Page 43 of Challenging Luke

"Leave. Before we cause a scandal." She pushed him out her door. But instead of walking back to her desk, she stayed in the doorway and watched him leave. He turned just before entering the elevator and gave her a wave and a wink. It had been so long since he acted this carefree around a woman, he wondered if it was weird.

Deciding he didn't care that much, he rode the elevator down to the lobby and met Ryker.

"She agreed you can stay down here. Watch her like your life depends on it because it does."

Ryker didn't need to respond. His friend's smile said it all but fuck if he cared. Monica was his and he would make sure he protected her at all costs.

The great thing about lifelong friendships was that his friends would do the same.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Monica watched Luke walk out of her office. The man had a fantastic ass, so it wasn't a hardship. It was pathetic how much better she felt after seeing him.

"Ms. Cole?" And there went her good mood. Amelia's tone said it all.

"Mr. Carmichael is looking for me." It wasn't a question. Her secretary only called her by her last name when she had bad news to deliver.

"Yes, Ms. Cole."

Better to get it over with sooner rather than later. She walked across the office floor. Carmichael's usually stuck-up secretary wasn't at her desk, so she walked straight up to the office door and knocked.

"Come in."

Monica took a deep breath and braced for whatever lecture she was sure she would be getting. Despite her best intentions, she was late again today. The fire marshal needed to meet with her and there was no way she could show up at the office in sweats. A stop at her favorite boutique had been a must.

"You asked to see me?"

"I did. I want to see how things are going."

She was momentarily stunned. Was this some kind of trap? It had to be. He probably wanted to see if she would admit what was happening.

"There was a fire at my neighbor's house last night and it extended to mine. Not the entire townhouse but my bedroom is destroyed, and I had to meet with the fire marshal this morning, plus get something professional to wear to work today. I apologize for being late again."

She was the second most powerful person in the company, and still, she turned into a stuttering mess every time she was called into his office. It was worse than being sent to the principal’s office.

"That's two incidents in just as many days. Is there something I need to be made aware of?"

She wasn't a fan of his tone or the way he insinuated this was somehow her fault.

"It's nothing I can't handle."

"You sure about that?"

Maybe she was taking the wrong approach to this. Instead of being on the defensive all the time, perhaps she should try clueing him in.

She moved farther into the office and dropped into one of the chairs that sat in front of his desk.

"To be honest, I have no idea. The vandalism to my car was a direct hit on me. That much is clear. The fire marshal confirmed that the fire was arson. It wasn't started at my place, but Luke and his company believe it was an indirect hit to me."

"Who’s Luke?"

Oh, right. When they talked about Silverstein and Fletcher, she forgot to mention there were more people involved.

"I met him in Rome. His security company works with federal agencies on jobs they can't be associated with. They were sent to Rome to gain intel on Alexander Fletcher and spotted me with him. They questioned me and I explained my involvement."

She purposefully avoided saying Samuel's name because it was a hair trigger for Carmichael. If she wanted to keep this meeting civil, it was in her best interest not to use the name.

"So Rome ended up being more than just a brief meeting? You lied to me."