“I’ve been well and yourself? I haven’t seen you around in a while. Have you been sick?”
“No, I got a promotion.” He smiled. “I work in Operations now. I’m glad I ran into you though. Are you still going out with someone else?”
“Yes.”
He dramatically frowned and then he laughed. “Lucky guy. You know, if you ever—”
“Mr. Henderson.” Jonathan came back and reached out for a handshake. “How are things in the Operations Department so far?”
“They’re amazing. Thank you so much for the personal recommendation. I’d been applying for a position there for years.”
“It’s not a problem.” Jonathan smiled at him. “I like to make sure hardworking people are exactly where they belong.” He shot me a disapproving glance.
“Well, thank you again, Mr. Statham. I’ll see you around, Claire. Call me whenever the lucky guy messes up, okay?” Mr. Henderson winked at me and walked away.
Jonathan rolled his eyes and helped me placed the finished coffees onto the carts.
“You gave him a promotion to keep him away from me didn’t you?” I couldn’t believe him.
“What are you talking about?” He started pushing his cart towards the elevator.
“Tell me the truth.”
“Tell you that I put in a word for him to get the job he wanted?”
I shook my head and stepped onto the elevator. “No. Tell me that you did it because he—”
“Yes.” He pushed me against the wall as soon as the doors closed. “I made him senior advisor and moved the entire operations department to the building across the street so he wouldn’t cross paths with you, just in case you forget who you’re dating again. And yes, I’ll do it to anyone else who comes onto you. As of matter of fact, now that I’ve seen him getting coffee over here, I’m going to have a Starbucks installed in the building across the street, so there’s no need for him to come over here again. Satisfied?”
I blinked.
“I thought so.”
The elevator doors opened and he pushed his cart towards the conference room, stopping once he was outside the door.
“Tell them I have another meeting to go to this afternoon.” He brushed his lips against my cheek. “I’ll see you tonight.”
I brought a glass of water to my lips and sighed. I was sitting in the private room of Jardinière, an upscale restaurant in Hayes Valley. There were softly burning candles set on my table and a large red rose bouquet that read, “I’m very sorry that you’re alone right now. I promise I’ll make it up to you—Jonathan.”
“Would you like to have a glass of wine while you wait, Miss?” the waiter asked.
“No, thank you. I’m fine.”
He gave me a sympathetic smile and walked away.
I’d been sitting alone for thirty minutes, wondering exactly “how late” Jonathan was going to be.
He’d texted me right after work, letting me know that his board meeting was going to be “a long one,” and that Greg would pick me up for our date tonight.
I scrolled through my phone again, hoping to see a text from him, but I felt his hand rub against my bare back; felt him pressing a kiss against my shoulder.
“Good evening, Claire.”
“Hi...” My body immediately came to life, reacting to his sexy voice and his gentle touch.
He kissed my neck and whispered softly in my ear, “Are you wearing anything underneath this?” He tugged at the low cut on the back of my dress.
I shook my head and he let out an approving, “Hmmm,” before taking a seat across from me.
“How was your meeting?” I asked.
“It was unnecessarily long and dry as usual. I’ll be happy when this IPO is behind me. I don’t think I can—” His eyes met mine and he sucked in a breath. He reached over the table and clasped my hand. “What’s wrong with you?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Glad to see to you’ve arrived safely, Mr. Statham.” The waiter stepped over to our table. “What wine will you two be having tonight?”
“Could you give us a second please?” Jonathan kept his eyes on me as the waiter disappeared. “Your eyes are red, and I’m pretty sure your mascara is supposed to be on your eyelashes, not underneath your eyes. You’ve been crying?”
“No, I have really bad allergies.” I reached into my purse for my compact mirror. “I swear, this time of year always gets to me. There’s so much pollen in the—”
“Stop lying to me, Claire.”
I sighed. “It’s not that big of a deal. It was an angry cry.”
“About me being late?”
“No...I—”
“Let’s go.” He stood up and reached for my hand. “We can talk in the car.”
I leaned against him as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and walked me out of the restaurant.
Valet pulled his car to the front as soon as we approached, and as usual, he helped me into my seat and waited until I was comfortable before speeding away.