“Don’t worry about it, girl,” Danny smirked, “you’ll soon get used to it.” He led the way to his office. With one last look over my shoulder at O’Connell’s curious smiling face, I followed him in.
I didn’t know what I expected, but there weren’t many signs that Danny spent a great deal of time here. Facing the door was a large walnut desk, which sat in front of a battered leather swivel chair. A much lower, comfier looking, but equally battered chair, faced it. Danny pointed to the lower chair with a chuckle.
“I make the boys sit there if they have to explain to me why they haven’t paid their subs. Does the gobshites good to sit lower than me while they squirm.”
I think it amused the secret masochist in Danny to watch big guys feel intimidated. Hell, I felt intimidated just being in the same room as him, and I probably weighed more than he did wet, which was saying something, given my stature. A blind, thick with dust covered the large picture window behind the desk. In the little space left in this tiny room, a filing cabinet and small table, on which sat a coffeemaker, were tucked to one side. The desk housed an older looking computer and a huge stack of papers, so I had no idea where he wanted me to start. I asked him, and he chuckled.
“Start wherever you like. I’ve been told I should computerise my records for the next tax year, but I haven’t got a feckin’ clue how those things work,” he said, banging hard on the monitor.
“One of the boys sorted me out with the computer. Said it should have all the stuff you need. There’s a copy of last year’s return in the cabinet. Most of my receipts for the year are on the desk and entries for dues are in the ledgers, so just see what you can do.”
I sat down with a thump in the office chair and looked around dejectedly.
“Too late to back out on me now, sunshine.”
I frowned at the mess before me, and he looked at me like he knew I was going to bolt at any second. I probably would have, too, if I hadn’t been feeling so guilty about offending him earlier.
“Okay, Danny. I’ll give it a go.”
He nodded at me then jerked his head in the direction of the coffeemaker.
“Help yourself to coffee. I’ll come and see how you’re getting on later.”
With an audible sigh as he closed the door, I dropped my bag under the desk, draped my coat across the back of the chair, and got to work. By the time Danny returned, I’d given the desk a rudimentary dusting and had sorted the mess of paperwork into some semblance of order.
“So, how did you get on?” he enquired.
“Danny, your books are a mess,” I beamed.
“If they’re such a mess, what’s put that grin on your face?” he retorted.
“I had fun making some sense of the chaos, and it’s a lot less stressful than waitressing.”
“Well, so long as I’m getting my money’s worth,” he huffed, but I could tell he was pleased that I hadn’t bolted.
“Tomorrow’s sub collection, so the boys will be by through the evening to drop ‘em off. That okay with you?” he asked.
I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of being alone, in a tiny office, with some of these guys. But this was part of the job, and Danny was paying me too well to turn my nose up at it. I’d had a great time burying myself in the books, and if any of the boys made me feel uncomfortable, I’d mention it to Danny. That didn’t mean that I wasn’t going to make myself sick between now and then worrying about it, though.
“It’s fine,” I mumbled quickly, before I could talk myself out of it. Nodding curtly, he gestured his thumb towards the door.
“Come on then, sunshine. You’ve overstayed your welcome. You get off home now, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I shut down the computer, making a mental note of what I needed to bring tomorrow, threw on my coat, and slung my bag over my shoulder as I headed out of the door. Although the gym had emptied a little since I’d arrived, I was surprised to see people still training. As dedicated as they were, I hoped they didn’t notice me skulking toward the door.
Outside, the cold crisp air threatened snow, and I breathed deeply before rocking on my heels and contemplating how long it would take me to walk home.
“Hello, sunshine,” a voice spoke softly to me, as warm breath grazed my ear. I jumped and put my hand over my heart, as though that could alleviate the impending cardiac arrest. I turned to see O’Connell behind me. Too late, I realised that I’d instinctively cowered away from him, flinching against a blow that never came. His face dropped, as he understood what I’d done.
“Ah shite, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just trying to be friendly.”
He held up his hands in a gesture of innocence, and I was mortified.
“No, I’m sorry. I’m a little jumpy, that’s all. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be behind me.”
I could feel my cheeks colouring, making the embarrassment worse. In my defence, it was the first time since high school that I’d had anything resembling a conversation with a good-looking guy.
“So, I hear Danny’s got you working the books. You go to school around here?” he enquired.
“Um, I’m studying applied maths at UCL,” I offered, reservedly. He whistled as he raised his eyebrows.
“So, does that make you out of my league, then?” he asked. I frowned back in confusion. Even if I hadn’t chosen to live a life that would make a nun seem easy, this man was so far out of my league that we might as well be on different planets. Finally figuring that he must be teasing me, I kept my mouth shut and looked away as my cheeks became even redder.
“Don’t worry, Princess,” O’Connell said softly. “I get the message.”
How could this crazy, beautiful man think that I was agreeing with him?
“I’m not really in anyone’s league. I don’t date.”
I adjusted the bag on my shoulder, betraying my nervousness, and looked anywhere but in his eyes. I had good reason for being this way, but it didn’t make me feel any less stupid saying it. I wanted O’Connell, but I was completely out of my depth with him. He didn’t move for a few seconds, so I risked a look at his face only to find him grinning down at me. Not the nice smile that he’d given me when I first walked in, but the cocky grin, signalling to women everywhere that they should get ready to drop their knickers. This time I didn’t bother looking around and just gazed straight at the floor.