Free One Look At You by Sofie Hartwell Page A

eyes then dart to me and whatever he sees makes one eyebrow lift. Unconsciously, my right hand goes to my neckline. When his eyes follow my hand, I forcefully put it down.
    A glimmer of humor seems to shine in his eyes, but he makes an effort to keep his face devoid of expression. He shows me this morning’s report, with several portions highlighted. “Do you see the highlighted parts?” I nod. He continues, “Well, these don’t make sense when compared against the data in the report of last week,” he enunciates every word like he’s talking to a stupid person.
    I look closely at the figures and I really don’t see what he’s talking about. I don’t have a photographic memory, so I need to review the reports side-by-side and I tell him so. “I’m sorry, but I have to look into this again in order for me to give you a proper assessment.”
    “Fair enough. I’m going to sort through the rest and, hopefully, by the end of the day, you’ll have an answer for me.” I turn to leave but he speaks again. “Oh, and Olivia, don’t worry. I won’t pounce on you if you dress more normally. Don’t you know that the more a woman covers herself up, the more curious a man gets?”
    His words put me on edge, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that. “But then, you’re not a man, Mr. Avery. Just a suit in a corner office.” God, did I really say that out loud?
    His loud burst of laughter echoes in the room and I find myself smiling at his contagious response. “There’s a lot more to you, isn’t there?” he says softly.
    “No, not really. What you see is what you get,” I say lightly.
    “Maybe…” he doesn’t finish his sentence and I leave at once, not wanting to prolong the conversation. Whew! One of these days, even if he doesn’t find out who I really am, I’m going to get myself fired for my stupid impulses.
    ***
    It turns out that he is correct about the mistakes in the report. It was a miscalculation brought about by an error in the formula. Why didn’t I see that? I really don’t usually make such mistakes because double-checking formulas is one of my rules. Let’s just say that, with the volume of reports I’ve been generating lately, it was bound to happen. Of course, I really need to be more careful in the future. The man has eagle eyes and actually reads every line.
    I print the revised report and have prepared to bring it in to him when I hear someone cry out loudly, “Hola, Livie!”
    No! No! No! It’s Mark, looking tan and fit, greeting me as he saunters my way. What the heck is he doing here?
    He hugs me tight and asks, “How are you, Liv?” I cast my eyes in the direction of Tony’s office and am relieved to see the door closed.
    “What are you doing here?” I ask in a whisper.
    “Aren’t you happy to see me? You’re the only one in the group who hasn’t been bugging me with text messages and voicemails in the middle of the night,” he says, oblivious to my discomfort.
    “Of course, I’m happy to see you, but now is not a good time.”
    “Why not? I went over to your old desk and John told me you’ve been temporarily assigned to the CFO. Wow! That’s a great career move.”
    “Not really. This is temporary, that’s all.” I look again at Tony’s closed door.
    “Okay. Well, aren’t you going to pepper me with questions about where I’ve been or why I’m here? I’m hurt by your lack of concern.”
    “Mark, can we just meet for dinner in like an hour or so? I just need to give this report to my boss and then I can go.”
    “Fine. I’ll just hover around while you finish up,” he says nonchalantly.
    “No! You can’t,” I say emphatically.
    “I’ll be quiet. I’ll just sit down and read my hundred messages or so. Won’t even talk to you, I promise.” He puts up his right arm and crosses his heart.
    “No, seriously.”
    “Why are you whispering?”
    “Mark, sense the tone. You need to get out right now.”
    “Ahh, I don’t know why