Chapter 9: Lunch

*I’ll need the IT department KPI report for my 3pm meeting,* Nico typed into his instant messaging chat window on his laptop screen as he skimmed a memo from the CFO on one of his large monitors.

A moment later, his computer softly *pinged,* notifying him that she had responded.

*Already done. It’s in the shared folder, named “IT KPI.”*

Nico grinned. Once again, she’d anticipated a request before he’d even made it. Two weeks in and she was getting to be as good as Gloria.

Not *quite* as good—Gloria had been with Vannevar nearly twenty years and knew the company inside and out—but he’d bet his hefty trust fund that Rebecca could equal Gloria, given a few more years of experience.

Her one drawback is that she was entirely too distracting in a way Gloria never was and would never be. Of course, Gloria was also old enough to be his mother so it had never been an issue.

Rebecca was an entirely different story.

She wasn’t to blame in the slightest. She dressed entirely appropriately, if a little monotonously, and was professional to a fault.

No, it was all his problem. His notorious one-track mind when it came to work had been failing him lately. Rebecca was on his mind more often than not.

It was good that they had separate working spaces, or else he’d never be able to concentrate. Sometimes he’d even fabricated errands or tasks for her so he could see her, just for a few moments.

The evenings they worked late together were tortuous. Knowing they were likely the only two people in the building, except the security guards, was entirely too much temptation for his liking. Because of that he made a concerted effort to limit the nights he asked her to work late, but some nights it was unavoidable.

He wished he could take her to his apartment for the weekend and get this persistent attraction out of his system, but the logical side of his brain always overruled him. She was his employee, for crying out loud. He was her boss. There was a power imbalance there, and taking advantage of her in that way would make him a colossal scumbag.

But *d*mn,* it was getting difficult.

Nico had previously thought about trying to get Rebecca another position at Vannevar once Gloria returned, but now he was rethinking that. No matter what position she had at the company, he’d still be her boss. Maybe not directly as he was now, but her boss all the same, and any type of relationship would be inappropriate.

Maybe he could reach out to his colleagues at other companies and see if they had any open admin positions. Not with a competitor, that could get too sticky, but perhaps with one of Vannevar’s vendors or contractors.

Then, maybe...

“Maybe” was the problem. He had no idea if she was even remotely interested in him. Sometimes, he thought he caught a flicker in her eyes when their hands touched as she handed him something, or if he casually brushed against her arm while pointing at something on the computer monitor, but for all he knew that could be wishful thinking on his part.

And if she liked Vannevar, who was he to stand in her way if she wanted to try for a permanent position here, once her temp position came to an end? After all, he’d personally worked hard to ensure Vannevar was a fair employer with generous compensation.

It wasn’t fair for his suddenly unhinged libido to interfere with her career.

His attention shifted to his laptop as another soft *ping* sounded.

*Taking lunch now. Back to work in 30.*

He typed back, *Enjoy.*

Then he thought that lunch sounded like a good idea. Most of the time he ignored a lunch break and wolfed down a protein bar at his desk, but maybe today he’d dash down to the corner deli and grab a sandwich. It’d get him some exercise, and it’d be an excuse to leave the office for a bit.

Deciding, he shoved his phone in his pocket and opened the office door.

Rebecca, who was sitting at her desk in his office foyer with a steaming cup of soup in front of her, jolted in surprise.

“Sorry,” he apologized with a half smile, but his brows creased when he saw what she was eating. It was a cup of the cheap ramen noodles that were less than fifty cents apiece at the grocery store.

“That’s all right,” she said with a smile, nervously cupping the soup with her hands and hoping he hadn’t noticed the label. “I was lost in thought, I guess.”

She quickly minimized what looked like a spreadsheet of financial figures from her desktop. “I wasn’t expecting you to come out.”

“Lunch sounded like a good idea,” he said casually. “I’m going to run to the deli for a sandwich. Do you want anything?”

He thought he caught a flash of longing in her eyes, but she quickly shook her head. “I’m good, thanks.”

He hesitated. “Are you sure? It’s no trouble.” Then, wondering if the problem was money, added, “My treat.”

She shook her head, a little too quickly. “No, really, I’m fine. Thanks, though.”

He nodded, hiding a frown. “Okay, I’ll be back soon.”