“Did you meet her?” Katherine asked as she popped her head into Sasha’s office. Her young eyes were wide and her mouth was open with a broad smile. “She’s here and she’s so cool.” She popped back out, and the next coworker came along and did nearly the same thing.
Sasha tried to concentrate once again on her paperwork. The office was all abuzz with the arrival of the new news anchor. Sasha had heard of course, all about the new hire, but her mind was elsewhere, as usual.
She glanced at her calendar. It had been nearly a month since she’d allowed herself to think of the name Brandy. And she’d been pretty proud about that. Perseverance and self-control could indeed go a long way if one tried. However, her mind still mulled and ached over Hannah, which wasn’t good, but things had been getting better. The pain wasn’t as piercing, and out of sight, out of mind really had helped as well. Each and every day for two weeks, she had hesitated while holding the phone ready to call her. But each time, she’d talked herself down and found something else to do. It hadn’t been easy, and her dreams at night were uncontrollable, but she felt that she was making headway. She had to. Hannah’s happiness depended upon it. Hannah needed time and she should’ve known it all along. And she definitely should’ve known it when she’d tried to touch her chest that night in the Jeep. Hannah still wasn’t ready, regardless of what she said. So Sasha had done the right thing from the beginning by putting space between them.
“Have you met her yet?”
Sasha glanced up to see Dennis in her doorway. He had his arms crossed, and he didn’t look nearly as happy as the others seemed to be with their new arrival.
“No, I’ve been busy here. Have you?”
He leaned on the doorjamb. “Yeah, she’s okay I guess. A bit hotsy totsy if you ask me.”
“Oh?” She was surprised to hear him speak that way about a coworker. Usually he was Mr. Nice Guy.
“You know, a bit stuck up.”
Sasha laughed. “You got all that from a hello?”
“That’s all it took.”
Sasha stood, knowing she did indeed need to introduce herself before the rest of the crew ate the woman alive. She smoothed down her skirt and eased into her flats. Thankfully, her swelling was under control once more and she could fit comfortably in her shoes. Soon, she’d be back to heels. She breezed past Dennis with a smile and headed to the boardroom where lunch was being served in celebration and welcome.
People were scattered about, eating from small plates, chatting and laughing. A deep, throaty laugh caught her attention from near the corner. Gavin, who had his back to her, turned, revealing a tall redhead with a gorgeous smile. Her laugh was infectious, and she had the small group around her nearly in tears.
Sasha smiled as well, wondering what the joke was. She was about to ask when the woman caught her gaze and locked in. Her green eyes danced, and a perfectly groomed eyebrow shot up in obvious interest.
“And who might this be?” she asked, causing the rest of the group to turn.
Gavin embraced Sasha with a half hug and pulled her in. “This is Sasha Bashton. Sasha, this is Heidi Malone.”
Heidi shook her hand firmly and then ever so slightly, tickled her palm with her middle finger. Sasha blushed and Heidi seemed pleased, assuming her message was received.
“Welcome aboard,” Sasha managed. “We’re thrilled to have you.”
“Thank you. I’m thrilled to be here.” She winked. “I have to say, I’ve never had such an enthusiastic welcome before.”
“Oh?” The group dispersed for food, and Sasha found herself alone with Heidi. “Where were you before?”
“Dallas. How about you? Have you been here long?”
“Oh gosh, yes. Years.”
“You know, I believe Gavin told me about you. Bragged is more like it. You’re marketing, right?”
“Yes.” She searched her face and fought standing on her tiptoes to be eye-to-eye with her. She also couldn’t stop thinking about that press of her finger into her palm. Was she aware she had done it? Did she know what it meant?
By the curl of her lips and the way she studied Sasha, she seemed to know exactly what it meant.
“Gavin thinks very highly of you, to say the least.”
“Gavin is wonderful. You will love working for him.”
“I don’t know about that, but I’m sure I’ll love working with you.”
Sasha blushed again. She was flirting. Actually flirting. Sasha knew she should say something or excuse herself. But she was captivated by her long, curly locks, her mesmerizing eyes, and her playful mouth. The woman was drop-dead gorgeous.
“I’m sure I’ll love working with all of you.” She grinned.
She was clever. Very clever.
“Sasha, did you eat?” Dennis asked, interrupting.
Sasha eyed him hard, upset at being interrupted with something so silly. He made it sound like she needed a mother or a constant reminder to do things. Where did he get off?
