Chapter 17. A lunch
Lilly Bradley
I was going through lists of properties from active clients. I had quickly familiarized myself with the tasks assigned to my position and was quite engrossed when there was a knock at my door that I didn't notice until someone cleared their throat. I looked up and saw Maxima smiling.
"Sorry, I didn't realize you were there. Have you been waiting long?" She shook her head, amused, as she entered the office.
"Everything okay... with the boss?" The tone she used annoyed me, but I managed to hide it.
"'Everything okay?'" I asked, pretending not to understand her question.
"I heard a rumor that Jackson came to intimidate you." I tried not to smile at that rumor.
"Intimidate me?" I frowned. "No. Of course not."
"Then..." She pulled out her phone and swiped her finger, then showed me the screen. It was a blurry video. "I'm Lilly Bradley, and I don't need to chase any man to get a job."
"Oh, my God. Who recorded this?" My heart pounded as I heard myself say that.
"They say the sin, not the sinner." She then put her phone away.
"You should delete it. I don't want to start any rumors. I don't like being involved in office gossip." She smiled, amused.
"Don't worry, I confiscated the video and deleted it. I made sure it wasn't distributed. But I kept it because I loved how you stood up to him." I felt my cheeks flush. "Relax, I'll listen to it a bit more and then get rid of it." She winked and then stood up. "It's good to have another strong woman besides me in this company." She didn't give me a chance to reply as she left.
Lunchtime. This time Leah couldn't join me for lunch, so I decided not to go when I reached the lobby door. I turned around but almost collided with a tall, muscular body, letting out a gasp of surprise.
"You need to watch where you're going, Miss Bradley." It was Jackson Johnson.
"But if you saw me standing near the door, why didn't you watch out? You could have kept your distance." I noticed the confusion in his eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way." I apologized immediately.
"Where are you going?" he asked, glancing around us.
"I was going out to eat, but I changed my mind."
He frowned.
"Why? It's your lunch hour."
"I don't like eating alone." His eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Wow," he said, thoughtful for a moment. I decided to sidestep him to head back to the office, but he blocked my way. "Then join me for lunch." He didn't give me a chance to respond, just gently took my elbow and guided me to the exit, where a truck waited with the door open. Politely, he motioned for me to get in, but I stayed still, looking in his direction.
"Wait," I got nervous. "I'm not hungry." It was the first thing that came to mind to avoid getting into the truck.
"You lie so badly, Miss Bradley."
"I'm not..." I gave up, really starving. "Fine, but I'll pay for my meal." He frowned.
"I invited you, so I'll pay."
"Take it or leave it," I said, trying not to smile. I noticed how his face showed surprise again at my words. "I've noticed you're not used to being rejected, right?"
"I'm not used to people responding so quickly and confidently." He pressed his lips. "Then you pay for your meal." He motioned for me to get into the truck again. I don't know why, but I smiled and then got in, and he followed.