Chapter Six
Harris
I passed Addilyn’s desk on the way to my office and was more than a little bit disappointed to find it empty. Without realizing it, saying good morning to her as I strolled past had become a morning ritual for me over the last several weeks, one that meant way more than it should.
Get a grip, old man. It was ridiculous of me to harbor feelings for a girl—a woman, I corrected myself—young enough to be my daughter... not that I had a daughter, or any children for that matter. No, sadly, Select Holdings, Inc., had become my one and only mistress somewhere along the line. My obsession to see the company thrive had been born of having my very first company fail. I still remembered the faces of all of those who had lost their livelihoods when its doors had closed. Over time I’d heard the stories, what had happened to those who had put their faith in me to create a company that could provide for their needs long-term. Most had been alright. They’d landed on their feet either going back to school to launch into new professions or had found other work in similar industries. But, there were the few whose fate had haunted me. One family lost everything due to their child’s illness coupled with a lack of healthcare. They’d lost their home, their savings, all of their belongings—but thankfully their child had lived. I hadn’t been in a position to help them at the time, but it was a lesson I’d taken to heart. It was why ensuring that Security Holdings, Inc. thrived was worth putting my own pursuits of happiness aside.
But, I was not blind to the fact that my company had grown up. It was stable, fruitful even, and it provided for everyone under its umbrella. It was time for me to take care of myself, and there was a certain blonde-haired, sapphire-eyed young woman that I hoped to make a part of that process. Even if I would never have her romantic affections, I would adore the chance to spend more time in her company. With that in mind, I sent her a note over email asking her to come see me when she got a chance. A tap on my door came fifteen minutes later.
“You wanted to see me?” Addilyn asked, stepping into my office and strolling comfortably to my desk. She had her hands clasped behind hips and she swayed as she walked. She no longer moved with the fast, studied gate of a subordinate around me. She moved with the ease of a colleague... or even a close friend.
I took a deep breath, wondering how best to ask her out for her personal company rather than an informal work lunch. Steeling my nerves, I launched into my pitch. “There’s a new restaurant nearby that I’ve been hearing good things about. If you don’t have any other plans, I was wondering if I could treat you to lunch.” There. That was it. Non-professional. Casual. And, most importantly, optional.
Addilyn’s brows lifted in what I could only assume was surprise, but the corners of her lips curled up as well. “Just you and me?” she asked, seeming to test the waters of the idea that this was a casual outing between friends. “Should I bring any reports for us to go over? Bring you up to date on any of the company projects? Talk about who you think might be embezzling from the company?”
“No,” I said hurriedly, and then with a determined calmness I said again, “No. Your company is more than enough for an afternoon away from the office.” To my leaping heart’s delight, her smile grew.
“It’s a date!” she declared, and then added, “Pick me up on the way out?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye that nearly had me fist-pumping the air.
****
It was a long, excruciating four hours later before she and I were finally seated across a small, intimate table with soft lighted and a placement that gave the illusion of privacy. Addilyn turned her knees to the side of the table, bringing them into my full view, before crossing her legs—slowly. Her challenging gaze stayed locked to me the entire time and the demure smile her lips wore never faltered.
“Harris,” she said after the waiter had come and gone with our orders. “Is this a date, as in a date-date?”
I was a deer in headlights, trapped under her request for the naked truth.
I stalled. Clearing my throat, I crossed my ankle over my knee, looked her in the eye and gave her an honest answer. “This is whatever you would like it to be, an outing between friends, colleagues, or...” I wanted to finish the sentence but couldn’t bring myself to do it, and to my horror, Addilyn remained silent as her gaze fell to the table. “I’m sorry. I’ve overstepped. It was never my intent to make you feel uncomfortable.” I started to stand. “I’ll arrange to pay for the check and leave you to eat in peace.”
“Sit.” It was one word, a single command, and I obeyed it without conscious thought. “I like the ‘or’ part. Tell me more?” Her smile was back, filling her face with a light all its own.
It was my turn to smile. “You’re the sexiest damn woman I know, and every day, every time I realize how stunningly smart you are, you become even more beautiful to me.” I was holding nothing back. It was time to put all my cards on the table.
“Smart? You don’t think I’m too brainy?” I shook my head no, and her gaze fell before lifting to meet my eyes again. “I’ve been told to ‘dumb it down’ by my father when talking to men.”
“He what?” Just as I’d done when I’d sat back down, I spoke the words without conscious thought. They came out deep and challenging in a voice much louder than the delicate sensibilities that the restaurant encouraged from its patrons through its atmosphere. “He asked you to dumb yourself down around men?” I was outraged, and my ears were burning.
Addilyn shrugged as if what her father had asked her to do didn’t bother her. She answered as she slipped the cloth napkin off the table and laid it over her lap. “He said that an intelligent woman tended to intimidate men, and that if I wanted a man who would adore me rather than see me as a challenge to conquer that I should learn how to make a man feel more intelligent than me.”
I won’t lie, I wanted to punch her father. “You are a challenge, Addilyn... in all the right ways, in every way that is wonderful, and your father—forgive me for saying—is a fool. No, an idiot.”
“An idiotic fool,” Addilyn corrected for me, her smile as brilliant as the sun.
I wanted to reach across the table to her. I wanted to touch her, but I didn’t dare. It was crossing a line that I was not yet convinced that she wanted crossed. “I’m more than happy to be the winner of your company by default.”