Possessed By You (Overworld Underground Book 1) (19 page)

He smiled. "I saw the way you were devouring that bagel."

Somehow, I found the words to reply. "I forgot my lunch today."

Tyler checked a very expensive looking Rolex. "I haven't had lunch yet either." His lip curled into a lopsided grin. "Do you like pho soup?"

I felt a bit dizzy at the question, and an edge of electricity seemed to run up my stomach.
Déjà vu all over again.
"Yes," I said, my voice sound weak to my ears. Something about this man reminded me of Thomas even though the pair looked nothing alike. I imagined it must be his green eyes.

"Excellent. You can brief me while we eat."

From the way he looked at me, I wondered just what he planned to eat. Perhaps it might have been better if I hadn't been rehired, because Tyler Rock looked like a man who got what he wanted.

And I was on the menu.

Chapter 17

We walked down the hall toward the lift. Sandra, a shell-shocked look still on her face watched us approach. "Everything is scheduled, Mr. Rock. Is there anything else you need?"

Tyler shook his head. "Not right now. We're going for a bite, and Miss Glass will brief me on company policies."

"The intern?" Sandra said, her eyebrows rising in tandem. "But she's only been here two weeks."

"Sometimes a fresh perspective is best." The doors dinged, and Tyler motioned for me to enter first.

I was torn between giving Sandra a smug smile, or fainting at the thought of having to brief this powerful man on a company I knew next to nothing about. I wasn't sure if I should be terrified or exhilarated. My body had an opinion of its own, wavering between knee-weakening fear, and a chill of excitement that left goose bumps on my arms. My gaze wandered of its own accord to take in Tyler's handsome profile, the confident set of his shoulders, and the slightly amused smile that seemed ever-present on his lips, as if he found the world to be a source of constant entertainment.

My heart beat a little harder just looking at him. He was manly and gorgeous, but the confidence he exuded amplified everything else. The strong, hot sensation I'd felt earlier tingled my intuition. The faintest hint of something burning tickled my nose. I couldn't be sure if it was real or imagined. An image of Thomas flashed into my head but I quickly dismissed it. The two men were nothing alike.

Tyler gave me a quick sideways look and grinned. "Are you feeling okay, Miss Glass?"

The way he said my name sent a shiver through me. "Uh huh."
Is that even English?
Apparently it was all I could muster, because my mouth simply hung open like a decorative piece on a statue.

Tyler chuckled.

Once we reached the sidewalk, I almost expected a limousine and a security detail of men in dark suits to melt out of the environment to see him safely away. Instead, a man of medium height with a head of thick brown hair joined us, keeping a discreet distance behind. Oh, and we
walked
.

My wealthy companion took a deep breath of the cool air and sighed. Misty breath billowed from his mouth. "So beautiful," he said, taking in the gray afternoon weather as if he'd never seen it like this before.

"It's a bit chilly and damp," I said, pulling my coat tight around me. The sleeves were stained, but dry, and my clothes were no longer damp, though if my nerves didn't calm down, perspiration might undo that minor accomplishment.

He looked down at me. "Would you like another coat?"

I wondered what would happen if I said yes. "I'm fine."

"Just give the word, and I'll make you warm."

I shivered, and it had nothing to do with the cold. A surge of hot defiance took away the weakness in my legs. "Mr. Rock, I may be just an intern, and I am truly grateful to you for saving my job. But if you think for one bloody minute that this entitles you to anything more, I want to make it perfectly clear that it does
not
."
What in God's name am I saying?

Tyler burst into a loud laugh, throwing back his head as if I'd just said the funniest thing in the world. "You and I are going to get along great." His hand reached toward my cheek, and jerked back as if he suddenly realized what he was doing.

Again, I had the strangest sense that I'd met this man before. That I somehow knew him. But I knew with certainty I'd never forget a face like his. Nor his eyes, nor his body. Tyler Rock was unforgettable.

He held the door to the restaurant open, and one of the waiters sat us. The man I assumed was Tyler's bodyguard remained outside. Tyler removed his suit jacket, revealing a dark blue shirt. His frame was lean, but his biceps bulged against his long-sleeve shirt when he bent his arms. I also happened to notice his ring finger was bare—a fact that brought me a strange sense of satisfaction. Ha, as if I'd have a chance with such a man.

