hungry stare.

My mouth salivates as my eyes linger on her shirt which reveals a hint of cleavage and her long legs are in those red heels. I don't think she realizes how beautiful and sexy she is.

The first time I saw her marching into my office, I had to stop everything I was doing only to take her in. And then, she smiled at me in a soft and sweet way that could melt anyone, and it felt like the air was knocked out of my body.

Though I believe Cassandra Carrington is beautiful, I'm sure her most disarming feature is her smile. She can ask me for anything, and I would give it to her if only she granted me one of her smiles.

I'm fucking glad that she gives them away easily since I'm greedy and addicted to them by now.

Starting my day with Cassie's smile is the best way to get into a great mood for the rest of the workday. And since I'm desperate when it comes to her grins, whenever she comes into my office with my coffee or some documents, I like to stop what I'm doing to thank her and witness her lovely smile gracing her lips.

It sends my heart racing every single time.

It's been four years since we've been working together, and it never gets old to see her smiling. In fact, I've been searching fornew ways to keep smiling.

My hands tingle when I reach her and slide the coffee on her desk. She looks up at me in surprise, and I raise my eyebrows. "Hey, Cassie. Thought you might need this."

She glances at the cup of coffee and her lips stretch wide with excitement. The gesture is contagious since I find myself with curled lips too.

"Hey, boss," She answers in her silky voice that feels like a soothing caress. Her hand moves to the cup to grab it. On the way, her fingers brush against mine. Though it is a quick brush, my entire hand tingles at the gesture. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Apparently, I'm an ogre who has been overworking you," I clear my smile and tell her with a straight face. I raise my eyebrows, unimpressed.

Her brows knit together in confusion but her eyes sparkle. "I would never call you an ogre," She says while scrunching her nose, and I blink, far from convinced. "At least, not to your face."

I shake my head in amusement, fighting back the large grin that wants to crack on my face.

"Have I mentioned that you look good today?" She asks, her eyes drifting to my chest and landing on my tie. Her smile stretches on her face again, and it's wider if possible. "Nice tie."

I stare down at the tie she gifted me last Christmas and raise my eyebrow. "Thanks. It was a gift," I play along.

She hums in approval. "That person has amazing taste."

"Debatable," Comes my answer in a dry tone.

I'm not talking about the hideous mug that she gave me but about her boyfriend. To this day I question why she's dating that guy. I don't get what she sees in him. If it were up to me and my father gave me any permission, I would be firing his fucking ass.

And not because I'm jealous that he gets to touch and kiss Cassie whenever he wants. Or that he gets to be the one she goes home to after a long day. Or that they can snuggle up all weekend long and enjoy it while watching movies together and making love in between. Or that he knows how beautiful she must look after she comes.

Definitely not jealous.

I'm grateful that he's in another department and am not tortured by having to watch them together. Otherwise, I think I wouldn't have the willpower to keep myself from firing him and would have given away my real feelings for my assistant a long time ago.

"Hey!" Cassie complains but is amused at my answer. Her eyes narrow and she looks adorable when she's pretending to be intimidating. Her glare manages to soften the tense muscles in my chest. "Don't be mean to overworked employees."

"Apologies, I'll try to behave next time," I reply dryly. "So, you got everything ready there for the meeting later?"

"Sure thing, boss," She says, perking up in her seat. "Want to go through the presentation and documents one last time?"

I nod. I don't need to, I know every word in the document. I could recite it in my sleep, but I'd like to bask in Cassie's presence for a few more minutes. So, I take the opportunity she offers.

I take any opportunity she gives me whether it is to spend a few more hours with her, make her smile, bring her favorite coffee after working until late the day before, or touch her under the pretext of guiding her to her ride home.

I take any chance to get closer to her since I'm stuck in the boss and friend category, and much to my dismay, I don't find a way to get out of it.

* * *

Hi!

What do you think of Ryder so far?

If you liked the chapter, please vote, comment, and add this story to your reading lists. It helps a ton.

Thanks for reading and see you in the next chapter 

- HFK xxx