“Come in!” Dan shouted cheerfully after the light knock on his door.
It couldn’t be Abigail since he’d allowed her to go home early about half an hour ago. He mildly regretted doing so since the weekend was upon them and he’d have to wait days to see her again. He should have kept her as long as he could, but he felt bad about what had transpired after he’d taken her for a ride.
Nancy Page’s face emerged from behind the opened door. “Hi, there!” she said brightly, looking genuinely friendly and sugary sweet.
Dan knew better. Sure, she had a bit of a crush on him, but she never wore an innocently enamored expression—she always seemed to be calculating.
Some time ago, Dan had briefly considered sleeping with her once just for the hell of it, but he knew that such an act would be riskier than usual. Since Nancy had a rather prominent position in the company, she had some degree of power, and crossing that boundary with her would also incur the wrath of Peter, HR, the board members, and definitely Nancy herself; there was no way she wouldn’t want more, and she’d make sure she wasn’t easy to forget and brush aside.
He pegged her for the scorched-earth type who would make things difficult for him any way she could. For the most part, other chicks knew what they were getting into and were okay with being used. Only the dumbest or most delusional of them would expect things to go further, but they all discovered rather quickly they only served as fleeting fun.
Nancy wouldn’t accept being used and seemed to be deliberately holding out—perhaps hoping she’d be the one who stuck, that after waiting things out and getting him to see her value, he’d consider her a perfect match for him eventually. She was playing a long game.
She probably had the sense to know that if she gave it up easily, he’d take it and discard her like all the others, and she’d been with the company long before he’d been brought on. She’d invested years upon years of her life in the company—she wasn’t just going to throw it all away for one night.
Sure, he could probably still seduce her anytime he wanted to, but one night with her crazy ass just wasn’t worth the risk. He wouldn’t touch her with someone else’s dick.
“Can I have a moment?” she asked innocently.
“Sure,” he said, indicating the visitor chair near his desk.
He wondered what her approach would be; he had a feeling why she was here. He didn’t have long to wait.
“I just wanted to drop by and inform you how things have been on the other side. You should know—I’ve been hearing good things about the new gal.”
“Is that so?” he said noncommittally.
“Yes! We really like her a lot,” she replied, and he didn’t miss the insincerity in her tone. “She seems pretty great.”
“That she is,” he said cautiously, knowing he’d have to parse his words, measure every reaction and phrase in her presence. The woman had a way of twisting words.
Nancy’s eyes lit up. “What’s not to like, right? She seems quick, efficient. She comes off as pleasant and hardworking. And she’s obviously pretty compatible with you since you guys are still working so closely together; in fact, it seems you two are getting along really well.”
“We are. I’m quite pleased that Peter found her,” Dan said dryly, getting impatient.
“Looks like he was right about hiring her—she’s been utterly professional as far as I can tell. Not like the other...”
“Nancy, is there something you want to ask directly? Please get to your point; I have work to do.”
She immediately looked alarmed, widening her eyes as if threatened by his change in tone. But he knew that was a manipulation tactic as well.
“Oh, you know me,” she said, relaxing with a sheepish grin. “It’s just that… well, you guys look like you’re getting closer and there are so few women in this place, I guess I was hoping for a hint on how to get in with her. She’s been keeping to herself—not that we take offense—but it’s just nice to have camaraderie with the people who work around you. She’s so focused and walks so fast, I can’t get a moment with her. I feel kind of shut out and it’s a shame since we could be friends, you know? But I suppose that’s just the extrovert in me. Anyway, if you could let me know something I could use to get her to come out with us or open up a bit…”
He shrugged. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about her outside of her work here at all. She’s been quite skilled at keeping the personal and professional separate. And you’re right—she’s not like you; she definitely doesn’t enjoy flapping her gums idly.”
Nancy’s face tightened briefly.
Dan gave her a slight smile. “I’ll let her know you guys are open to hanging out, though; it’s good to know she wasn’t being frozen out. But I keep her pretty busy all week; she’s got a knack for keeping me in check and focused on the important things. You know—work. I wouldn’t be surprised if she slept straight through her days off!”
He’d said it with such finality, Nancy couldn’t pretend she wasn’t being dismissed.
She rose from the chair. “Well, nice chatting with you. Like I said, I just wanted to give you a little report of sorts.”
“Thank you for your input. Now, can I help you with anything else?”
“Nope, that’s it!” she said with an almost clownish smile and a casual flick of her wrist. “I’ll let Peter know he hit it out of the park with this one. It’s great to see this side of you.” She started heading for the door but suddenly spun back around. “Oh, I do like Abigail’s fashion style—feel free to pass that on to her for me. She always looks so pretty, don’t you think? Her makeup is simple but…”
“Do you want me to set her up with you? Is that it? You know dating between employees is against the rules here,” he said with a straight face, silently daring her to throw in his face his own behavior the last several months.
