Chapitre 38: Patronizing everyone
"You look thoughtful."
She nodded slowly at Brown's words, directing her focus back at the present. "Yes. This was my first time witnessing Mr. Hunt in action." Naomi offered the director a smile. "It was quite illuminating."
"That's usually what people think." He took forward his wristwatch before bobbing a quick goodbye to her. "It was nice meeting you again. Good luck with the rest of your internship."
She returned the sentiment, watching him leave together with the other party. A secretary appeared in the hallway to guide them back. Naomi looked at Jack. He was staring at her, one eyebrow raised as if beckoning her to speak. Naomi did so with a thoughtful frown. "I wasn't lying you know. You're... quite intense." After a short calculation, she added honestly, "You're always intense, not just in here."
"Is that so?" His expression was unreadable.
Naomi hummed. She found herself doing so more and more, trying to stall answering in lieu of the words that refused to come smoothly. It was just something about this man that made her try harder. Naomi defaulted back to honesty. "I wonder why." She tilted her head, almost musing out loud, "You were quite vocal about your dislike towards me at first. Then you... well, we made up." Jack grinned there, short and small. "This morning, too. There's hasn't been anything about you that hasn't been concentrated."
"Glad to know you've got a good head on your shoulders." He rose to a standing, politely offering his hand and leading them back towards his office. He switched subjects. "You have the day off in two days time. Any particular plans?"
Plenty of plans. None of them could be said out loud.
"Shopping," she settled on. Naomi bit her lip in thought. "Groceries, a new coat for the weather, and perhaps a laydown with a good book. It's been a pretty hectic week. A lot of... exercise."
She rolled her eyes at the superior smile that Jack wore. He chuckled in return. "I see. Must have been hard for you."
Did he pun? It sounded like he made a pun. Helen would die of either shame or laughter if she heard. A bit of both, perhaps. Naomi groaned. "Don't start, please. I will also go to the park, if you must know. My life doesn't revolve around you after all. I have other people I meet."
Realization sparked in his eyes and was gone just as quickly as it had appeared. "Of course you do," he said in a placating tone, polite in a way he hadn't been just a moment before. Jack turned away from her and sat down, head bowed towards his computer screen.
She lingered in front of his desk.
Had Walter Hunt mentioned her to his son? Why else would he react like that? They were hardly on any sort of intimacy level that jealousy would rear its head, the prime evidence being Blake and Jack knowing about each other. Perhaps her repeated meetings with him had finally begun to come to fruition. She might just meet him again tomorrow to confirm.
Also, she would have to meet up with Rick and request another meeting spot. She knew the information gatherer dabbled in EMP software, but it was always good to be prepared for the unexpected as well as expected. The cameras in her apartment were certainly a part of it.
"I will send you a package concerning the clients of the representatives we just met. I want a full analysis sent back before today is over. Include suggestions and appropriate legislation when necessary." Jack looked up. "Any questions?"
"No, sir."
"Good."
Naomi left him to his work and returned to her own office. Quite some progress had been made today so she didn't feel irked at being sent away from her target. She even sighted Blake striding to another meeting in the hallway, the confirmation of his presence easing any strain she felt at losing sight of one or the other.
If there was something she could change about this mission though, then it was the actual work she had to put into it. There was a ridiculous amount of paperwork to be done. She had contemplated arriving as a secretary, janitor or even casually bumping into the CEO in the street instead of this route. All of those plans had flaws that made them inefficient though, especially in the time span she had allotted to this mission. The opening towards becoming Jack's interns was, however, a guarantee towards on both shadowing him and getting closer to him on a more friendly stage. She hadn't quite expected the flying start to this mission. The woman preening on Jack's desk that morning had certainly given that impression. She was glad to be wrong, sometimes. Especially now.
Some hour later and much digging into the land acquisition legislations, her office door opened and she looked up to see Blake grinning roguishly at her, walking to stand at her desk. Naomi's lips quirked up. "Not that I mind the interruption, but what are you doing in my humble abode?"
"What? I can't come visit you whenever?" He sounded vaguely offended if it wasn't for the ever present smirk on his face. He crossed his arms and rested his hip on the edge of her desk.
"Sure you can," she placated him. "You're in charge of the security at this company. I'm sure you can go wherever you wish. Do you want help going back to your office to, you know, work?"
"A minute into the conversation and she's already patronizing me."
"I've always done it," she said sadly.
Blake laughed, and the minute tension in his shoulders relaxed. She hadn't noticed it was there before it was already gone. "Cute. And here I was thinking you needed comforting."
She blinked at him, genuinely confused. Comfort? Her? She cast her mind back and very carefully did not react when she remembered the last time they met. Naomi summoned a smile and a careless wave of her hand. "Oh, that? Don't worry. Was feeling a bit off but a good night's sleep cured that."
"Not been sleeping well?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, well," she threw him an irritated glance, "who's fault is that?" Contrary to her expectations, Blake seemed sheepish. For his sake, she decided to change the subject. "I see you've been busy lately. A lot of business trips, and I think I saw three different groups of consultants coming and going this morning already."
He took the subject change with grace and smirked. "Advocates, mostly. Monthly progress meetings. Things like that. We can't always slack off in the company, no matter how much we wish so. But hey, rather a full day of working and several days off than a week with mindless continuous work."
"That's... one way of putting it." Naomi would think that any day of working at Techlaza was filled with work, though it might be because of her laptop filled with documents she was shifting through. There was nothing of that careless lack of effort so far. It would be nice if there was. She would just have to wait two days more to continue her independent investigation. She looked outside the hallway. "And Jack? I haven't seen his door budge for the last few hours."
"On the phone with his father," Blake said dismissively. He looked slightly irritated that she had brought him up. She gave him an apologetic smile.
The divide she had been planning for between them might be larger than she had initially hoped. Excellent.
"Tomorrow," he said abruptly, and she blinked in surprise at him. He stood up and casually dusted off his pressed trousers. "You're an intern, right? We haven't had the chance to really work together yet and I figure bouncing between divisions falls under that. Meet me at my office tomorrow and shadow me." He must have seen something in her expression, because he promised, "I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to gain job experience for you. I don't always stand bored rigid outside Jack's doors."
"I – thank you. I thought you'd never ask!" Naomi smiled brightly at him, ignoring his quick blink at her reaction. "Please take care of me."
The man said nothing for a moment, his eyes searching for something in her face. He must have found something he could agree with, or maybe her face had nothing to do with it and it was just the place he had been staring at as he came to a decision in his mind, because finally he said, "I'm sure I will." The polite greeting clashed with the intense focus he had given her. She noticed his smirk was dimmed at the edges, something flitting past his eyes too quickly to identify, and then he turned and went out of her office.
"Well. Good day to you, too."
She shook her head and went back to work. Whatever that was, she would soon figure it out.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone