Possessed By You (Overworld Underground Book 1) (18 page)

Just looking at the two of them, I wondered how in the world I'd felt any sort of physical attraction for Thomas. Tyler was a good head taller, somewhere over six feet, and Mr. Jones's plain features paled like a candle before the sun compared to Tyler. Then again, it hadn't been physical with Thomas. It had been something else. Something deeper.

"We had a sales meeting this morning. Miss Glass did not have the coffee done in time, and she stole donuts from a coworker because she hadn't planned ahead."

"The meeting was rescheduled without notice," said a voice from behind me. "And Mr. Jones failed to email us about it."

I turned to see Kevin standing in the hall, his forehead pinched.

"Some people don't look at the schedule like they should," Mr. Jones said. "The girl had plenty of time to check the schedule when she got in this morning."

"What kind of a sales manager changes an appointment at the last minute, and doesn't tell his salespeople?" Tyler said. "Sounds like a fundamental lack of communication."

"It certainly surprised me," Kevin said. "In fact, I wouldn't have known if Emily hadn't told me. It sounds to me that she made the best of the situation with what she had."

Intense gratitude welled up in me for Kevin. He'd always been a nice enough fellow, but to butt heads with Mr. Jones for a lowly intern seemed above and beyond one's duty. He had a wife and children. What if Mr. Jones felt vindictive and fired him?

Jones's lips curled into a snarl. "How dare you—"

"I agree," Tyler said, cutting off Jones and nodding at Kevin. "Sounds like a rush to judgment on your part, Mr. Jones." He stared at the other man for a moment. "I think you owe Miss Glass an apology and her job back."

Mr. Jones actually sputtered, his face going red. "I owe her no such thing. You have no idea what really happened."

Tyler pulled a folder from his small attaché case, and pulled out a sheet of paper. "According to human resources, you already had another recommendation in mind to replace Miss Glass. The new intern would be none other than your niece. It appears to me that when Mr. Jameson hired Miss Glass, you wanted to come up with a reason to fire her so you could hire your niece."

"Preposterous!" Mr. Jones yelled. "Who do you think you are coming in here making accusations like this?"

Tyler bared his teeth in a grin. "Your new boss."

Chapter 16

Mr. Jones tried to speak, but he seemed at a loss for words. Or perhaps he realized yelling at the new boss wasn't the best way to get off on a good foot. As for me, things suddenly became a bit clearer. The rumor Jack had mentioned about someone buying the company had apparently been true. Mr. Jameson had sold it to Tyler—Mr. Rock.

Tyler looked at Sandra. "I expect we'll make things official once Burt gets back. Until then, I'd like you to get Miss Glass settled back in. I've done a tour of the offices before, and I think the little office in the center hall would be a good place for her to call home."

Sandra looked from Mr. Jones to Tyler to me, her eyes uncertain, before standing and nodding. "At once, sir."

"I know the way," I said. "Really, there's no reason to show me, Sandra."

Tyler shrugged. "Whatever works for you Em—Miss Glass."

My gaze settled on him for a moment as a sense of déjà vu nagged me. I almost felt as if I knew this man from a previous life, or something weird like that. I realized I was staring. "Oh, yes. Thanks." I turned and walked down the hall.

"Welcome back." Kevin grinned and headed toward his department. He paused outside my office door when we reached it. "I was furious when I heard Jones had fired you. I'm amazed how quickly you got it back though." He chuckled. "Guess it doesn't hurt to catch the eye of the new owner, does it?"

"More like his pity," I said, smiling wistfully.

"Oh, I think it's more than that. He couldn't take his eyes off you. Don't underestimate yourself, Emily." Kevin tapped the doorframe with his hand. "Well, back to the grind." He walked off.

I set my box down on the desk and dropped into the chair as my legs suddenly felt quite weak. What a whirlwind day! I shook my head, hardly able to believe all the twists and turns. It was certainly a day to write about in my journal.

Bloody hell.

A quick visit to the bathroom turned into a long visit as I tried to make myself once again presentable. The hairbrush I kept in my purse wasn't the best, but it loosened the tangles in my hair until my dingy brown locks finally straightened into some semblance of order. I wiped my face with a damp paper towel and freshened up my lip gloss, happy that I seldom wore much in the way of makeup or I might have looked like a Gothic nightmare with runny eyeliner and washed out base.

