I nod. A glance at Nico’s bow-tied neck is enough to send off pompous alarm bells in my brain. The guy is frowning so hard at his screen he doesn’t even notice we’re talking about him.

“Over there in the corner are our techies and I’m in charge of everything non-content related. I guess this leaves you with all the fun stuff. Ah, and yes, that’s our meeting room.” She points at another glass-walled room next to Richard’s office where he’s still on the phone.

“You can either pick this station.” Indira knocks on the desk to her left. “Or the one beside mine. I’m the best neighbor you could wish for.”

“Well,” I stall. “I’m not even sure if I got the job yet.” Or if I want it.

“If you want it, the job’s yours.” Indira smiles knowingly. “Best piece of advice I can give you to survive around here is”—once again, she looks me over—“dress more casually and don’t fall for the boss.” Her eyes throw a wistful glance at the office behind me. “He’s damaged goods.”

I give her a questioning look, and she leans in with a conspiratorial air. “Rumor has it someone pulled a real number on him a few years ago. The boss hasn’t been in a serious relationship ever since. Real commitment-phobe.”

“You mean he’s single?” I blab before I can stop myself.

Indira raises an eyebrow at me, and I blush.

Smooth, Blair.

“I’d hardly call it being single.” She’s looking at me with too-perceptive eyes. “Richard dates a lot, but no gal sticks around for long.”

“You know what happened to him?”

“The gossip is he was about to—” She halts mid-sentence.

“Blair.” Richard’s voice, coming from behind me, sends a chill down my spine. “You’ve made it. Did Indira give you the tour already?”

“Hi.” I turn around and am once again hit by Richard’s unchecked good looks. “Yeah, we just finished.”

“Perfect. Want to come into my office to discuss the gory details?”

“Sure.”

I follow him and blush as the first thought that pops into my head is that we won’t be able to have sex on his desk—as per the glass walls. Stop it, Blair. Even if he wasn’t about to become your boss, Indira says he’s damaged goods and commitment phobic. Huge no-nos.

Unfortunately, following Richard means I have a good view of his rear in a pair of nicely fitting jeans. The sight erases any rational argument the sensible half of my brain tries to make. So I stare at the floor instead and try to think of gruesome, unsexy stuff. Fanny packs, ugly Christmas sweaters, spiders, Gerard and his secretary doing it.

I suppress a gagging reflex. The fact that Gerard’s affair is causing me more disgust than heartbreak is another clear sign my priorities have been all wrong. As the perfect boyfriend on paper, Gerard ticked all the right boxes in another stupid list of requirements. Good upbringing, check. Good job, check. Good looks, check.