The same Vietnamese woman who'd taken my order the last time I'd been here approached, pen and order pad in hand. Her eyes seemed to bug a little when taking in Tyler. I also noticed the eyes of other women in the restaurant resting on his handsome face. Again, I felt as though I were reliving a day from the past. The reactions of the women had been so similar when Thomas and I had eaten here, except in that case the attentions of all those women made no sense to me whatsoever. Thomas was—had been—charismatic before turning back into Mr. Hyde. But he was nothing special to look at.

Tyler was phenomenal.

He took—or pretended to take—no notice of the female attention and gave me a smile that made my stomach clench with pleasure and apprehension. "The number thirteen looks good."

"Yes," I said, my voice trembling. "It does." Again, the presence of the past intruded on me. I checked the date on my phone to be sure I wasn't caught in some bizarre time loop. "Might I have mine without onions?"
No sense in ruining things with awful breath.

"Are you okay?" He reached across the small table and touched my hand. "You seem nervous."

A thrill of electricity seemed to run from his hand to mine. I jerked back, my breathing suddenly heavy. This was too strange! I took a long draw of water, and managed a feeble smile. "I'm fine. It's just been a crazy day, what with me being fired and all."

He chuckled. "You're a strong person to keep soldiering on. But if you'd like to take off the rest of the day—"

"No, no." I sucked more water through my straw. "Really, Mr. Rock, I'm fine."

"Call me Tyler, Miss Glass."

"As you wish." I felt the only polite thing to do would tell him to call me Emily, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I wasn't sure I wanted to be on a first-name basis with this man. He was so far out of my league it wasn't even funny. And my fawning over him would only lead to pain and further disillusionment on my part, though I already knew for certain he probably toyed with women for enjoyment when he grew bored of spending his money.

Now you're just being mean!

"Why don't you tell me about your experience with OnTech so far, Miss Glass?" He leaned back and crossed his arms. I heard the woman sitting to our right release a little sigh.

My gaze flicked her way, and I noticed the annoyed look the woman's male companion gave her. I turned back to Tyler who seemed oblivious to the unfolding drama, and shrugged. "Well, I suppose it's been interesting. But I don't do much besides make coffee and run errands. Oh, and I sometimes help Kevin make sales presentations, although that has changed somewhat since Mr. Jones reverted to his old personality."

A grin broke the serious set of Tyler's mouth. "Old personality?"

A little laugh burst from my mouth as I realized how preposterous that statement sounded. "Perhaps Kevin could give a better account of the story."

"Oh, no, Miss Glass. You started it, now I want to hear everything."

A warm flush crept into my cheeks, and I pressed my lips together to stop from smiling. It really was no laughing matter. Thomas had been so amazing before his reversion to the little troll that was Mr. Jones. He'd seemed bigger than life. Electric. My eyes locked onto Tyler's hand, remembering his touch.

"Well," I said, "supposedly, he went on vacation and came back very different from his old self. From what I knew of him, I would agree. He went from being a very interesting and kind man to a complete and utter jackass."

Tyler leaned forward, his eyes seeming to darken in color. "How well did you know him before he changed back?"

A nervous flutter passed through my belly, and I felt myself shrink away from his intense gaze. "Not very well," I lied.

"Are you certain about that? I need to know, Miss Glass. His job may depend on it."

My stomach tensed. I didn't much care for Mr. Jones. True, he'd fired me for little cause, and seemed to be an uncaring lout. But I'd feel guilty if I were responsible for Tyler firing him. "I—I spilled coffee on him," I said. "And we had lunch once."

Tyler laughed. "You have a way with coffee, don't you, Miss Glass?"

"Yes, I suppose I do."

Our soups arrived and I felt relieved as Tyler shifted his attention to filling his bowl with bean sprouts and a frightening amount of hot sauce. He took a pair of chopsticks in one hand, a soup spoon in the other, and pulled a bunch of noodles from the broth, piling them onto the spoon before filling it with broth and stuffing it all into his mouth. He somehow managed not to spill a drop on his lovely shirt.

