Too Close to Touch Read Online Free Page A
Author: Georgia Beers
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, eBooks, Lesbian, BSB, bold, Life gets complicated when love turns out to be nothing like you expected - and the woman you want is too close to touch., strokes, e-books
by the gym she’d noticed near her apartment before the week was out.
She waved at Kylie and entered her ofÞ ce to grab her purse, noting with disappointment that her boxes from downstate had yet to arrive.
• 24 •
TOO CLOSE TO TOUCH
“Kylie, were you able to get ahold of shipping?” she tossed over her shoulder as she bent to open her bottom drawer. When she stood back up, Kylie was standing in front of her desk not two feet away.
“I’ve got a call in. They haven’t seen them yet.”
“Jesus.” Gretchen pressed a hand to her chest, trying to recover from Kylie’s silent appearance. “You scared me.”
Kylie smiled. “Sorry. Jim always said I moved like a cat. Would you rather I stomp in?”
“It might save me a heart attack or two.”
“Do you have your paperwork from when you shipped the stuff? I can trace it and Þ nd out where it is.”
“Good idea.” Gretchen pulled the papers from her bag, handing them to Kylie as she headed for the door. “Thanks.”
“Lunch with Margo Wheeler now?”
“Yeah.” Gretchen lowered her voice and asked, “Do they really call her Hell on Wheeler around here?”
Kylie laughed outright, surprised that Gretchen had heard the nickname already. “I’m afraid so.”
“For good reason?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Gretchen nodded. “You know, I am hoping to be able to actually sit at my desk before this week is over. Really. I swear.”
“Such is the life of a big corporate executive. Do what you’ve got to do. I’ve got everything under control here.”
Gretchen stopped in the doorway and turned to look at Kylie.
She was surprised that she hadn’t noticed how blue Kylie’s eyes were.
The thought that she and Kylie were both the same height as long as Gretchen had heels on zipped through her brain for no reason at all.
Note to self: always wear the heels .
Aloud, she said, “That’s good to know. You’ve got my cell number, right?”
“Got it. Enjoy lunch.”
“I’ll try.”
v
Okay, these people need to leave me the hell alone. Anytime soon would be good . Gretchen’s head was so full, she was surprised it hadn’t just exploded by now, leaving her brains in colorful splashes all over
• 25 •
GEORGIA BEERS
the walls of one of the posh conference rooms of Emerson, Inc. She considered herself a rock, able to withstand enormous amounts of pressure without cracking—she certainly hadn’t got where she was by being a shrinking violet. But the stress and anxiety of the job change, the move, the new city, the new coworkers, and the seven hundred meetings she’d taken part in were conspiring to turn her into a raving lunatic.
A very large part of her wanted to shriek at all of upper management to get the hell out of her face so she could do her damn job already. She knew she needed to have time to sit at her desk and go over the Þ les of her sales reps or she’d be woefully unprepared for her Þ rst meeting with her new subordinates. That was not the way to instill conÞ dence and respect. Despite the fact that it was only Monday, she already knew a weekend of working from home was in her very near future. Not that that was anything new to her.
She was relieved to note that she’d just completed the last of her meet-and-greets of the day. “Thank God,” she muttered.
It was after four, but she was now free to take a deep breath and sit at her desk for a while…hopefully undisturbed. There was so much to do. She touched Kylie on the shoulder as she passed; the EAA was on the phone and looked up at Gretchen with a smile and a small wave.
She found herself feeling a twinge of jealousy that her assistant seemed fresh, energetic, and unfazed by the day.
With a heavy sigh, she dropped into her leather chair but resisted the urge to slide down into a comfortable slump. It was still business hours, her ofÞ ce had windows, and the last thing she wanted was for anybody in the company to think the hectic schedule had gotten to her on
She waved at Kylie and entered her ofÞ ce to grab her purse, noting with disappointment that her boxes from downstate had yet to arrive.
• 24 •
TOO CLOSE TO TOUCH
“Kylie, were you able to get ahold of shipping?” she tossed over her shoulder as she bent to open her bottom drawer. When she stood back up, Kylie was standing in front of her desk not two feet away.
“I’ve got a call in. They haven’t seen them yet.”
“Jesus.” Gretchen pressed a hand to her chest, trying to recover from Kylie’s silent appearance. “You scared me.”
Kylie smiled. “Sorry. Jim always said I moved like a cat. Would you rather I stomp in?”
“It might save me a heart attack or two.”
“Do you have your paperwork from when you shipped the stuff? I can trace it and Þ nd out where it is.”
“Good idea.” Gretchen pulled the papers from her bag, handing them to Kylie as she headed for the door. “Thanks.”
“Lunch with Margo Wheeler now?”
“Yeah.” Gretchen lowered her voice and asked, “Do they really call her Hell on Wheeler around here?”
Kylie laughed outright, surprised that Gretchen had heard the nickname already. “I’m afraid so.”
“For good reason?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Gretchen nodded. “You know, I am hoping to be able to actually sit at my desk before this week is over. Really. I swear.”
“Such is the life of a big corporate executive. Do what you’ve got to do. I’ve got everything under control here.”
Gretchen stopped in the doorway and turned to look at Kylie.
She was surprised that she hadn’t noticed how blue Kylie’s eyes were.
The thought that she and Kylie were both the same height as long as Gretchen had heels on zipped through her brain for no reason at all.
Note to self: always wear the heels .
Aloud, she said, “That’s good to know. You’ve got my cell number, right?”
“Got it. Enjoy lunch.”
“I’ll try.”
v
Okay, these people need to leave me the hell alone. Anytime soon would be good . Gretchen’s head was so full, she was surprised it hadn’t just exploded by now, leaving her brains in colorful splashes all over
• 25 •
GEORGIA BEERS
the walls of one of the posh conference rooms of Emerson, Inc. She considered herself a rock, able to withstand enormous amounts of pressure without cracking—she certainly hadn’t got where she was by being a shrinking violet. But the stress and anxiety of the job change, the move, the new city, the new coworkers, and the seven hundred meetings she’d taken part in were conspiring to turn her into a raving lunatic.
A very large part of her wanted to shriek at all of upper management to get the hell out of her face so she could do her damn job already. She knew she needed to have time to sit at her desk and go over the Þ les of her sales reps or she’d be woefully unprepared for her Þ rst meeting with her new subordinates. That was not the way to instill conÞ dence and respect. Despite the fact that it was only Monday, she already knew a weekend of working from home was in her very near future. Not that that was anything new to her.
She was relieved to note that she’d just completed the last of her meet-and-greets of the day. “Thank God,” she muttered.
It was after four, but she was now free to take a deep breath and sit at her desk for a while…hopefully undisturbed. There was so much to do. She touched Kylie on the shoulder as she passed; the EAA was on the phone and looked up at Gretchen with a smile and a small wave.
She found herself feeling a twinge of jealousy that her assistant seemed fresh, energetic, and unfazed by the day.
With a heavy sigh, she dropped into her leather chair but resisted the urge to slide down into a comfortable slump. It was still business hours, her ofÞ ce had windows, and the last thing she wanted was for anybody in the company to think the hectic schedule had gotten to her on