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When he’d delayed as long as he could without seeming like he’d gone completely bananas, he pushed the door open the rest of the way and cautiously stepped in. To his surprise, the room was empty.
Well. That was a concern he needn’t have worried about. But if Andrea wasn’t here, where had she gone?
It wasn’t the time to wonder. Blake gestured to Je
Je
Movement across the room pulled Blake’s attention. As nonchalantly as he could, he peered over Je
On the floor behind the desk … they hadn’t done that yet, had they?
“Does she even have approval for all this missed work?”
Blake’s eyes darted back to Je
If there was, he didn’t have any idea what it would be. Andrea, on the other hand, was missing three of her buttons. As in, her shirt was practically wide open, and he could see it clearly since she was now standing behind her desk. She had been waiting in some form of undress then. My, oh, my.
“No, I don’t expect you to tell me what’s going on with her private life”—Je
Je
She did.
Je
“Yes, yes. Please.” He wiggled his fingers again pretending that’s exactly what he’d meant by the action the first time he’d done it.
While Je
It wasn’t.
Actually, what Andrea did was not try to escape at all. She opened the door, loudly, then hurried to the other side of the door so that by the time that Je
Blake covered his eye with one hand. Whatever she was up to, he was sure to be unimpressed.
“Mr. Donovan, I apologize. I didn’t know you had company.” Her voice was sweeter and higher-pitched than usual. “And I hate to bother you, but I really need to speak with you.”
Blake forced a smile. “Ms. Dawson, I’m in the mid—”
“Now, Mr. Donovan.” Now, that was the bossy tone he was used to. She seemed to remember herself and added a lighter, “please.”
Obviously, Andrea had something to say.
Blake stood. “Excuse me one moment, Je
He hurried out after Andrea, expecting that she was upset about the interruption in their lunchtime plans. “I’m sorry, Drea, I’m disappointed, too,” he said in a hushed tone when he reached her. “I’ll get rid of him as soon as possible.”
She shook her head. “That’s not what I needed to tell you. I mean, yes, I’m disappointed, but I have something to say about that guy.”
Blake looked back to the man he’d left in his office. “Je
“Yes. Je
It was only because he suspected the same thing that he pursued Andrea’s suggestion. “Why do you say that?”
“He likes her. Like, really likes her. My guess is that he recommended her for promotion thinking that would earn him favor in her eyes, but even after that she still refused to go out with him.”
“No, that’s not possible. He’s a manager. He can’t date an employee. It’s against the rules.”
She glared at him incredulously. “Uh-huh. And everyone follows those rules.”
There was that.
“Anyway, when she turned him down he got all butt-hurt. She rejected him. He didn’t like it. And this is his retaliation.”
Well that was an interesting theory. A theory that might make sense. Only how could Andrea possibly know that? He asked her.
“Easy. He only referred to her by last name, while he used first names with the other employees. He’s trying to distance himself from her. If he said her name, he’d probably get all shifty and nervous. What did he call her when he was in last time?”
Blake tried to recall. “Not Fullman. He must have called her by her first name. I don’t remember what it was.”
“Of course you don’t.” She winked at him.
God, she was sexy when she did that.
“Also, he’s not wearing an orange tie.” She must have seen that as they’d walked in. “Yes, before you protest, I know that no one wears orange but me. But that guy normally does. Like, every day when I see him at the coffee stand. He’s rejecting orange now, which is usually a sign of sexual oppression. And he clicks his jaw. Another clear indicator.”
“You could hear that from across the room?” He had to be careful about what he muttered under his breath.
“How could I not? It was so loud.” She shuddered as if the sound was also an unpleasant one. “Finally, he clears his throat a lot when talking about her. So obvious that he has an emotional involvement.”
Blake almost choked. Is that what she thought when he cleared his throat around her? That was a ridiculous analysis. Wasn’t it? Though for Je
Careful not to clear his throat, he said, “Thank you, Andrea. I’ll take your input to heart.”
He shut the door with Andrea on the opposite side of it this time, and returned to his desk. “I apologize for that.” He looked his employee in the eye. “Before we get back to Fullman—what’s her first name again?”
Je
Was that a bead of sweat above Je
Je
Yes, Blake had to agree that this was definitely a case of infatuation. Andrea had nailed that analysis.
Huh.
Was this what Andrea’s skills were really about? It was amazing how she could discern so much with so little to go on. He hated to admit it, but her abilities were wasted in her current position. After she was done with the matchmaking thing, perhaps he could find a better placement for her in the company. Somewhere she could use her skills to keep harmony within the company. In human resources, maybe.