Chapter 12 #2
She steps back, jerking her chin out of my hold with a smirk. “Well, I guess I’m a very different woman than I was back then. The Lucy you knew doesn’t exist anymore,” she throws her version of my words back at me. “Did you need something?”
You—on my desk so that I can bury myself inside you.
Fuck. Lawson, knock it off.
I move around the desk to sit in my chair, clicking at something random on my desktop to look indifferent. “It just looked like that Mike guy was making you a bit uncomfortable, that’s all.” She makes a little huffing sound, and when I glance back at her, she’s wearing a giant smile. “What?”
“Nothing.” She shakes her head, ponytail of bouncy waves flying to and fro. “You’re just always looking out for me. Guess some things never change.”
Lucy
I really regret moving around my workstation now.
It’s like I can feel Lawson’s eyes burning a hole into my back at all hours of the day. My shoulders ache from sitting so stiffly since my body is not used to what is technically supposed to be “correct posture.”
The bow at the base of my throat that ties the neck of my dress together feels suffocating. My entire body feels feverish, and the thing I want most in the world is an ice-cold bath.
After Lawson takes me on top of his desk.
Or against the bookshelf in his office.
Hell, can it be both?
I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve spent at least an hour between last night and this morning hittin’ the kitten to thoughts of the man I could never seem to get out of my head. I know it’s against company policy for executives to date employees?—
Whoa, no one said anything about dating, Lucy. No, we’re just talking about that gorgeous specimen of a man fucking you until you see stars and pass out.
I don’t know how this will ever work.
I feel like I can’t get my job done with him just feet away, staring at the back of my head like he wishes that act alone would get rid of me.
Clearly, Lawson doesn’t want to work together.
And I can’t figure out if it’s because he’s reminded of that night when he looks at me or because he just doesn’t want someone as young as I am being his assistant lead.
He’s been hot and cold, ordering me around with a tone suggesting his demands are too hard for me to handle. Yet, in moments like the one in his office earlier, the tenderness I remember him having shows itself, and a palpable heat reignites between us.
Am I being foolish?
Or does he feel it, too?
We haven’t spoken since that night. I tried reaching out to him, but my messages went unanswered. I even went as far as trying to message him on Iconic, only to find that he’d blocked me.
We didn't have any issues before the night he saw Rhys and me, but everything changed after that. Lawson sent me off into the world feeling like a woman. He changed my life.
Does he regret it?
Of course, he regrets it, Lucy. You were a child who came on to him. He said you couldn’t, and yet you did anyway. He probably resents you for forcing yourself on him.
My cheeks flush at the memory, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s how he feels—that I forced myself on him.
The adult Lunchable I ate earlier threatens to make an appearance all over my keyboard. Breathing deep through my nose and exhaling out my mouth, I nearly miss Lawson’s sharp exclamation.
“Fuck!”
Turning abruptly to see what’s wrong, I see him staring at his cell phone typing furiously on the screen with a frown .
“Lucy!” he hollers loud enough to make me jump even though I’m looking right at him.
Anxiety ripples through my body, and I scramble out of my seat, wondering what I could have possibly done wrong. “Yes, Mr. Morgan?”
Lawson scratches the back of his neck. I always thought it was an endearing habit, one Rhys picked up, and I always used to smile when they’d do it simultaneously.
“You’re free to go for the day. I’ll see you Monday morning,” he dismisses me without even glancing up from his phone.
It’s so quiet, the only thing I can hear is the sound of my blood rushing through my ears.
“Excuse me?” My eye twitches. “Look, I know I was late yesterday, but I had the morning scheduled off for months. I don’t make a habit of coming late and leaving early.”
“I’m letting you leave early for the weekend, and you’re complaining?” He finally jerks his head up toward me before nodding to my desk. “I’m serious. There’s nothing more for you to do today. Go home.” His words are audibly stressed, and I see panic growing in his gray eyes.
“No.” My tone is firm and resolute. “I still have to work on the reservations for the conference.”
“You can do it next week, Lucy,” Lawson nearly growls as he storms around the desk, gripping my elbow and leading me across the room. His fingers dig into my skin almost painfully.
“Lawson, let me go!” I whisper shout, yanking my arm out of his hold. Turning to face him, I narrow my eyes in a glare and wipe my faux side bangs out of my face with a huff. “What is wrong with you? ”
“Nothing. I have a work acquaintance coming in from New York. I’m leaving early. You might as well, too.”
“Work acquaintance?” I look at him skeptically. “Don’t you need me to send a car to the airport? Book a restaurant for dinner? Those are all part of my job, you know.”
“Oh, honey, if you have a good recommendation for dinner, we’ll take it,” a sultry, feminine alto rings out behind me. “Lawson may be a wonderful cook, but his taste in dining out leaves a lot to be desired.”
Lawson’s eyes snap above my head and widen, prompting me to turn around.
“Jules, how the hell did you get here so fast?” he asks as I take in the female who appeared out of thin air.
Jules is nearly as tall as he is, with a mass of sleek butter-blonde hair, a creamy, pristine complexion, and sparkling eyes that are neither blue nor green but a unique combination that takes my breath away.
A chic, little black dress adorns her willowy frame, and I can’t help but notice she bears a slight resemblance to Charlotte.
She’s stunning, and the green little monster known as jealousy winds its slippery way up my rib cage to squeeze my heart.