My clothes were altogether another matter. Tyler had taken the brunt of the coffee, but my pea coat's sleeves were stained. My blouse and business skirt looked rumpled, and only a good dry cleaning would make them right again. My appearance ranged somewhere between that of a homeless tramp and a hooker, but at least my hair was brushed and drying.

The bathroom door bumped open and Janet walked in. The side of her mouth had a jelly stain on it, no doubt from the fresh donuts I'd purchased to replace the ones Jack had taken. She saw me and went crimson.

"Oh, goodness. Jack told me he took the donuts, not you. I feel so awful for getting you into trouble." She offered me a sheepish grin. "I hope Mr. Jones wasn't too harsh on you."

Harsh? He bloody fired me, you nincompoop.
I kept those nasty little thoughts to myself and returned her smile, except mine probably looked closer to Tyler's wolfish grin. I definitely smelled blood in the water. "No, we had a good talk and everything is fine now."

"Oh, thank heavens," she said, walking to the sink and dabbing at the jelly stain. "I forgive you, by the way."

Forgive me for what?
The woman had only just told me Jack had admitted to grand theft donut, so why—
oh forget it!
"How very sweet of you," I said in a polite voice, and left the bathroom.

After checking on the coffee machines and making sure the remaining meetings of the day were stocked with junk food, I returned to my office and slumped in my chair, assuming a very unladylike posture. I was absolutely worn out, not to mention famished. In all the excitement, I'd skipped lunch.

Since my duties were done and Sandra had left me well enough alone, I decided to eat my lunch despite the late hour. But when I looked for it in my box, it wasn't there. I thought back to breakfast, and realized I hadn't packed food. I went to the kitchen and procured a bagel and cream cheese from the cart for the three-o'clock meeting. I swore to God if anyone accused me of stealing it I would stab them with a plastic butter knife.

Jack stepped inside, saw me, and let out a long breath. "Holy crap, Emily. I am so sorry for getting you into trouble. Did Jones do anything mean?"

I paused to take a drink of water and wash down a mouthful of bagel before answering. "Nothing too terrible. He fired me."

"He what?" Jack's eyes went almost comically wide.

"Well, he fired me, but it's all good now, because I ran into the new owner and he hired me back." I suppressed a smile and bit into the quickly dwindling bagel.

"Uh..." Jack didn't seem to have a response. "New owner?"

"Apparently the rumors of a buyout were well founded." I shrugged. "I believe they're doing the final paperwork today." Just the thought of Tyler brought his green eyes back to focus. How firm and warm his grip was on my hands. How gentle he'd been wiping off the hot coffee. His eyes, actions, and vibe almost reminded me of—I took in a sharp breath and caught a puzzled look from Jack.

"Did you find a bone in the bagel or something?" he said.

"No, I just realized why I had such déjà vu earlier." It actually felt much stronger than those words could describe. I remembered Thomas's concerned green eyes when I'd spilled coffee all over him. How he'd thought of me first. Was it possible someone like Tyler Rock could really exist? Someone so gorgeous and likely rich who would care about the feelings of an intern? Or was it just a game for him?

"So who's the mystery buyer?" Jack said, walking to the fridge and pulling out a soft drink.

"His name is Tyler Rock. Have you heard of him?"

He took a sip and shook his head. "No. Did you do an internet search?"

I clucked my tongue and shook my head at my own idiocy. "No, but that's a wonderful idea."

"Yeah, I want to know if he'll be good for the company or if I should start looking for another job." Jack pulled out his cell phone and typed in the name. He whistled softly. "Wow. I haven't heard of this guy, but I have heard of his father." He held the screen so I could see it. "Cyrus Rock. Billionaire. He basically spun off part of his empire and incorporated the holdings into three smaller corporations, then gave one to each of his kids to run as they saw fit. He said they'd have to prove they were worthy of their inheritance, or he'd cut them out of the will."

"Good heavens, what a monster," I said. "All the people who depend on those companies and he risked them just so his children could prove themselves?"

"Yeah. I remember reading about it a few years ago, but forgot all about it. I guess this Tyler Rock dude is one of his kids."

"And we're a bloody experiment?"