She looked struck by his words but recovered quickly. “I didn’t mean to give the impression I was into her like that...”
No, you were just trying to glean if I am so you can tell the others.
“I just... well, I’m happy to see things seem to be working out this time, that’s all. There’s been such a high turnover rate; I know you’ve had a hard time keeping certain assistants due to breaking that dating rule, and I really liked the last girl and was sad to see her go. It makes me a little scared to get attached to this one, truthfully.”
She did it—she found a way to throw his words back at him and still come out smelling like a rose.
“Be careful where you poke that nose of yours, Nancy,” Dan said firmly, no longer in the mood for niceties.
She flashed him a quick, false smile, then turned to leave. He didn’t miss the pinched look to her expression at all and was glad he’d given her nothing to chew on and spit out at the feet of the other gossips.
It made him realize what he’d be putting Abigail up against, what he’d be setting her up for. Maybe he should try to get over what he felt for her after all; he needed to do the right thing by her.
Not long after Nancy left, Dan found himself with another unwelcome visitor.
“To what do I owe this visit?” Dan asked Peter as he practically barged into his office near the end of the day. “Wait, let me guess—progress report. It’s been about two weeks after all, and Abigail is still here. Not just still here, but still untouched by me! I hope that answers your question.” He tilted his head toward the door.
Peter ignored the hint to leave. “I was looking forward to hearing a little more than that,” he said with a fake chuckle as he grabbed the visitor chair from the side of the room. He positioned it opposite Dan and settled in. “What sort of work has Abigail been doing for you?”
“Oh, the usual things executive babysitters do.”
Peter smirked at his non-response. “So have you taken her for a spin yet?”
“If you mean in a car, yes. If you mean something else, no.”
Peter leaned back a little, looking somewhat pleased. “So I finally managed to find a type you’re not into. I must say, I was this close to hiring someone in their sixties.” He brought his thumb and forefinger together. “Or another guy of any age. But damn you and your under-forty female preference.”
“I need someone with youthful energy who will also look good on my arm when I need to be accompanied at a formal event. And I never said the age/sex thing was mandatory…”
“Yes, I know. Officially, the position is open to any and everyone, but we all know what you mean when you casually state a preference. Anyway, I wasn’t sure the day would ever come that I’d find a young woman you didn’t want to bed…”
“Cut the crap, Peter—you hired an adorable, spunky woman, and like the others, made her forbidden. You think it’s me responsible for nothing happening?”
Peter sat up straighter. “Wait, are you saying you tried and failed? Is she a lesbian?”
“Not as far as I know—just really committed to keeping this job. And still, none of your business if she was.”
“I’m just… surprised. None seem able to resist your charms. Poor Nancy is probably considering quitting her job for the chance to be with you.”
“I doubt she’d do that.”
“You underestimate her desire for you. I’m really surprised she hasn’t come on to you yet.”
“Nancy has been very careful,” Dan replied. “I think she’s playing a longer game—one I’m not interested in.”
Peter nodded slightly, presumably in agreement. “Anyway, I’m glad to hear Abigail is immune to your charms.”
I wouldn’t go that far, Dan thought but kept his mouth shut. No need to get Peter all riled up and more on guard.
Peter was already watching him intelligently. No doubt he suspected Abigail was barely holding on to her virtue. But she deserved credit, dammit, and Dan wasn’t about to take that away from her. It wasn’t her fault that he saw her as far more than a fun challenge, a potential addition to his long list of conquests.
Dan had wondered for a while if it was just her firm rejection spurring him on, making him determined to build his ego back up, but he’d eventually realized he was interested in more than unraveling her in bed; he wanted to learn a lot more about her as a person.
He hadn’t wondered about the inner thoughts of other women he’d planned on conquering—their hopes and dreams, disappointments they might still be recovering from. He hadn’t cared about what sort of family they grew up in, and he certainly hadn’t thought for one second about meeting their mothers.
Yet one mention of Abigail’s mom, and he was curious to meet the woman who had produced her. He wanted to explore the sadness he detected in Abigail Brennan from time to time, the pain she seemed to be hiding. And why the hell was she staying away from romantic relationships?
“Cheer up!” Peter said, snapping him out of his musing. “You can bang a hotter chick on any given day. You’re not actually pining over this one, are you? But I guess it must really hurt to be rejected by someone nowhere near the same league…”
“I think you’re done here, Peter,” Dan said much sharper than he’d intended to, rage boiling in him. “I’ve got work to get back to.”
“Indeed! We’ll catch up later,” Peter said before replacing the chair and heading toward the door.
It took a while for Dan’s spurt of anger to abate.