voice down. Kelsey caught the quick glance from Micah, curious but distracted by the movements of the other assistants as they righted the stack of books on the table. “I expected to hear from you by now.”
Kelsey grabbed her elbow and pulled her further away. “I’m working on it, I promise you.”
“I hope you can deliver on that promise.” Babette’s gaze was hard and assessing, and Kelsey knew she wouldn’t hesitate to fuck up her career if she didn’t make this happen. She wasn’t surprised. You didn’t get to be the wife of Saul Forasch if you weren’t a woman who only played to win.
Kelsey watched her walk away, leaving behind a knot in the pit of her stomach and the harsh reality of how little wiggle room she had here.
“Fuck,” she mumbled under breath, letting out a yelp of surprise when she turned and saw Micah standing behind her. He reached out to steady her, his eyes searching and his expression inquisitive.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Kelsey pushed her hair behind her ear and made sure she smiled, leaning in as if she was sharing a secret. “She has a little bit of a crush on you.”
“I noticed.” He groaned and jammed his hands in his pockets, a gesture she already recognized. “She was enthusiastic.”
“You’re very diplomatic, Mr. Holmes.”
“I’m a little bit scared of her.” Now it was his turn to lean in and tell her a secret. “She tried to grab my nuts. Did you see that? I’m traumatized.”
Inside she cringed at how much more difficult Babette had made her assignment, but she had to agree.
“ You are? I had to actually look at it happening up close on the screen.”
“No comparison,” he insisted. “No. Comparison. At. All.”
“We will have to agree to disagree.”
“So what did she ask you to do? What was she talking about?” he asked and her stomach dropped into the toes of her stilettos. Shit. She hadn’t thought he’d heard, and after what happened, now was not the time to introduce the idea of his spending more time with Babette.
“Just a special excursion request. Typical stuff.” She shrugged as if it was nothing. “Come on,” she gestured to the area behind the bank of folding screens. “Now is a great time for you to take a break.”
A quick signal to the assistants and the announcement was made that Micah was taking a short break, and they scooted out of sight. Behind the screens was a storage area for boxes of books, but there was also of cooler full of bottled water. Kelsey reached in and snagged two, the cold moisture against the skin of her hand making her suck in a sharp breath at the contrast in sensation. She handed one to Micah, and they found a stack of boxes tall enough to make a perch for them the lean on.
He was close to her in the small space, his arm brushing hers as they both gulped down the cool water. Kelsey hadn’t realized how thirsty she was until she took the first sip. This close she could smell his cologne, woodsy and sharp, it was warm and sexy; very much Micah.
“I feel like I’ve been talking for hours,” she said, placing the cap back on the bottle and stretching her neck from side-to-side.
“You have been talking for hours,” he answered, nudging her with his elbow. “Thanks for what you did out there. You helped me out so much.”
She shrugged. “Years of facilitating meet and greets with guests at the hotel and I’ve perfected the conversational softball.”
“That was major league playing out there,” he answered, his gaze landing on her face and staying there. This proximity made her nervous, her belly tightening with the effect his body heat and scent had on her. She kept her eyes glued on her shoes, trying to maintain some distance between them after last night and earlier today. He did nothing to shield his attraction, and she had no doubt that her own longing would show if he got a good look at her. “You sure know a lot about my books.”
She rolled her eyes and smirked