Jack laughed. "I hope you like hamster wheels."

"Not funny."

"Yeah, well, I'll have to do some more research about this guy." He scrolled down the screen. "Looks like Cyrus has a daughter and two sons. Tyler is the youngest, his brother Brandon is the oldest, and Arianna is in between. Their mother died when they were young, and with a dad like they have, I'm sure they all have severe daddy and mommy issues."

"Just what we need," I said, my heart sinking at this news. It didn't mean Tyler was a bad person, but it certainly didn't bode well.

"According to this, Brandon's companies are doing okay, while Arianna's have fluctuated." He grimaced. "Crap."

"What?" I said grabbing his hand and pulling his phone screen into a better position for me to read it.

"Tyler's companies haven't done well. One went bankrupt. He sold it off for pennies on the dollar. The others have all sunk in value, but they're holding on."

"Good lord," I said in a whiney voice. "We're doomed, aren't we? Maybe he just got the worst companies in the deal."

"According to the original news stories, Cyrus gave them each companies of similar value, type, and potential. So I don't think that's it. Tyler just doesn't have what it takes."

I was no business expert, but it didn't take a financial genius to see the writing on the wall. Perhaps Tyler was truly a nice person. If so, it was no wonder he was failing miserably at business. It took a right asshole like Mr. Jones to make money.

"Don't believe everything you read," said a quiet, but amused voice from the door.

I felt my skin turn to ice as I looked into the storm-tossed eyes of Tyler Rock. The remnant of the bagel smacked cream cheese side down on the floor, a split second before Jack's phone fell from my fingers and landed atop it. I looked at Jack and wondered if my face looked quite as shocked as his.

"Uh," Jack said, quite eloquently stating my present thoughts as well.

Tyler shrugged. "It's smart to question the order of things. Most people don't bother to research anything about a company they work for. They just slog in place day-to-day for a paycheck and never question anything." He stepped through the door. "They're sheep." His wolf-like grin returned. "I eat sheep."

I gulped. His eyes were so intense, his body language so predatory, I felt a bit weak in the knees. But something inside me, quite likely the thought of my mother seeing me quaver, bucked up my courage. "Thank you for saving my job, Mr. Rock, but you apparently don't have a very good track record. Why are you buying this company when your others are failing?"

His eyes flared for a moment. "I knew there was something about you." It almost seemed as if he were saying it to himself. "I have a very good reason for buying this company. A reason I'm not willing to explain, however." He leaned down, retrieved my bagel and Jack's phone from the floor, handing the latter to the still-stunned programmer. "But things are going to be different with my holdings from here on out. I've made mistakes. But I've also learned from them." He rinsed his hands in the sink and grabbed a paper towel. "I need people who will question things and be brave enough to challenge the people in charge. I want a pack of wolves, not a flock of sheep."

Jack shook his head slowly. "Is this what you tried at your other companies?"

Tyler laughed, his pleasant baritone echoing in the room. "No, not at all." He rested a hand on Jack's shoulder. "What do you do here?"

"I'm a programmer."

"What do you think of your department head?"

"Of Hinkle?" Jack shrugged. "He's an asshole who never listens to anyone."

Tyler nodded, putting a hand under his chin. "Is he a programmer?"

"He used to be."

"Okay." Tyler's eyes seemed to go out of focus for a moment. "We're going to have a full staff meeting first thing tomorrow. I already had Sandra clear the calendar for everyone." He looked at me. "Miss Glass, I'd like you to brief me on the company."

"But I'm new," I said, feeling the weight of his gaze. "Jack knows a lot more than I do."

He acted as though I hadn't spoken. "Jack, I want you to write up a work flow for the programming department. How you do things now, and what you think would make it better. You'll present it tomorrow."

Jack's mouth dropped open. Snapped shut. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Get on it, and tell Hinkle you're to do nothing else today. In other words, tell him to stay off your ass." Tyler winked.

A laugh erupted from Jack, which he quickly stifled. "I'm on it." He left the room with an honest-to-God spring in his step.

Tyler shifted his intense gaze to me. "You look...hungry."

Oh dear.
The way he said it seemed to have an entirely different meaning. Just looking at him did make me hungry. But not for food. What was wrong with me? One chiseled confident man, and I was practically salivating.