Like No Other

JUNE 14, 2010

Was that supposed to make her go? Emma shrugged. "Maybe I will."

She knew she wouldn't even as she swiped her all access card to be admitted to the other side of the wall. Any setting that just so happened to be social and work related would not do for her. She wanted to stay as far as possible, these days, as it happened, from the people she worked with. Events like that were just asking for trouble.

She unlocked her office, grinning at passersby and stepped inside. She turned to her desk, her fluorescent light came to life.

There was a fishing rod propped up on her desk. Emma looked around the room peculiarly, like a surprise party would jump from under her desk. She approached the green, incredibly thin bamboo with caution, looking at the sporting equipment with disdain. She fished for days when she was younger, with her grandfather but she hadn't done it in years. She had no desire to do it and nothing about that activity with the company that had been chosen for her made her detest the bamboo stick rod.

She touched the stick curiously, after she put her stuff down.

"It's my old rod," someone announced from her door.

Trey wore a deep maroon button down that looked soft to the touch with a patterned gold and maroon tie and black slacks. His gold belt buckle and cufflinks shined like his gorgeous brown eyes did while they took their fill of her inspecting the object.

She looked at the rod and back at him in question. "How did you know I didn't have one?' she asked despite her good manners.

He shrugged and crossed one ankle over the other, leaning against her door jam. This was the first time Trey had ever ventured to her office. She suspected he didn't need to break and enter to get the rod in. Everyone that worked here, even the janitors, were smitten with his demeanor. They probably let in her office with no questions, allowing him to plant a bomb if he so chose.

He shrugged. "You don't seem like a fisher Emma."

He leaned off the wall and started back to his office. Emma hurried around her desk. That was the nicest he'd ever been to her. Even if the rod was a way for them to acquire an account. Intending to use this time to set a few ground rules and make her demands, she lifted her chin, sniffed once and followed. No more Miss' Nice Guy. She spotted him down the hall heading into his own office and she called after him calmly. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked when he turned to her. Good Lord, the scent of him was so delectable Emma had to stop herself almost a meter away from him.

Trey seemed to notice her action and smirk, nodding his head and motioning for her to go into his office before him. She stepped inside and turned just in time to see him close the door. "I assume you want privacy," he commented, walking around his desk to sit. His pointer finger went to the collar of his shirt and he tugged twice, giving his Adam's Apple a little wiggle room.

Emma nodded. "Yes," she started. Where to start? "Mr. Neverson, I appreciate this job... you letting me keep mine."

"Good," he said, shuffling things about on his desk.

She wished she had his undivided attention for a while. Then she realized it was always harder for her to talk to him if he was looking at her. As if he was reading her mind, he cut his eyes and her and stopped what he was doing, waiting for her to continue.

"And I would like to stay here."

One of his perfect eyebrows lifted.

"But I don't think there's a place for me here with our... work relationship the way it is," she blew out a breath of air as soon as the words were gone from her mouth. She felt hot. Her intention was to come in here and tell him that if he didn't get his act together she was packing up her desk and getting the hell on. But now her nerves were bad and she was second guessing whether not he would call her bluff or realize that he could never be as lucrative as he could be if she remained at his side.