“I half-expected to not see you at all today,” Priti said as she rolled back from her desk, “much less this early.” “First day of the rest of my life.” I sighed, eyeing the non-blinking message light on my phone. Nothing from Alec? Now that is a surprise. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Priti said, shooting a glance toward our boss, who was buried in his work. “I’m not reading any vibe from you at all, Sam. You gonna fill me in now, or make me wait until lunch?” “Everything’s fine, P,” I said as I pulled my chair back. “I fell asleep on the phone with Alec last night.” “Speaking of sleeping . . .” Priti said, stopping in midsentence. Her eyes were wide open and focused on something over my shoulder. Before I could say a word, two massive arms circled my waist from behind, one hand clutching a long-stemmed rose. “Good morning, Samantha Bonti,” Alec whispered, nipping an ear. Priti’s eyes opened wider, if that were possible, as she lowered her head and made a move to roll back into her cubicle.
