He took the long way out of their development. She suspected it was to get her used to the feel of the bike at low speeds. When they stopped at the intersection at Bruce B. Downs Boulevard to wait for the light he patted her hands and looked back at her.
“Having fun?” She nodded and thought she heard him laughing. “Hang on, baby girl.”
They took off again. She hadn’t been to his office but knew it was on US 301 in east Tampa, not far from the state fairgrounds. She wondered if he’d take the interstate but he didn’t. She finally kept her eyes open, and forty minutes later they pulled into the parking lot at a three-story building.
He drove around back where a carport covered six parking spaces. Two were empty, one with a sign bearing Thomas’ name. He pulled in and shut the bike off, putting down the kickstand. “Like it?”
“Yeah. That was fun.”
“See? You can cop a feel any time you want.” She loved how his eyes crinkled when he smiled.
He helped her remove her helmet. “What floor are your offices on?” she asked.
His grin widened. “Baby girl, the whole building’s mine.”
Nevvie followed him through the back door and down a corridor. His large office contained more than his desk. There was also a large conference table, a huge drafting table, and a computer workstation. Pictures of what she assumed were completed developments hung from the walls above bookshelves loaded with tomes of various subjects from engineering and architecture to fiction.
“You can drop your stuff on the table, Nev. You’ll bunk with Maggie until she’s gone, then you’ll have that office all to yourself.” He picked up the phone, briefly spoke. A moment later someone knocked.
“Come on in,” Thomas said.
An extremely pregnant woman waddled in. Her dark blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her round glasses sat on a friendly face that was no doubt chubbier than normal due to her condition.
Thomas stepped over. “Maggie, this is Nevaeh Barton. She’s the one I told you about.”
Maggie smiled and extended a hand. “Nice to finally meet you.”
Nevvie nervously shook hands. “Thanks.” Being around people again would be culture shock. Since returning to Tampa, Nevvie rarely had extended contact with people other than her clients and Alex’s so-called friends. Comfortably and safely cooped up in the house with Tyler and Thomas, she hardly remembered what it was like being in the real world.
“Get her up to speed on the phone system,” Tommy said. “Give her an overview of what we do, show her around and introduce her. She’ll be doing project data entry. Teach her about invoices, permitting and survey notes, how to run and read reports, show her how the server works, that kind of stuff.”
“Not subjecting her to the full torture treatment, huh, Tom?”
“No, I liked your idea of splitting things up. You’re right, it doesn’t make sense the way we’ve been doing it.”
She threw her hands up in the air. “Finally, he listens!”
Nevvie laughed, and Maggie turned to her. “You know how guys are. They don’t listen until they think of the same damn thing, then it’s suddenly a good idea.”
“Quit trying to turn her against me on her first day, Maggie.” He looked at Nevvie. “We’ve known each other for years.”
“Don’t hesitate to slap him around,” Maggie teased. “That’s the only way to keep him in line.”
“That’s because I like it,” Thomas joked, grinning. “How many times I have to tell you that, woman?”
Nevvie laughed again. She’d been afraid Thomas would morph into a totally different person at work. With this woman, at least, he was still friendly and playful. Nevvie felt a small, jealous pang. She consoled herself that she was the one riding to work on the back of Thomas’ bike.
And riding home with him.
“Oh, stop by HR, get all her paperwork taken care of, get her a set of keys and alarm codes, everything she needs. I’ll call them and tell them to expect you.”
Maggie nodded. “Come with me.” She looked at her. “Nevaeh? Or do you prefer something else?”
“Nevvie’s fine.”
“You can call me Maggie or Meg.”
“Or hell-bitch,” Thomas joked.
Maggie flipped him a bird. “That’s it, keep it up, Tommy. I’ll milk my family leave time.”
“With twins I suspect you’ll do a lot of milking.”
A little shocked, Nevvie gasped. Maggie roared with laughter. “Watch it, buster,” she warned, “or I’ll tell Tyler you’re picking on me.”
“Ha! You’re shit outta luck. He’s out of town, left Nevvie and me on our own.”
“Ah. No wonder you’re acting like you grew a set of balls overnight. Come on, Nevvie, follow me.”
Nevvie grabbed her things and followed Maggie down a short hallway to another office. It would be close with two people but not uncomfortably so.
“Dump your stuff over there. You can put your purse in the desk, but no one should mess with it. I’ve got the place booby trapped.” Maggie looked down at her pregnancy-enhanced chest. “No pun intended.”
Nevvie laughed. “This sounds like a fun place to work.”
Maggie smiled. “Don’t let me fool you. I’ve known Tom since college. Believe me, we don’t joke around like that in front of others.” She hesitated and dropped her voice. “Look, he told me the basics. They’re great guys, and they seem to be crazy about you. I had a shitty ex in my life too, so I know it can be hard to let your guard down around people.”
“I trust them. This is the first time in my life I’ve felt like I belong.”
“You’re a lucky girl. I love my husband but I wish he looked as cute as those two.”
Nevvie blushed. “Yeah, well, all I can do is look.”
“Sometimes being able to look at two really hot guys is a lot better than having some fugly asshole pawing you.”
Nevvie considered that. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Come on. Let’s get your paperwork knocked out.”
The morning flew by. Maggie showed her the basics of the project tracking software and how to enter invoices. Nevvie would handle other information as well, but they didn’t want to overload her on her first day. At noon, Tom knocked on the open office door.
“Can I steal my best girl for lunch?”
Nevvie felt another pang of jealousy until Maggie snarked, “I’m not your best girl anymore, Tommy boy?”
“Honey, you’re damaged goods.”
Maggie laughed. “I’m so telling Tyler on you when he gets back. Seriously Nevvie, he’s normally not this slutty with anyone but me.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You’ll need your bike gear,” he reminded her.
She managed the helmet by herself this time. When he cranked the bike Nevvie easily slid into place and wrapped her arms around him. It felt good, like she belonged there.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
They headed south. A few minutes later they pulled into a Harley dealership. “You need decent riding shoes.”
“You’re wearing sneakers.”
He removed his helmet. “Can you imagine the ass chewing I’d get from Tyler the first time I brought you home with a singed ankle? Uh uh. I still can’t believe he let me take you out on the bike.”
Thomas led her inside, holding the door for her, while she pondered his comment. They found a pair of riding boots Nevvie liked. She nearly choked at the price, but he took the box from her and wagged his finger in her face.
“Quit looking at price tags unless I tell you to. Got it?” She smiled and nodded. “Good. We’ll have to get you some dressy boots. I know a place in St. Pete that has a good selection. Did you want a new jacket?”