Primal Instincts_ Volume 2(10)
Author: Nicole Edwards

 

The high point was receiving two dozen long stem red roses delivered to my office. It wasn’t until I saw them that I realized it was Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t a holiday I usually celebrated because, you know, single. So to receive flowers made me feel a little giddy. More so when I read the card and saw they were from Hawk. I sent him a text thanking him, but he never responded, nor did the message show to be read.

 

The second best thing was Cheryl’s announcement of which projects we would be taking. When she assigned me to the Reflect, a sense of extreme pride came over me. I hadn’t realized how much I wanted that project until she said it aloud. Gem looked thrilled to be handling the rowing machine—which didn’t have a name yet—while Delaney did a little dance when she was told she’d handle the CBD launch. Wayne didn’t bother hiding his disappointment with the fitness tracker, claiming it wasn’t anything to write home about, and he didn’t know why they were doing it in the first place.

 

Thankfully, the day was finally over, which meant I could go to my parents and pull on a sweatshirt. Maybe then I wouldn’t be worried that my tits were hanging out. They weren’t, by the way. The nude tank beneath was perfectly appropriate. Yes, it was meant to blend with my skin tone and deceive the eye, but I would never have worn the jacket without it.

 

“You ’bout done?”

 

Garrison’s gruff tone had my head snapping up. “What?”

 

He shook his head. “Creed didn’t call you.”

 

It was a statement, not a question.

 

“No,” I confirmed. “Was he supposed to?”

 

“I’m takin’ you to dinner.”

 

There might’ve been more enthusiasm in his tone if he’d said he was going to dodge cars on the freeway.

 

“Dinner?”

 

He smiled, his shoulders relaxing somewhat. “Yeah, you know the meal between lunch and breakfast?”

 

“Oh, that dinner. What’s the occasion?”

 

“Happy Valentine’s Day.”

 

I couldn’t help smiling because he said it like he was being asked to celebrate the birth of Satan.

 

“How do you know I don’t already have plans?”

 

He looked skeptical. “Do you?”

 

“Well, no. But I could.”

 

His grin was wicked. “You do now.”

 

“Where exactly are you taking me for dinner?”

 

“Austere. Unless you’ve got somethin’ else in mind.”

 

I shook my head as I pushed to my feet. Since I’d intended to make a sandwich at my parents’ house, I couldn’t come up with another option on the fly. “Austere sounds wonderful.”

 

“Good.”

 

As I retrieved my bag from the drawer, my phone chimed, the screen lighting up on my desk. It was a text from Creed.

 

— It’s my understanding you’re having dinner with Garrison.

 

Before I realized what I was doing, I looked around my office, skimming the corners for cameras. Could he see me? Did he bug the room?

 

“What’re you lookin’ for?” Garrison asked.

 

“Cameras. Microphones.”

 

He laughed. “You’re safe in here. Creed’s a lotta things, but he’s not a stalker.”

 

“Good to know,” I said as I tapped out my message to Creed.

 

— That does appear to be the case. I wasn’t really given a choice in the matter.

 

— Would you like a choice?

 

I looked up at Garrison and noticed he was watching me as my thumbs hovered over my phone’s keyboard.

 

— I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

 

When Creed didn’t respond immediately, I decided to taunt him a little more.

 

— Granted, I’m not the type of girl who can say no to dinner with an attractive man.

 

I would admit that my objective was to provoke a response from Creed. I wanted to know exactly where he thought this was heading. Based on our conversation that morning, the last thing I would’ve expected was to be having dinner with Garrison Walker. Certainly not at Creed’s request. Not that I was complaining. I liked Garrison. He made me feel … I wanted to say safe, but I wasn’t sure that was the right word. Our previous interaction when he had cut the line at the coffee shop led me to believe we were working toward a friendship. Based on his reaction this morning, I didn’t know if that was still the case.

 

— Is Garrison in your office?

 

— Yes.

 

— Have him shut the door, and you make the glass opaque.

 

I probably should’ve pretended I didn’t see it, but my curiosity burned too hot to do that.

 

“Creed wants you to shut the door,” I told Garrison.

 

He turned, closed the door, and stood in front of it.

 

I reached down and hit the button for the glass.

 

— Okay. Door is closed, glass is opaque.

 

My cell phone rang, startling me the same way it had that morning because it vibrated in my hand.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Put the phone on speaker.”

 

“Nice to talk to you, too,” I said haughtily, even as I pulled the phone from my ear to hit the speaker button. “Now what?”

 

“I’m giving you a choice,” Creed said, his voice coming through the phone’s speaker as though he was standing in the room with us.

 

“I didn’t realize I’d stopped thinking for myself,” I said firmly, a little offended by the way he was bossing me around from across the country.

 

“Journey…”

 

I really wished I didn’t like the way he said my name in that growly rough voice. Damn him.

 

“And what might that be?” I asked, feeling bold.

 

“Wear that outfit the way it was intended to be worn and have a nice dinner with an attractive man, as you referred to him.”

 

“How do you know what I’m wearing?” I countered, glaring at Garrison.

 

“Eyes and ears, kitten,” he grumbled softly.

 

I had no intention of letting him off easy, so I pushed the issue. “And how do you think this outfit should be worn?”