Magnate Group was closed on Monday, and I spent the day in bed while Danielle went to work. I resolved to make up my mind about James – he was still calling and texting like crazy – but by the end of the day, I was no further to a decision. I knew that come Tuesday morning, I’d have to go into work and hold my head up and act like nothing happened. And that was just it – what exactly was I supposed to tell James, anyway? That his ex-girlfriend had acted like a crazy bitch? Or would that just make him think that I was the crazy one?
On Tuesday morning, I got up early and took a long shower, taking extra care with my hair and makeup. By the time I got to the office, the sun was shining in the sky and the Boston streets were bustling with people, all clearly well-rested from their Christmas vacation.
I went straight to my office and sat down behind my desk with a large coffee. There hadn’t been much social media activity over the holiday, but I responded to a few comments on Twitter and Facebook.
“Hanna?”
I looked up to see James standing in the doorway of my office. My heart skipped a beat and I felt my stomach twist into a thousand knots as he smiled.
“Hey,” I said softly.
“What happened the other night?” James stepped inside, his smile replaced by a look of concern. “I looked everywhere for you, but I couldn’t find you anywhere.”
This is it, I thought nervously as I twisted my hands in my lap. Time to be honest…or tell him the complete truth, even if it means that bitch, Emily, gets involved.
“I left,” I said simply. “I…I didn’t think I belonged there, James. And somehow, I think you know that.”
“That’s not true,” James replied. “Richard was very disappointed that he didn’t get to meet you.”
A hot rush of bitterness came over me and I bit my lip as I got to my feet. “That’s too bad,” I said. “Because your ex-girlfriend seemed to delight in the occasion.”
James’s face fell. “Which one?”
My jaw dropped. “Which one? Seriously, James? How many of those women have you gone out with?”
James gave me an exasperated look. “Hanna, be fair,” he said. “That’s been my social circle since, well, since I was a child. I’ve dated many of those women…not seriously, of course, but it has happened. I didn’t think that would be a problem with you.”
“It might have been nice to know before you asked me,” I replied hotly. “What did you think would happen?”
James’s cheeks turned pink and he looked embarrassed. “I’m really sorry,” he said. “That…that was a huge mistake on my part, Hanna, and I’m really sorry. You’re right – I should’ve been more upfront with you.”
“Yeah,” I said, shaking my head and sighing. “You should’ve.”
“What did she say?”
I rolled my eyes. “Her name was Emily, I don’t remember the six family names she trotted out after that. Tall, blonde. She was a real bitch to me,” I said. “And after she and her gang of femme-bots accosted me, I didn’t really feel like sticking around.”
James bowed his head. “Hanna, I’m sorry. I didn’t think anyone would be rude to you.”
I sighed. “I did.”
“And you were right,” James said. He stepped behind my desk and took my hand. “And now I need to know what it will take for you to forgive me. I mean, really forgive me.” His dark, intense eyes looked into mine and I shivered. Suddenly, I realized I was powerless to stop myself from falling for him. Here he was – gorgeous and kind and charming and funny.
“I don’t know,” I said softly.
“Hold on a minute,” James said. He squeezed my fingers, then took his hand away from mine. “I think I have something that you might like.”
I cocked my head to the side in confusion as James ducked out of my office. A few seconds later, he reappeared, his arms full of red, long-stemmed roses in a crystal vase.
“These are for you,” James said. He set them down on my desk and I couldn’t help but smile. The flowers were gorgeous and huge, and the scent was almost dizzying. The arrangement was so big that it took up over half of my desk and the edges of the petals brushed against my screen.
“Thanks,” I said softly. “They’re beautiful.”
“No,” James said. He reached for my hand again. “You’re beautiful. And please, Hanna, I want you to know how sorry I am.” He stepped closer and a wave of his musky cologne washed over me. “I was so worried this weekend…I thought I’d lost you forever.”
My breath caught in my throat. “How was your Christmas?” I asked.
James shrugged. “I got Chinese takeout and watched bad movies all weekend,” he said. “I barely even worked.” He turned to me with a smirk. “It wasn’t bad, actually.”
I burst out laughing. “My roommate and I did the same thing,” I said, shaking my head. “Actually, it was better than spending time with my family.”
James nodded. “So, Hanna – will you have dinner with me tonight? Please?”
I bit my lip. “Okay,” I said, nodding slowly. “I think that could work.”
James grinned, a crooked smile that melted my heart. “Good.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek, brushing his stubbly jaw against mine. A shiver went down my spine when I thought of pushing myself into his arms and kissing him deeply.
“I have a meeting,” James said as he pulled away. He winked at me. “Think of a place, and call my secretary – she’ll make reservations for us.”
“Anywhere?” I smirked.
“Anywhere,” James echoed.
“What if I want McDonald’s?”
The look on James’s face was priceless and I burst out laughing before waving my hands in the air.
“Kidding!” I exclaimed. “Obviously!”
James snorted. “You’re a trip, Hanna,” he said, shaking his head. He was still chuckling to himself as he walked out of my office and closed the door.
Alone with my flowers, I sank down into my chair and inhaled deeply. I couldn’t believe it, but I was already starting to feel better. Knowing that James didn’t want anything to do with Emily helped…but his heartfelt apology had helped a lot more. He’d seemed sincerely sorry, and I believed every word that he’d said.
I started humming to myself as I opened up my browser and began checking the social accounts once again. Twitter was dead – I figured everyone was still celebrating Christmas or preparing for New Year’s Eve – but there was a new Facebook message that had popped up while James and I had been talking.
When I pulled it up, I frowned. It was sent from what appeared to be an anonymous account – there was no profile photo, and the name ‘Mary Smith’ was anything but unique. It’s probably just spam, I thought as I rolled my eyes. It was unbelievable how many spam messages the Magnate Group social accounts attracted.
But when I began to read, I knew this was anything but spam. As I read on, my hands grew cold and clammy and my heart began to race. No, I thought as I read over the brief message for the second time. This can’t be happening!
Hot fury and anger coursed through my body and I started to shake. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the computer screen. It was like a nightmare, except that I was painfully aware of the fact that I was awake.