He seemed to sense her thoughts. “It’s just that it’s going fast and I know you need to stay fueled.”
“I’m fine, Dennis.”
He nodded quickly and moved away.
“Boyfriend?”
Sasha gasped. “God no.”
“Wannabe boyfriend?”
“He seems to think so.”
“It’s kind of sweet.” Heidi grinned.
Sasha scoffed. “No, it’s not. Trust me.”
“Why do you need such care, Sasha?” She raised that eyebrow again. “Are you delicate?”
“Hardly.” Was she? Is that how her coworkers saw her now? The thought made her cringe. She straightened and motioned toward the table. “Shall we?”
Heidi grabbed a plate. “Oh, we shall.” She began picking up finger foods. “Let’s eat in my office,” she said.
Sasha glanced at her from across the table. Should she? Then she saw Dennis lingering in the corner, watching her. “Sounds good.”
She followed Heidi back to her office and fought gaping at the gorgeous view. She’d been given a corner office, and the view of downtown was spectacular. She’d always envied those in this office. Now it seemed she would be envying Heidi.
“Please, make yourself comfortable.” Heidi sat behind her desk. “Pull that chair up if you like.”
Sasha set down her plate and did exactly that. They were now both sharing the desk.
“So what’s the story on the boyfriend?” Heidi popped a red grape in her mouth, and Sasha couldn’t help but watch her chew.
“Dennis? Oh, he’s silly really. Has a bit of a crush I think.”
“Mm.” She nodded. “And there’s no other men on the forefront?”
Sasha took a small bite of pasta salad. “No.”
Heidi seemed pleased.
Sasha decided to turn the tables. “How about you? Any women on the forefront?”
Heidi swallowed some of the same salad and grinned. “No, as a matter of fact.”
“Surprising.”
“Is it?”
Sasha nodded.
“And you…”
“No, there’s no one.” But it hurt her chest to say so. And she knew it was obvious by the way she felt the pain constrict her face.
“Uh-oh.” Heidi sipped her iced tea. “You going to tell me? Or do I have to dig it out of you?”
“It’s just—nothing. I was in a very long relationship that ended some months ago and it’s been—difficult.”
Heidi was watching her closely. “Who in their right mind would let you get away?”
Sasha laughed. “It was actually me. I did the breaking up.”
“Again I say who would let you get away?” She played with another grape before easing it into her dark red lips.
Sasha was speechless. “Maybe you should ask her that. I can be a pain in the ass I suppose.”
“Trust me, if I saw her, I’d be too busy sizing her up to ask her how she could’ve been so stupid.”
Sasha winced. Hannah was far from stupid.
“Sorry. Too far.”
Sasha shrugged. She was no longer hungry, but she pushed the food around on her plate.
Heidi was watching her closely. “I know there are rules about dating and so forth, but I’d almost leave for another network if it meant I could buy you dinner sometime.”
The flush came again, and Sasha fought rubbing her cheeks. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Neither am I. In fact, it’s probably a terrible idea. We will most likely end up in bed ravishing each other, and then where would that leave us?”
Sasha felt the pang of pleasure between her legs as she stared into her fiery eyes. “I don’t know. Where would that leave us?”
A knock came from the door.
“In,” Heidi said.
Dennis poked his head in, and Sasha nearly groaned in anger. He looked directly at her as if she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
“You have a phone call.”
“I’m at lunch. They can leave a message.” Why the hell had he answered?
He closed the door. Sasha palmed her forehead. “I think I might actually have to do something about him.”
“He’s got it bad. And he doesn’t like me.” She sat back and crossed her legs.
Sasha laughed. “No, I’m afraid he doesn’t.”
“He knows I’m competition.”
“You think?”
“Oh yes. He has me pegged. He has you pegged. We will have to be careful.”
“Will we?”
“If you agree to go out with me, yes.”
Sasha stood and grabbed her plate. “We’ll have to wait and see.” While she desperately wanted to say yes to dinner, she knew she needed to take her time and be sure. She didn’t want another Charlie on her hands.
“You’re going to make me wait?”
Sasha flashed her own grin. “Absolutely.”
Heidi drummed her fingers on her desk. “I like it.”
Sasha turned and left, so wet she was nearly afraid to walk. But she managed to hold her head high and get through the door, leaving Heidi gawking after her.
