Chapter 7

Connor

"Sir," she says as she walks into my office, carrying a file.

I ignore her greeting, keeping up my pretense of typing on my laptop while I figure out how to repay her for this morning.

"Sir," she gets to my desk and drops the file. "This is the summary of the protocols currently under simulation for the sensor systems."

I count to five Mississippi, and then I close my laptop screen, staring at her with implied boredom and disinterest on my face.

"I see. I'll go through them. Thank you."

There is no trace of the earlier cheekiness on her face, and if anyone were to walk in, they'd think, with her power suit, well-styled hair, and high heels, that she's an excellent employee.

That Evelyn Lockhart isn't an undercover menace.

She nods. "Okay."

I wait for her to get to the door, flipping the pages loud enough they make noise before I call her name. She stops and turns.

"You need me to approve this, right?"

"That is correct, sir."

That is correct? Who speaks like that in this day and age?

Tongue in cheek, I shake my head. "And you need my approval to move forward?"

She nods.

The corner of my lips rises in a devious smile. "Well then, you might have to wait a bit more."

"What—I mean," She shakes her head and drops her tone, "why do I need to wait, sir?"

I lift the file.

"I'm not satisfied with what I'm seeing here. Some inconsistencies need to be fixed and—"

"I'll fix it," Evelyn says as she strides through the room and back to my desk, reaching for the file in my hand.

Smartly, I snatch it back with seconds to spare. "What are you trying to do?"

"Fix my errors, sir. I need your approval as soon as possible so I don't fall behind schedule."

She shouldn't have said that. Now I have more ammo.

I smirk. "Do you know where the errors are? And," I continue as she opens her mouth to reply, "I never asked you to fix them. I intend to do that myself. How long it will take depends on my satisfaction, and then you can proceed."

I almost break character when her lips part in shock. I knew it was only a matter of time before I figured something out that would render her speechless.

"You—I can fix them, sir. This is my forte, and the reason you hired me."

Shrugging, I fold my arms and lean back. "You came to me about a fault that wasn't in your area of expertise, claiming it had to be fixed or it would affect the entire project. If you know so much, why do you think I would not also be proficient in cybersecurity?"

"It is my project and my company, after all," I deliver the final blow. "I will let you know when to proceed, Miss Lockhart. You may go."

After standing in front of my desk for a couple of seconds too long, she turns on her heels.

"Stubborn, flightless bird. I wonder how he ever gets any work done," I hear her mutter under her breath, and the victory smile on my face drops.

"What did you say?"

Like a deer in headlights, Evelyn comes to a halt. Then, realizing it gave her away, she resumes walking.

Oh no, I heard that.

"Miss Lockhart," I call out. "What did you say?"

But her steps are too fast that she escapes through the door and slams it shut before I can get up from my chair. I sit back down again, completely flabbergasted. I'm confident I heard that right.

She called me a stubborn, flightless bird. What does that mean? I have never been called a bird my whole life, much less a stubborn, flightless one.

And something tells me she would have said it to my face if we weren't in the workplace. With her hands thrust on her hips and her chin tilted at that "come get me angle," Evelyn Lockhart would have called me a bird and maybe something else, and I hate to think what that might be.