Carefully knocking on Nick’s door, I took a deep, stabilizing breath as I waited for him to open the barrier. My heart thudded hard in my chest, and I dug against my fingernails as anxiety knotted my belly. In mere seconds the hunk of wood swung open, and I went wide-eyed at the sight that greeted me.

Nick wasn’t wearing a shirt, and sweat gave his skin a glossy sheen as it stretched over rippling muscles. He wasn’t as bulky as his brother, but he was obviously strong. Pursing my lips together as he swiped back his damp hair, I blinked hard before blood rushed to heat my face.

“I- I’m sorry- James… he’s not here, and I-“ Trailing off as Nick held up a hand to stop my pathetic attempt at speech, I clenched my jaw together tightly.

“I actually wanted to see you, Hannah. Come in. I have something for you.” Turning away, Nick sauntered into his studio apartment, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. He wore low slung jeans, and my gaze scanned him from head to toe before I noticed the work-out machine in the corner of his room. Forcing myself to put one leg in front of the other, I shut the door with stiff arms before he spoke up again. “I have a job for you.”

“A job…?” Surprise colored my voice, and Nick was nodding when I turned to him. Easily he pulled on a t-shirt, and I took a few more steps deeper into his space. A thick file sat on his bed, but there wasn’t anything to suggest he did any work here. Absent of even a coffee table, his room was bare, and I glanced around until he grabbed the manila folder and thrust it at me.

“Do it. You have two hours.” Propping open the file, I sucked in a sharp breath at the mess that waited for me. Everything was written in sloppy pen; some words I couldn’t even understand as I glanced over the top page. “Prove you can make up for your lack of people skills, and I’ll hire you, right here, right now.”

“Two… hours? This’ll take five- at least…” There had to be a hundred pages to transcribe, and I couldn’t even be assured there weren’t any errors. Glancing up at Nick, I opened my mouth only to get cut off again. He stood so close I could see the individual drops of sweat on his neck, and I held my breath while he cocked his head. His intense eyes sent a shiver down my spine, but he only furrowed his brows together.

“Do it in two, and you can start on Monday.” Jerking his chin behind me, Nick forced my attention away from him and to a small desk fit for a middle schooler. “You’d better start. Time’s ticking.”

The desk was outfitted with a pen, pencil, and notebook, and I sat in the uncomfortable, hard seat to dive into this project. My attention tunneled to the point where I didn’t notice Nick anymore while I tackled the first page. Grabbing my pencil in firm fingers, I started nibbling on my bottom lip as blood roared in my ears.

Crouching tightly over my work, I ignored the ache behind my eyes and against my spine. Where words were scratched out, I had to figure out what was originally there. Numbers and figures didn’t make sense, math was wrong, and I found myself constantly remembering to breathe. The handwriting was terrible, words flowing together to create one continuous line instead of letters.

“Time’s up!” Nick’s booming voice made me jump, and my head whipped up to watch him snatch the notebook I’d been writing in. Panic hit me hard; I was only three quarters of the way done, and I pushed myself up to grip the edge of the desk.

“I’m not done! I just need another half hour- forty-five minutes max.” Reaching for the folder, my fingers cramped at being outstretched, and I winced as Nick shook his head. Wandering over to drop onto his bed, he flipped open the book with practiced hands.

“I never said you had to finish it, Hannah. You just had to do it. And honestly, you got a lot farther than I expected you to. Now, sit down so I can go through this.” Blinking slowly, I relaxed a little at Nick’s assurance before sinking into my seat. In that moment it felt like a cloud, and I raked my hand through my hair before he spoke up again. “Your little talk with Ethan seems to be seeping in. I take it you decided to take whatever advice he gave you?”

“You know about that?” Without looking away from my work Nick scowled lightly, and I pursed my lips into a thin line. He sported faint tan lines on his back and biceps that were clearly visible in the bright lights of his apartment, and I shook my head hard.

“Of course, I do.” Nick’s answer was short, almost mocking, and I gnawed on my lower lip diligently. His expression evened out, becoming more focused on what he was reading, and I narrowed my eyes to watch each tiny change in his features. No shirt barred my view as my gaze trailed over strong shoulders, and if he noticed my intense stare, he didn’t speak up.

“What do you think?” Talking into the quiet room, I held my breath as Nick grunted absently, flipping back and forth between pages.

“Your math is perfect… some of these terms aren’t right, though. For what you did in the amount of time you had, I’m thoroughly impressed. I hope you understand that doesn’t happen often, Hannah.” My eyes widened, snapping to Nick’s face as he shut the book with a soft clap. “You start Monday. 8a.m..”

Shock rendered my body useless, and smoke would’ve poured out of my ears from how hard my brain worked. Questions circled raced around my skull, crashing with thoughts and creating a mess as I processed what Nick had told me. All the while he watched me, his expression guarded, and my lips twitched upwards before the spell he’d cast faded enough for a coherent statement to form in my mind.