When she returned to her desk, she found the written message from Dennis about the client phone call. Just as she’d suspected, it wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait. She decided to nip the problem in the bud. She called him in.
“Sit,” she said when he stood in the doorway. “But first close the door.”
He did so and sat like the chair might bite. “What’s up?”
“Well, that’s what I’d like to know, Dennis. What’s up?”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to know why you’re shadowing me all the time and acting like a nosy, pesky mother hen.”
He reared back as if he’d been slapped. “Mother hen?”
“Do you have another word for it?”
“It’s called caring. I simply care about your well-being. But I can see it’s obviously not appreciated.”
She held up her hand. “Don’t get me wrong, Dennis. I appreciate your caring. But the shadowing, etc, it’s a bit out of hand. I’m fine, as you can see.”
He scrunched his face. “You’re not always fine, Sasha. I can tell. So don’t pretend like you are.”
She sighed. “I am fine, Dennis. With my new medication, I’m feeling much better. Now, granted that can change and it most likely will at some point. But for now, I’m okay. And I’m a big girl. I can care for myself you know. Been doing it for years.”
“You don’t do a very good job. And I know you don’t ask for help when you need it. Instead you pretend.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand, Dennis. Why does this matter so much to you?”
He glanced away.
“I care,” he finally said.
Gooseflesh broke out on her arms. She knew it was more than a friend and a colleague simply looking out for her. It was something more, that was becoming more and more obvious. Something a bit…creepy. And she wasn’t sure how to handle it. So far he hadn’t acted out of line. Not anything she could complain about really.
“Can you back off a little on the caring then?”
He stared into her. “Sure.” His jaw flexed.
“Thank you.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
He stood. “Just so you know, Heidi Malone is a predator. She’ll use you and break your heart.”
Sasha blinked with surprise.
“I’m sorry?”
“She will. I looked into her. She goes through women like underwear. She—”
“Dennis, that’s enough. You can go.”
“But—”
“Go, now, please.”
He turned on his heels and marched from the room. He slammed the door behind him. Sasha rested her head in her hands.
What the hell was that?
She leaned back in her chair. He’d looked into Heidi. Why? What for? Things were getting beyond creepy. She picked up the phone and dialed Heidi’s desk.
“Malone.”
“Heidi, hi, it’s Sasha.”
“Wow, so soon? To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I wanted to talk to you about Dennis.”
“Oh?”
“He just told me he looked into you.”
There was a brief silence. “Oh? What exactly did he mean by that?”
“I’m not sure. He just warned me to stay away from you. Said you were a player of sorts.”
Throaty laughter.
Sasha laughed a little herself. “It does sound ridiculous doesn’t it?”
“No, Sasha, he’s absolutely right.”
“He is?”
“I don’t have a good track record I must admit.”
“You don’t?”
“No, I don’t. And it’s not that difficult to find out. I have a bit of a reputation when it comes to dating.”
“So, you’re not upset?”
“I’m upset that my personal life is being discussed by a stranger, yes. But he is telling the truth. Perhaps you should listen to him.”
Sasha smiled and spun in her chair. “Like I told him, I can take care of myself.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear it.”
“He wasn’t.”
“Maybe you’d better watch out for him rather than me.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. I told him to back off.”
“Good.”
Silence. Sasha grinned and it burned her cheeks. “So how about drinks on Friday? Sort of a welcome to Phoenix get-together?”
“Oh, I’d love to, but honestly, I’m already beat and I have so much unpacking to do this weekend, I’m afraid I won’t be much company with my mind on all I have to do.”
Sasha laughed softly.
“What’s so funny?”
“You hardly sound dangerous.”
“Oh, give me time, Sasha Bashton, give me time.”
They both laughed and Sasha’s other line rang. “Listen, I’ve got to go. Talk later?”
“I look forward to it.”
“Great.”
She ended the call, took the incoming call from Katherine, and got busy getting back to work. But as she worked, her gaze kept falling on the door and her conversation with Dennis. Just what was he up to? And more importantly, what did it mean for her? She rubbed more gooseflesh from her arms as she focused on her dual computer screens.
Hannah would know what it meant. Hannah would know what to do. Hannah had always said she was too nice to people, too friendly when she shouldn’t be. It drew people without boundaries. Maybe she’d been right. Maybe she’d been too friendly with Dennis.
But she couldn’t call Hannah to run it by her.
She’d solve this one on her own. She only hoped she could.