Work acquaintance, my ass. Lawson obviously has a type.
“Darlin’, I messaged you as the car was pulling up to the curb. I wanted to see M.I.G.’s newest acquisition,” she croons, stepping forward to kiss his cheek.
His hand finds her waist as he takes her coat and purse, and all of a sudden, I feel like I’ve swallowed one of those shots where the liquor doesn’t mix well, thickening and expanding in your mouth.
Charlotte is the only woman I’ve ever seen Lawson with, and they were never overly affectionate, even before she cheated on him.
He still hasn’t let go of Jules, paying me no mind even though I’m standing right here.
My chest constricts painfully, and I leave his office to gather my things. Turns out, I’m perfectly fine with going home early now. It’s obvious Lawson didn’t want me to meet Jules. That’s why he was trying to get me to leave.
I don’t know why he thinks he needs to hide his girlfriend from me. I don’t care.
Sure, you don’t.
“Hey, Lulu. Are you joining us for after-work drinks tonight?” Mike appears in my peripheral, leaning against my desk with his hands in his pockets.
It isn’t that I don’t like Mike. He’s a great guy. He’s just not the guy for me. He thinks that the way to a woman’s heart is by trying to impress her with how much money he makes, and I’ve just never been one of those women who cares that much about a man’s net worth.
I want a man who can make me laugh. Who will cook dinner with me and snuggle up on the couch to watch stupid reality TV shows before he takes me to bed when we can’t keep our hands off each other. I want someone comfortable who pushes my limits and doesn’t let me walk all over him.
I want the kind of relationship my parents have. And I know it exists out there somewhere.
Resisting the urge to look over my shoulder at Lawson’s office, I meet Mike’s gaze. “I don’t think so. I’m gonna go home early and head to my parents’ for the weekend.”
“Aww.” Mike pouts. “Come on. You owe me a dinner. Buy me a drink instead?” He’s being playful, but I’m not really in the mood for it.
I fix him with a disinterested stare, opening my mouth to reply, but his eyes snap over my shoulder as Jules’ voice rings out. “I’m so sorry, honey. I didn’t get your name.”
Turning, I see her standing behind me. She beams a perfect set of pearly whites and holds out her freshly manicured hand. Hesitantly, I take it. “I’m Lucy.”
“Hi, Lucy. I’m Jules. I work in the New York office. Sorry. I was so rude when I got in. I wanted to surprise Law.” Her New York accent has a slight Southern twang to it. She seems genuine, which makes me hate her more than I already do.
“Consider me surprised,” Lawson drawls as he walks out of the office.
Mike sidles up to me, close enough that his arm brushes my elbow. Lawson’s eyes narrow at the contact, sending a petty wave of triumph thumping behind my ribs.
“Well, hi there.” Mike sticks out his hand. “I’m Mike.”
Jules unabashedly runs her bright eyes down his frame like a cat sizing up a mouse. “Well, hello there, handsome.”
“Jules!” Lawson snaps.
“What? He’s not my employee,” she retorts.
Mike chuckles, and even though I’m not interested in him in that way, it irks me that his attention is so unloyal. He’s been begging me to go on a date with him for months. Suddenly, Jules shows up, and I’m chopped liver.
However, the exchange makes me wonder if she really is just Lawson’s work acquaintance.
Surely, Lawson wouldn’t put up with another Charlotte .
“You two should join us,” Mike offers.
“I don’t really think?—”
“Join you for what?” Jules asks.
Lawson grabs her elbow, gentler than he held my arm earlier. “Jules, no. Despite your distaste for my dining preferences, I already snagged us a reservation at The Overlook.”
The Overlook is a romantic little restaurant at the top of a hotel by the river, which fuels my jealousy that it’s the first place he thought of to take her. It also just so happens to be right around the corner from where we usually go for after-work cocktails.
“Perfect!” Mike claps. “Lauren’s Fault is less than a block away. You can join us after your dinner. Since it’s Friday, most of us will still be there.”
It’s true. Many weekends have started—and ended—at our favorite Friday night haunt.
Jules scrunches her nose. “Why is it called Lauren’s Fault?”
“I don’t know who Lauren is, but it’s their fault that I don’t remember how I got home after drinking there,” Mike jokes lamely.
“Jules, we’re not going out to have drinks with them. You know the rules,” Lawson gently reprimands her.
“Oh, come on, Law. Live a little, darlin’.” She reaches up and pats his cheek. It’s an intimate gesture, and I hate how they look at each other while she does it—an unspoken conversation passing between them in a way only people who are incredibly familiar with one another can do.
“Okay, well, I’m headed out. Have a good weekend,” I say with a droll tone to no one in particular. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” Jules replies to my back as I walk away without so much as another glance toward my boss.
“See you later, Lulu?” Mike calls after me.
Part of me wonders if Lawson and Jules will end up there after their dinner. I already told my parents I’d be driving out to their place tonight, but I can always go in the morning.
Making up my mind as I walk down the hall, I wave a hand in the air without responding.
They won’t be done with work for at least another hour.
If there’s a possibility of Lawson showing up at the bar tonight, I want to make him see me as a woman.
Not his assistant lead, and certainly not the high school girl he last knew me as.
I know Lawson is attracted to me. I just need to remind him of that.
After all, if I fail miserably and make a fool of myself, I can always just blame Lauren.