I stared at him for a moment. He ate with gusto and no concern about appearances. Now he most definitely reminded me of the old Thomas. After shaking off this strange feeling, I turned to my soup. I picked out the meat, avoiding the noodles. Considering my dietary crimes of the past couple of weeks, I needed to avoid unnecessary carbs.

"Tell me about this lunch you had with Mr. Jones," Tyler said a moment later, pausing to dab his face with a napkin even though it didn't look messy.

I stuffed a piece of beef in my mouth, and followed it up with the forbidden noodles. Smiled, and pointed at my mouth. Unfortunately, I'd look quite the fool if I kept stuffing my face in order to avoid the subject. At least it gave me time to think. How much did I want to tell this man? Surely there were other employees who knew I'd lunched with Thomas. Even with Sandra gone, there were too many prying eyes in that place to get away with a lie.

Supposing Tyler interviewed other employees, they would tell him and I'd be busted. So, at least some of the truth was in order. He'd likely think me a little whore though. And what if he thought my issues with Mr. Jones were due to some illicit affair? My face heated up at the mere thought. I was stuck between two very hard places. If I lied and he found out, he would certainly think the worst.

"Miss Glass, I promise I won't think any less of you, no matter what you have to say on the matter." Tyler touched the top of my hand, his intense eyes meeting mine.

Again, a tiny shock seemed to pass from his hand to mine. This time, I didn't jerk back, but slowly withdrew my hand and gripped my cup for another drink of water. "He and I had lunch a few times. I thought we were becoming friends."

Tyler didn't seem the least bit surprised. "And then he changed?"

"Yes. Claims he was in an accident and hit his head, and that he remembers nothing from the past three months or so since his vacation."

"Strange." Tyler took in another mouthful of noodles.

"It was very queer." I waited for him to make a snap judgment about the relationship. There were all sorts of indecent conclusions he could draw—that Mr. Jones had tried to make it more than friendship, I'd rebuked him, and then things had become nasty. Or that he and I had done the deed, and when he was finished with me, had turned into Mr. Hyde.

Tyler shrugged. "It's amazing what a bump on the head will do to someone. Maybe he can be redeemed."

"Redeemed?" It sounded a lot like something my father would say, what with his religious view of life. "I thought another bump on the head might do it."

Tyler snorted with laughter, just as he took a drink of water, somehow managing to not spray it all out of his mouth, and then let out a choking cough.

"Are you okay?"

His face turning red from either laughter or lack of oxygen, he pressed a napkin to his mouth, until he stopped coughing. His eyes looking into mine. "Em—Miss Glass, you make me laugh."

The compliment sent a little wave of warmth flushing down my chest and into my stomach. I crossed my legs, pressing them tight together.

Oh dear.

This man would be impossible to work with on a daily basis. A part of me was glad he wouldn't be there for everyday operations. If I had to look into those green eyes on a regular basis, and feel the intensity of that gaze, it would undo me slowly but surely. Men were not to be trusted, especially not this one.

"I'm going to give you another job, Miss Glass," Tyler said. "I want you to be my assistant while I reorganize the company. You have a strength of character about you that runs deep."

"What?" I bolted up from my chair like a startled deer. "You want me to what?"

He gave me a calm look, and smiled. "Please have a seat before people think we're having a lovers' spat."

I dropped into my seat. "I—I can't be your assistant. I'm not that strong. You don't even know me, sir."

He folded his arms, and pursed his lips for a moment, then said, "You told me off earlier, and didn't bat an eyelash. True, you sometimes act a little girlish and immature, but for the most part, you carry yourself well."

"Girlish?" I said, feeling my eyes flare in anger. "You think I'm bloody girlish? Well, if you think by making me your personal assistant, I'll be sweet and girlish, you're sadly mistaken, Mr. Rock. It just seems like another ploy to make me—" I clamped my mouth shut and looked down at the table before verbally lashing myself out of a job.

"A ploy to make you do what, Miss Glass?" He didn't sound the least bit angry. If anything, he sounded amused. "Please, I want to know."

I shook my head. "I just don't think it would be a good idea."

"I want to know why, Miss Glass." He leaned forward.