I start Monday… At Dunn Financial Advisements International… My squeal was loud, and I sprung from my chair to bounce across the room. I must’ve been fast because Nick did nothing to stop me from hugging him, but in that moment I didn’t care that he was now my boss. The smile that stretched across my face hurt my cheeks, and I giggled in excitement even as his sharp, masculine scent slithered up my nose.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Squeezing around his neck, I shuttered my eyelids tight to keep my tears at bay. Nick patted my back stiffly, and he cleared his throat roughly. Slackening my arms, I couldn’t help but grin until his palm dropped from my shirt to slip between us.

“Get off my lap, Hannah.” Tensing at the demand, I jumped up as if Nick had burned me, and my face flamed. Standing up, he brushed himself off while studiously refusing to look at me. “I’ll call your school and let them know you’ll be finishing your semester out in the field.”

“O- okay… thank you, Nick. You have no idea how much this m-“ A soft knock cut me off, and I clamped my mouth shut as excitement sent tremors down my legs. Shuffling around me, Nick only nodded on his way to the door. Twisting to watch him open the barrier, I released a slow, heavy breath through my nose. My butt tingled, and I rubbed against my jeans absently to get rid of the sensation.

That chair was really uncomfortable.

“Thanks.” Nick’s tall, broad body blocked my view, but when he turned around the kick the door closed he had Chinese food bags in his hands. “You want any, Hannah? I got the good stuff.”

The smell of orange chicken filled the room, and my mouth watered; Chinese food was a guilty pleasure. Nodding as Nick set the bags on the counter of his kitchenette, I wandered over to watch him unload cheap, heavy boxes and tuber ware. Instantly I spied the one I wanted, and I reached to grab it with greedy fingers.

“…Have you gone pole dancing since you fell?” Pausing with my fork poised at my mouth, my gaze flickered to Nick to find him staring at me before he swallowed roughly. “I was worried about you. I can understand why it’s so important to you.”

“Eh… yeah, I have. A little bit. I just had an… off day. Everyone’s got them.” Shoveling my forkful of rice between my teeth, I set my utensil down as my lie turned my food to ash on my tongue. Staring down at my box, I chewed a few times to gulp down the grains and open my mouth. “I- I just told myself that my family didn’t like my dancing so much that it became true… Falling really opened my eyes, and then Ethan told me that the only person’s life I was affecting was my own… and- I guess it helped me start to accept that it wasn’t the dancing my parents didn’t like- it was college entirely.”

“Weren’t you on your way to see your father when Ethan bumped into you?” A small, guilty smile picked up the corners of my lips, and Nick hummed absently before continuing. “You were chickening out. That’s not a bad thing, Hannah- you shouldn’t waste your precious time and effort on people that don’t care about you.”

“Yeah… I’m starting to realize that. That’s actually why I was here. I don’t want to be in a relationship with James, but I do like him… He just…” It was hard to describe how I felt around James, and Nick was silent as our chewing resumed. James’ wasn’t the kind of man I thought I would be attracted to; he was crude but sweet, and the way he acted contradicted the way he talked to me. He wasn’t confusing in any way, but I just knew we wouldn’t go anywhere.

“He’s brutish and crude, and when he realizes it he’s sweet and charming. I know. That’s why he never has a steady girlfriend. I can see what he sees in you, though. You’ve got this thing in you that just sucks people in, and you can’t turn it off. So, the more he wants you, the less you want him- not because you don’t like him, but you don’t want to lead him on. Right?” Nodding miserably, I stabbed a piece of chicken and shuffled my legs as they rested, folded around each other. Nick’s bed was surprisingly hard, and I managed to scoop up some rice before opening my mouth.

“Sometimes I just don’t answer his texts, but I feel so bad after. He was so interested in me, and it just kind of happened, and now I feel like I’m in a hole I can’t get out of. I’m a terrible person, but James was a lot more interesting when I was being paid to listen.” My throat tightened even as I uttered the words, and I set my food down carefully to rub my knees. Guilt sloshed in my chest and twisted my stomach, and next to me Nick sighed heavily. Reaching for my hand, he straightened my fingers and fixed my palm up to drag his fingertip from my middle finger knuckle outward.

“There’s this… story, I guess. From your pointer knuckle up to your middle phalange-“ Tapping the underside of the middle bone in my finger, Nick paused for a moment as warmth spread up my arm to calm my guilt. “That’s how many people you’ll love, truly love, in your lifetime. Maybe it’s romantic or platonic- I don’t really know. I heard it when I was in Sicily years ago, and it struck me as one of the more realistic stories. It’s okay to enjoy someone for their company, but that doesn’t mean you have to have any strong feelings for him or her. That’s what I got out of it, at least.”

“I like that story…” Mumbling softly, I smiled while Nick released my hand, and I flexed my fingers before a little laugh bubbled up from my throat. “I like that story a lot. Do you have any others?”

Picking up my take-out box, I gave only a little attention to not making a mess as Nick hummed. His smile was wide, and he leaned back against the wall to cross his long legs. This was something I couldn’t do with James; his stories always made me cringe.

Savoring the relaxed atmosphere, I listened when Nick launched into another world tale with a lightness in my chest and Chinese food stretching my stomach.