“Sorry, Steve, I’ll have it to you in the next five minutes. I just need to finish up.”
“You were supposed to have it to me five minutes ago,” Steve said with a shake of his head, then as he walked away from my desk I heard him mutter, “This is what happens when they give the job to some housewife off the streets who hasn’t worked a spreadsheet in over a decade.”
To say Steve was not my biggest fan would be an understatement.
I took a deep, cleansing breath and finished what I was working on so I could get it to Steve quickly and hopefully not have to interact with him again today.
I got along pretty great with everyone at the office, except Steve. At first I was confused as to why he didn’t like me when he didn’t know the first thing about me, but then Pam in payables told me his nephew had been up for the job I’d ended up getting and he was pissed about it.
Since there was nothing I could do about it, I mean, short of giving up my job, which was not going to happen, I tried to kill him with kindness whenever I saw him but avoided him when I could.
I finished up the spreadsheet and sent it off, then pushed back from my desk and stood up. After a short stretch, I decided coffee was in order and headed down the hall toward the break room.
When a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me into a supply closet, I let out a yelp of surprise and turned around in time to see Luca shut the door and lean back against with a sly grin.
“Oh my gosh, you scared me,” I managed, placing a hand on my chest.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I was in here getting some staples and saw you coming down the hall and went on impulse.”
He reached out to grasp my waist and drew me to him.
When his lips nuzzled my neck, my pulse quickened for an entirely different reason.
“I missed you,” Luca murmured.
I let my head drift to the side and my eyes close as the feel of his hands caressing my bare arms mingled with the heady sensation of his lips on my skin.
“That feels lovely,” I said with a soft sigh. It had been getting harder and harder to be satisfied with only making out. My body seemed to be ready to ignite at the simplest touch from Luca and I was once again reminded of how incredibly long it had been since I’d found pleasure with a man.
Lord, the last few years of my marriage had been anything but sexually fulfilling. Marcus had been using up all his energy with his affairs, leaving me to take things into my own hands.
“Come over tonight,” he said as he did something delectable to the spot just under my ear.
“I am … We have dinner plans, remember?” I said, a little confused. We’d texted about it last night after I’d told him the kids were both going to be out with friends all night.
“No, I mean, not just for dinner … Stay with me tonight.”
I let out a moan of protest when he stopped what he was doing so he could look into my eyes.
“What do you say?”
I bit my lower lip and nodded maybe a little too enthusiastically.
“Yes. I’d love to.”
Luca’s face seemed to radiate happiness at my response. He gave me a quick kiss on the lips and said, “Fantastic. I have to get back out there, but I will see you tonight.”
I nodded again as he opened the door and slipped out of the room.
I was frozen as all of the things I would need to do flashed through my mind.
I tried to remember if I still had any sexy underwear, just as the realization that Luca would probably want to see me completely naked hit.
When was the last time I’d shaved my legs? I’d have to go home to shower and do a complete body polish before dinner. Shave, lotion up, maybe put concealer in certain areas. I was pretty sure I still had some bronzer with glitter I’d been saving for a special occasion. Should I use that, or would it be too much?
“I need to call Margo,” I whispered, and finally unstuck myself enough to open the door and hurry back to my desk, where my phone was currently sitting.
But when I rounded the corner, I came up short when I saw Silas sitting in my chair.
I racked my brain, and when I couldn’t come up with a reason why he’d be there, I automatically went into panic mode.
“Did something happen? Is Stella okay?” I asked in a jumble of words before I’d even reached him.
“Huh?” he asked, stopping the chair mid-twirl and giving me a puzzled expression. “Where were you?”
I ran my hands through my hair and hoped I didn’t look freshly kissed. It was my place of work, after all, and although I should be ashamed, I wasn’t. Still, it wasn’t the kind of example I wanted to set for my son.
“The supply room,” I replied. “So, everything’s okay?”
“Yeah,” Silas said, his gaze on my empty hands. “Geo and the guys decided they wanted to come downtown for dinner and the movies, so I was hoping you could give me some money.”
“Oh, yeah, of course,” I said with relief. I bent to open the drawer and get out my purse, then handed him a credit card. “Just use this. Are the guys with you?”
Si nodded and said, “Outside. I didn’t figure you’d want all of us coming into your office.”
“Good thinking,” I said, then, since he was alone, I pulled him in for a quick hug. “I love you. Have fun tonight and be good.”
“Love you, too. Thanks for the card.”
I nodded and smiled as I watched him walk away. My growing boy who was no longer a child, but not yet a man.
I was about to sit back at my desk when I remembered, “Coffee,” and turned to go back in the direction I’d come.
Twenty-Four
Luca
I looked around my office to make sure everything was shut off and I was good to go for the night.
Now that I knew Whitney was coming not just for dinner, but the night, I needed to give myself time to stop at the store to pick up a few things, then go home and straighten up and get everything ready for her arrival.
I was whistling as I moved down the hall and got in the elevator, so caught up in my own intentions that I didn’t realize Silas was also on the elevator until the door closed.
“Hey, Si, how’s it going? You just visiting your mom?” I asked good-naturedly.
I was honestly happy to see him.
Silas looked over at me, his gaze taking in my loafers and suit before settling on my face.
“Yeah, just for a minute,” he replied, his tone nowhere near as friendly as it had been at his house.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, but since it’s just the two of us, I have something I wanna say.”
“Okay…”
“You seem like a nice guy and all, but we all thought my dad was a nice guy too, and, well … he isn’t. She had a really hard time when my dad left. She tried to hide it from us, but Stella and I both heard her crying when she thought we weren’t around. It took a long time for her to be happy again. Now she has her job and Summer and Margo … and you. But she’s never gonna get married again. I’ve heard her say it. And she doesn’t need you around if you’re going to end up leaving and breaking her heart. She doesn’t need you at all.”