Chapter 63
Warm lips kissed his closed eyelids as a cool hand smoothed the hair back from his sweaty brow. “Congratulations,” Eckhart murmured. “You got the job. Can you start Monday?”
Breathless, Bryce sighed. “Yes, sir.”
* * * *
Bryce doesn’t conduct interviews the way Mr. Eckhart does. And, since he’s joined the firm, Mr. Eckhart hasn’t had any reason to interview anyone else personally again. Alecia receives the resumes and performs the initial interviews, then passes any potential candidates onto Bryce for a second look. If he adds a hiring manager on staff, that will eliminate his involvement in the whole process, too, leaving him more time for his other duties. First and foremost of which is, of course, performing any tasks with which Mr. Eckhart needs his assistance.
At eight o’clock, Alecia arrives at the office and starts in on the Post-Its Bryce has left on her computer. Call the coffee company, find the Japan account, get together the folders for tomorrow’s interviews. When the first candidate arrives ten minutes later, Alecia shows the woman back to Bryce’s desk, which sits immediately outside Mr. Eckhart’s office. Bryce gives the woman his undivided attention while he reviews her resume, barely glancing over her shoulder when Mr. Eckhart passes by at quarter to nine. His phone sits to one side of his desk; as the woman tells him about her last job, Bryce surreptitiously sends a text to his boss that reads simply, Running a little late this morning?
Two seconds later, the phone vibrates with a reply. At least I made it. I could’ve stayed in bed.
Bryce suppresses a smile. Alone?
The potential employee looks from Bryce to his phone, but doesn’t say anything. He pockets the phone, ignoring it when it vibrates with Mr. Eckhart’s answer. “Sorry about that,” he says with a disarming grin. “The boss just got in. You know how it is.”
“Will I be interviewing with him?” she asks.
Bryce laughs and shakes his head. “No, no, not at all. Mr. Eckhart oversees the firm as a whole, and much of his day is spent dealing with logistics on a corporate level.”
She gives Bryce a flirty little smile. “So you’ll be my boss then, Mr. Howerton?”
“I’m actually Mr. Eckhart’s assistant,” Bryce tells her. “You’ll report to the CSR manager assigned to your shift. You said you were interested in evenings?”
“Unless you’reinterested in my evenings.” From the way she leers at him, she’s only half kidding.
A little unprofessional, aren’t we?he thinks. As far as he’s concerned, the interview is over.
Shuffling her resume back into its folder, he tells her, “I’m flattered, really, but I’m in a committed relationship—”
“Oh! I’m so sorry!” Color pinks her cheeks and she hides her face in her hand. “I didn’t know. I didn’t see a ring…”
Bryce looks up to find Mr. Eckhart standing in his office doorway. “I think we’re done here.”
She tries again, “I’m really sorry—”
“It’s fine, really,” Bryce says.
Behind her, Mr. Eckhart taps his wrist to indicate the time.
Bryce glances at his boss. “Thank you very much for your time, Miss—” He checks her resume. “Miss Jackson. You’re extremely qualified for the position, but we have a few more candidates to interview before we fill the position. I hate to cut this short—”
“No, I understand,” she says quickly, eager to please.
“But I’m being paged.” He nods at Eckhart.
She turns in her chair, surprised to find someone behind her. “Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—hi there. Nice to meet you, sir.”
Mr. Eckhart holds out a hand to shake hers when she stands. “Miss Jackson, hello. I’m sure Alecia will show you out?” Without waiting for an answer, he heads back in to his office, calling out as he goes, “Mr. Howerton, if I can have a moment, please?”
Bryce uses his desk phone to page Alecia; a moment later, she appears. “We’ll be in touch by the end of the week. If you have any questions, Alecia can address them for you. Good day.”
Before either woman can object, Bryce sidesteps both of them and ducks into Mr. Eckhart’s office. He doesn’t get very far inside before the door shuts behind him.
A sly grin eases across his face. “I have another interview in a few minutes,” he says, turning. “This can’t take long…”
Mr. Eckhart leans back against the closed door, his immaculately pressed suit wrinkled where his arms are crossed before his chest. The sleepiness Bryce saw on his lover’s face earlier in the morning is gone now, replaced with a wily, wolfish grin. “Was that bitch out there sniffing around my man?” Tim asks. “Come here.”
Bryce makes a show of checking his watch. “Last time I checked the schedule, I had you down for eleven o’clock. You have another hour and a half before I’m all yours—”
“Bullshit,” Tim spits. “You’re always mine.”
Pushing away from the door, he crosses the distance between them in two steps. Wraps his arms around Bryce’s waist, pulls his lover near, holding on so tight Bryce can barely breathe. Tim dips down and presses his mouth to Bryce’s in a lingering kiss that leaves little room for argument—mine, that kiss says, loud and clear. You belong to me. Don’t forget it.