Chapter Four

Anna’s POV

All the lights in the building were off, except the one in Grace’s office. Taking in a deep breath, I dragged my fatigue-ridden body to her door. I didn’t even bother knocking. After the high that today started with, I deserved to be granted some excuses.

“Miss. Lane.” Mr. Archer didn’t even look up at me. The reports had been printed and were now sitting on his desk.

Well, actually, Grace’s desk, but since he was the CEO, he was the one behind the desk, and Grace had to stand by the side of the room. The chair at the other end of the desk was still vacant.

God! I wished I could take it.

“Welcome.” He pushed the report to the other end of the desk, then motioned for me to take my seat. Just what I needed.

“Thank you.”

“I heard you did this report.”

I nodded.

“Miss Lane, I know it's late and that you’ve expressed your hatred for being held up in the office later than usual…”

“I told…”

“It’s fine that you have your opinions, Miss Lane,” he interrupted, leaning back into his seat. “But that is only allowed when you are so great at your job.”

I looked at the report. “I did it perfectly, sir. Went over it twice when Grace sported some errors.”

“Interesting.” He narrowed his eyes. “I could have sworn there were still errors in it.”

I looked at Grace for help, but she was doing such a great job at staying out of the way. But now that I thought about it, she had no reason to interfere. Grace must have gone through the edited reports. She didn’t spot any errors.

This was all the second Archer son trying to pay me back for what I said earlier. But the thing was that I didn’t think anything I said was a lie.

“I have been working in this department for over six months now, Sir,” I started, scooting to the edge of my seat and keeping my back straight. “I know for a fact that there aren’t any errors in there.”

Something changed in his eyes. It lit, like the dark pools had suddenly come alive. I couldn’t push the feeling away that he was enjoying this a little too much. He angled his head, his hair reaching his ears.

I wondered if they felt as soft as they looked.

Stop it, Anna. Really?

“Humor me, Anna.”

Great. He had ditched the last name formality.

“You sound so certain. Like you’re right and I’m wrong.”

“Can I speak freely?”

He smiled again. That smug grin that lit up his eyes. “By all means.”

“I… I know that you … might not be …. That you might not….”

“Anna,” he breathed, and I could have sworn that my thighs clenched in that split second. “We don’t have all the time in the world. I have something to get back to, and I’m sure you do too.”

His eyes glanced at my phone on the desk. It was only for a second, but I knew what he thought. Luke was still calling, and I hadn’t resaved his number after we broke up. It read. “The One My Heart Beats For.”

Corny, I know.

I grabbed the phone from the table at once, sliding it into my purse. Mr. Archer didn’t flinch.

“You might not have done taxation … like ever,” I muttered, deciding to get it all out. After all, he’d given me permission to speak freely. “And Grace and I… we would have spotted something.”

“I know nothing about taxation,” he repeats, his gaze searching. “Do you play games, Anna?”

“What … kind of games?”

He shrugged. “Games. I have one for you.” Mr. Archer nudged towards the report. “If I can identify every mistake you made writing that report, you have to promise to do anything I want in return.”

“That isn’t…”

“It’s a game, Anna,” he drawled, like I was overreacting. “You either choose to play it, or not. And you talk big. You should be certain of your skills.”

“I am,” I blurted. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

“Perfect.” He got on his feet then, grabbing his coat from the back of the chair. I was right. It was the same man from the bus stop. “Open the report.”

My hands moved mechanically, flipping the first page. There was nothing there, so I kept going, conscious of Mr. Archer moving. He was at the door now, right behind me. I didn’t need to look to know that he was watching my every move.

I saw nothing until I got to the middle page. In red, he highlighted the oversights.

Impossible.

My fingers traced the figures on the sheet, trying to ascertain how I had missed it. The marketing department had sent me their numbers, and for some reason… how did this…

“Goodnight, then,” Mr. Archer chirped from behind me. The door swung open and closed. The air in the room fractured.

“Grace…”

“You should have just agreed with him, Anna.”

“I thought he knew nothing.”

She shrugged. “Perhaps, all those traveling did something for him. Go home.”

My fatigue was worse. I almost pleaded with Grace to let me spend the night in the office. But I knew what her response would be. So, I grabbed the report and made my way out of the building.

“Anna.”

He was leaning on the hood of the sports car from this morning, the darkness making him look even more ethereal. But right then, it didn’t matter. I hated him.

“Mr. Archer.”

“Call me Carson.”

“That will be inappropriate, Sir. You are the …”

He scoffed. “We both know you don’t give a damn who I am.”

I held the report closer to my chest. “It’s late, Sir. I should get going.”

“Why don’t I give you a ride?”

“I’ll just grab a bus.”

“You won’t find one. It is the middle of the night.”

“I’ll call my friend to come get me.”

He peered his eyes in my direction. “The one blowing your cell all night?”

I swallowed.

“Get in the car, Anna.” Carson leaned away from the hood slowly, every inch of those dark eyes on me. “And don’t let me ask twice.”