His voice is arctic. 揈liza Angelo. She...she works with me. Huge surprise seeing her here.?
揑 do??It comes out so dry I almost choke.
What can I say? I抦 slow. It hasn抰 fully hit me yet like an avalanche.
揈liza, say hello to my lovely wife, Darlene.?He motions to the blonde with a look that says, say hello, and if you say anything else, I will slit your throat.
I have no idea what he says after that.
I抦 too blinded by stinging tears, frantically pushing through the thick crowd, my heart shattered like blown glass and already beginning to cut me to pieces.
Present
The aroma of fire-roasted coffee mixed with fresh coconut shavings and decadent chocolate snaps me back to the present.
Jesus. I抦 such a ghastly moron.
How could I ever let myself get close to an older rich man again?
I know their game.
Rich boys think they own the world. Women are just play things, easy and expendable.
Then. Now. Forever.
That抯 just the way of this pathetic world and all you can do is build a bunker around your heart. But I don抰 have time to mope around thanks to Derek or Cole or anything else.
I have a big coffee tasting coming up, and the timer just dinged for my taste batch. I just need to pack it up and get to the conference room.
I pull in a lady from the house staff and ask for a coffee urn.
She brings in the fanciest silver container I抳e ever seen. I transfer the coffee from the open pot I brewed it in.
揅an I please get some cups, too? And any chance you could put them in the conference room for me??I抦 not used to giving orders.
She nods respectfully. 揑 can do that. Do you think you can carry this? There抯 plenty of auxiliary staff standing by if you can抰, per Mr. Lancaster抯 instructions. He抯 always very helpful.?
I blink.
揕ancaster helps the help??I wonder out loud.
Whatever.
He抯 still a rich man with a past, and you抎 do well to remember it, a voice groans in the back of my head. You saw how he was practically drooling at you in your bikini. You抎 be his toy. Nothing more.
She smiles and nods. 揗y family has worked here for generations. The Lancasters are good people.?
揟hanks, but I抳e got it.?I manage to haul the heavy container to the conference room one baby step at a time.
By the time I make it there ten minutes later, they already have the cups set out.
Cole桵r. Lancaster, and I really should go back to calling him that梥ends a man to take the urn from me and set it up in the middle of the table. Not long after, people start filing in for the meeting.
Ugh. How do I get through this?
It抯 my first encounter with Lump since it happened. The jackass avoids making eye contact until he抯 finished his daily briefing.
He looks at me without a whisper of tension. He just smiles warmly and says, 揈liza, do you want to do the honors? This is your creation, after all.?
揑t抯 self-serve,?I say coldly.
揂nd you should take the credit. It already smells divine.?The bright twinkle in his eye hints that he doesn抰 just mean the coffee.
It takes major effort to keep the butterflies at bay. But I get up, take a paper cup, and start dispensing the coffee.
Once it抯 half full of black liquid, I pass it to the bosshole.
He brings the small cup to his lips and takes a slow sip. 揇elicious. The peaberry抯 natural sweetness stands on its own, even with the added undertones.?
I keep my face neutral.
It feels like it might crack.
揥ho knew R & D girls still played barista??I joke.
Curiosity flashes across his face as he tilts his head, but he quickly snuffs it out.
揊orm a line, people. That also means you, household staff,?he tells the crowd gathered in the room. 揈veryone should come taste this brilliance.?
Awesome. Now I抦 stuck playing barista for twenty people, but Cole helps, standing by to help pass out filled cups.
Everyone stops by later to tell me how delicious it is, how creative and hardworking I must be to have mastered this otherworldly beverage.
For my part, I stare at the floor, waiting for this meeting to be dismissed the same way you want a bad cold to end.
If Cole Lancaster wants to keep this strictly professional after kissing out my soul, fine.
Honestly, it抯 probably for the best. I have zero interest in being another rich man抯 anything.
But it might have been nice if he抎 at least considered that before his tongue tormented mine and his hands grabbed my ass.
As soon as the meeting ends, I抦 out, speed walking across the aged wooden floors so briskly the boards creak.
I also don抰 stick around to debrief.
I抳e done my part in paradise.
Let Cole Lancaster figure out what the hell to do with his peaberry baby.
It抯 his problem, and if I have any say in it, I won抰 let him become mine.
揥hat if the problem isn抰 that I don抰 like him? What if he doesn抰 like me??I hold my breath, phone pressed to my ear, waiting for Dakota抯 sage advice.
揟hat抯...not your problem,?she says sharply.
Yeah, not helpful.
揙h! Wait. You mean you like him-like him??
I don抰 answer. She抯 figured it out and there抯 no point in adding to my disgrace.
揇oes your boss梕r, this guy梜now??
揧es,?I say flatly.
揂nd he抯 not interested??Dakota抯 voice sharpens. 揇id the sea breeze go to his head? What the hell is wrong with him??
If only we knew.
She laughs. 揟ell me one thing. Are you sure he knows you抮e interested? I mean, until I accidentally sent my man a dirty poem, he didn抰 know for sure. If it wasn抰 for that slip, who knows how long it would抳e taken him to make a move...?
I smile. Their romance feels like it happened a decade ago and it抯 so sweet.
揟rust me, Dakota. He knows. He抎 be an idiot to have any doubt...?
揥ell, men often are.?
揟his guy isn抰 an idiot. He knows and he just doesn抰 care. I think he regrets showing any interest and wants to keep things professional.?
揗akes sense,?she says glumly. 揙ffice love gets complicated. Take it from me. If it goes wrong, it can ruin careers. He might even think he抯 protecting you with his walled-off act. Men are dumb like that梕specially the rich, bossy types.?
揚rotecting me from what??I hiss.
揥omen always get blamed for this crap when it goes sour. It抯 always the hen抯 fault and never the rooster抯.?
揥ell, he kissed me first. I kissed him back and I桰 encouraged it, okay? But his mouth found mine first.?
She pauses for a heavy second. 揋od, I like that you kiss and tell, lady. What happened after the kiss??
揌is daughter found us棓
揊renching? Holy shit.?
揘o! We...we stopped before she saw us. But he抯 been avoiding me ever since. He抯 acting weird, Dakota, like nothing ever happened, and it抯 driving me nuts.?I don抰 add because it抯 all I can think about.
揧ep. He freaked. Or maybe he just feels bad about initiating a kiss with a woman he works with. Maybe he panicked. The whole workplace romance thing might scare him, especially if he has a kid in the mix.?She sighs. 揝till, not all workplace romances end in scandal. Mine gave me a husband and Evermore.?
I hear the little bundle of joy gurgle in the background.
揥e can抰 all be as lucky as you.?
揕ady, I抦 a Poe, even if the last name changed. Nothing lucky about that,?she says with a laugh. 揂nyhow, you should catch him alone. Talk to him. He kissed and ran and that means he owes you a conversation if he isn抰 a soggy douchecanoe. If he wants to claim temporary insanity or blame it on being drunk, whatever梑ut at least make him say it to your face. You抣l see the truth then, no matter what he says.?
I nod. 揜ight. I swear, married life has made you wiser...?
Dakota laughs and I hear Lincoln yell at her in the background.
揝hhhhh! If he hears you, it抣l go to his head. Also, you two work together. You have to clear the air either way or any future work meetings will be torture. But I can抰 imagine any man going frosty on you, Eliza. He抯 just confused and not as indifferent as you think.?
Oof. What if she抯 right?