The One Who Got Away is Back

Present 6 ♡ Casually Powerful and Definitely Fabulous

"There. Perfect," I said, taking a step back.

Miguel took a deep breath, so deep that he appeared to deflate entirely when he released it.

"Addy, don't do this to me."

"What?" my eyes widened. I looked down at the button, trying to understand what he was saying.

Miguel closed his eyes and said, "I'll be in my office, okay? It's early, but someone might come in and see me struggling to not push you against the nearest desk to have my way with you."

My jaw dropped.

His smile was tight. At a glance, he looked like someone who struggled under the strain of heavy weights. Without further ado he went into his office and closed the glass door.

For all intents and purposes, the floor had become water under me. I waded back to my stool and had to hold myself upright by grabbing onto the furniture. A glance at him and he was shrugging out of his jacket as though the office weren't freaking cold with nobody else around. As though he were as hot and bothered as he'd left me.

Oh Lord. I was in danger.

"Work, bitch," I told myself, paraphrasing Britney Spears. I took an Ayrton sized gulp of coffee and got back to it.

The relief I felt when the first of my coworkers started arriving an hour later couldn't be expressed. All that time I'd been fearing what could happen if either of us moved from our spots and met somewhere in the middle, but now that I wasn't alone I dared to go to the common area again and get more coffee.

"Ready for the big presentation?" Marisol asked me for a greeting as soon as she joined me in our area.

"Just putting the finishing touches, but otherwise yes."

She grinned. "I'm so looking forward to seeing what Mr. Diapers' face will be when you wipe the floor with him."

I shushed her and looked around. "Geez, say it louder, will you?"

"Who cares?" She shrugged. "The asswipe is finally on his way out and he knows it."

We would see about that. I didn't think that would be the case, even if both Miguel and Angela approved of this idea. Somehow he would find a way to grab it and do with it what he wanted, as though he'd been the originator. That was his modus operandi. I couldn't begin to count how many of my designs he'd passed for his own since he came on board three years ago.

The good thing was that with the way things had developed it was clearer than ever that this hadn't come from him and that thought alone gave me renewed energy.

By the time the afternoon meeting time rolled in, I was so ready to crush this. My laptop had gone with me everywhere I went, which was totally the right move considering the way Jean Paul glared at me as I took my seat at the table for the design review. When it was my turn, I walked in front of the room in the fabulous cream power suit I'd made, with delicate copper pinstripes that emphasized my curves the right way. The silky blouse matched the hue of the stripes and showed just enough skin to be interesting but never vulgar.

I looked good and I knew it, which was a major boost in a room like this, especially as I delivered the key aspects of my business case on how to help people take ownership of the design pieces that were meant to make them feel like a million bucks on the daily.

There was applause after I was done, and I took a bow that made Jean Paul's color rise.

After the ruckus died down Miguel said, "I'm intrigued, but I'm not saying yes quite yet. Once the meeting is done I'd like you to come into my office and tell me more details."