Hush by Micalea Smeltzer Read Free Book Online Page B

again.
    I got in the taxi, rattled off the street name for Avid News, and left behind a very angry Siva and I didn’t even know why he was angry.
    Stupid, moody, arrogant, man!
    * * *
    “Sloane, did you get lost?” joked Mac but there was a dark undercurrent to his normally happy green eyes.
    I glared at Mac as I took my seat.
    I swirled the mouse around to wake up my computer and attacked the keyboard with a vengeance.
    “Whoa,” said Mac. “What did your keyboard ever do to you?” he asked leaning over the partition.
    I huffed and buried my head in my hands.
    “I take it lunch didn’t go according to plan?” he asked and his voice softened taking in my hurt feelings.
    I sighed and looked at the curly haired man. I pushed my dark hair out of my face and sighed. “It started out great actually but then he just flipped out and I don’t know why.”
    Mac laughed.
    “Stop laughing,” I snarled sounding much like Siva.
    Mac looked at me and his green eyes warmed. He put his hand to his chest. “Okay, I’m going to be a nice guy here and give him the benefit of the doubt even though I’d like to beat him senseless for hurting your feelings. But Sloane, the guy probably feels weird because he has feelings for you, I mean , how could he not, you’re perfect but you’re his dead brother’s girlfriend. Either that or he’s just an arrogant jerk.”
    “I’m going for the later,” I said with a smile.
    Mac may have possessed too much interest in me but he was a good friend and he could always make me feel better.
    “Do you want to go get a drink later?” he asked.
    Gone, was my friend.
    “Mac, I really can’t.” At the appearance of his crestfallen expression I held up a hand and said, “I’m not saying no. Just, not to tonight. I have a lot to get done.”
    “Oh okay,” he said but he still looked forlorn. He settled back at his desk.
    I finished the article and printed it out. I read it through to make sure there were no mistakes and headed to April’s office.
    I knocked quietly.
    “Come on in,” she called.
    I opened the heavy wooden door and entered her airy office. Well, maybe clinical was the better word. Everything was stark white. From the walls, to the desk, to her bookshelves, everything was a bright, crisp, white. The only thing that wasn’t white was the beige carpet floors. It kind of reminded me of Rajas house.
    “Just dropping this off,” I said handing her the article.
    Her critical eye scanned it and she smiled.
    “Good job, Sloane. You always impress me. I know this isn’t the kind of journalism you want to do but you do it well. I don’t have anything else for you to do today if you want to head on home. We’ll all be out of here in an hour anyway.”
    “Oh okay,” I said failing to mask my disappoint ment . Home, or should I say Siva’s flat, was not a place I wanted to go.
    “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she smiled.
    I gave her a small, forced, smile and closed her office door behind me.
    “Bye Mac,” I said packing up my laptop.
    “You heading out?” he asked.
    “Yep,” I said. “April didn’t have anything else for me to do.”
    “You can finish my article,” he grinned.
    I laughed. “I think that kind of defeats the purpose of doing your job.”
    “You’re right, of course. I’ll see you in the morning. Maybe we can get those drinks tomorrow ?” he suggested.
    I clamped my lips shut tight so the groan I was suppressing wouldn’t emerge.
    “Maybe,” I shrugged my half answer and skedaddled out of there before he added anything else to his endless list of, ‘things Mac wants to do with Sloane.’
    I slung my messenger bag across my body and put my purse on my shoulder. I strode out the double doors but paused when I saw the black Porsche parked by the curb.
    A man hopped out of the driver’s seat that was not Siva. I paused and the man smiled at me. He was tall, not as tall as Siva though, he was very muscular with blond hair. He wore a pair of nice