21. Unreal
21
Unreal
Asher
Daisy grabs our coats and drags me outside the venue. My heart is still hammering, but I’m no longer about to implode. The second she touched my arm, I felt grounded again. Still, I would have liked to teach that jerk a lesson.
“I’m sorry, Red,” I say as we’re shrugging our coats on, trudging down the stairs of the building. “I just lost my temper back there.”
She buttons her coat, and a chuckle escapes her.
My eyebrows draw together. “What’s so funny?”
Her chuckle turns into full-blown laught er, and it pulls a smile out of me.
“His face,” she fights out between laughs, clutching her stomach. “Oh my goodness. He was so scared.” She taps my chest. “I can't get it out of my head. You scared the crap out of him.”
I blurt out a laugh. “Yeah. I guess I did.”
“That was insane,” she says, shaking her head as her laughter subsides.
“Sorry.” I shoot her a sheepish grin, taking her hand. “I don’t know what came over me. I’m not usually like that, I swear. I mean, he totally deserved it—and more—but I'm not some caveman who talks with his fists.”
She slides her hands in the pockets of my coat, dragging me toward her. “So, you’re saying that was just for me?”
“Heck yeah it was. Even just seeing him blink your way is enough to get my blood boiling.”
“Then you’re forgiven,” she whispers, planting a sweet kiss on my lips. The gentle touch sends my heart soaring, somehow even more powerful than the breathtaking kiss we shared earlier. “We’ll just have to make sure we never cross paths with him again.”
“Sounds like the perfect plan,” I say against her lips. Cupping her jaw, I draw her in for another kiss. My teeth graze her bottom lip, but she doesn’t like the teasing and takes control. Her hands slide up my chest and wrap around my neck, closing the gap between us. A rush of excitement and hope surges through me as our bodies collide like two magnets reuniting. I don’t feel any part of my body anymore, and I might as well be flying.
She breaks the kiss, brushing her fingertips over my jaw, and my heart bursts. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her close. Her lips part beneath mine, and I’m sent back up to heaven. Daisy’s lips are addictive, and now that I’ve tasted her, I know I won’t last long without my fix.
A car engine revs next to us, reminding me where we are. “Do you think we’re banned from the gala for life?” I ask, glancing at the building behind Daisy.
She giggles against my lips. “Probably. Do you care?”
I place another sweet kiss on her lips. “Absolutely not. I can live a lifetime in Chicago without ever going to that gala again.”
She swallows hard, a glint of hope lighting up her eyes. “ Live here?”
My heart races faster, pounding against my ribs. My words surprised me just as much as they did her. Sure, the idea has been at the back of my mind for a couple of days, but I didn’t think I was there yet. But how could I not move here when I have everything I’ve ever wanted right in front of me? “Yes, live here. If you’ll have me?”
A large smile spreads across her face, and she hugs me tight. Somehow, it’s even better than the kisses we shared. More intimate. More intense. A reflection of happiness. “Of course I will.”
She breaks the embrace and kisses both my cheeks, then my lips. I close my eyes, surrendering to the moment once again.
I haven’t slept. Yesterday, I saw a glimpse of the life I could have here with Daisy, and the guilt was eating me alive all night. So, I did what I should have done a long time ago—I emailed my resignation letter to Doug and HR, not sparing a single shady detail. I’m glad I didn’t find anything. At least I didn’t send him any inside information.
He hasn’t replied yet, which means he hasn’t seen it. He’s not going to be happy, but what can he do? He can’t stop me. It’s too late. Now, I just have to find a way to tell Daisy. I could probably manage to keep it a secret, but I refuse to. It’s too heavy on my conscience, and I don’t want to keep lying to her. But first, I have to tell Jan. Let’s start with the easiest step—not that anything about this is easy.
Once I reach Hackett Studios, I a pproach her open office door, and she greets me with a smile. “Asher, come in. How are you doing? How was the gala?” she asks as I close the door behind me.
“Good, thanks.”
“Have you made your decision? I assume that’s why you wanted to see me,” she says, swiveling on her chair. Jan has always been a straight shooter, and that’s what I like about her. Doug’s the opposite.
I swallow hard in a vain attempt to wet my dry throat as I sit down in front of her. “I have.”
“And?”
“First, I need to tell you something,” I say, forcing myself to look her in the eye. She frowns but lets me continue. “I came here under false pretenses. Doug sent me.”
Her eyes widen, and her jaw clenches.
I take a deep breath. “He wanted me to spy on your firm, figure out why so many clients were signing with you instead of him.”
I expect her to be angry, to yell at me, but she doesn’t move. Her tone is calm as she says, “So, you’re still working for him?”
“No. I resigned this morning.”
She sighs, looking away. “What did you give him?”
“Nothing, I swear. I didn’t g ive him any information.” I suck in a breath. “I’m sorry, Jan. I hate myself for this. You’ve always been a great mentor, and the last thing I wanted was to deceive you.”
She stays silent for a while, staring out the window. “Why tell me, then?” she finally asks, her question taking me aback.
“What do you mean?”
Her blue eyes bore into me. “You could have kept it to yourself. After all, I doubt Doug will be shouting attempted corporate espionage from the rooftops.”
“I couldn’t hide it anymore. I’ve told enough lies. It’s time for the truth to come out. And of course, I knew you wouldn’t want to work with me anymore once you found out. But that’s not why I told you. I had to come clean.”
“Thanks for telling me, Asher.”
I nod, my eyes downcast. “I’ll get out of your hair. Thanks for the opportunity,” I say, standing up. “Oh, and by the way, Daisy is a real gem. Whatever you promised her for this, you should still give it to her.”
The corners of her lips twitch. “You like her, don’t you?”
I clear my throat, glancing at my shoes. “I do, but she’ll hate me once she finds out what I did.”
“Are you going to tell her?” she asks, arching an eyebrow.
“I have to. Then, she can decide if she still wants anything to do with me.”
Jan nods, and I turn around, exiting her office.
I feel lighter, but the huge knot in my stomach is still there. Daisy steps into the corridor, and she looks so beautiful in her dark purple dress with tights beneath a black plaid jacket. Her flaming hair is styled into a braid over her shoulder.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” she asks, a teasing glint in her eyes. “I thought we were meeting later for lunch.”
“Um, I had to talk to Jan,” I say, glancing toward her office. “But I’m heading out now. I’ll stop back at noon?”
The sparkle in her eyes sends my heart into freefall. “Can’t wait.”
Daisy
Asher and I are walking along Navy Pier, eating our Chicago-style hot dogs, and he hasn’t voiced a single complaint. In fact, he devoured his. Oh, how the tables have turned.
“Admit it,” I say, bumping my shoulder with his. “This is better than the ones you have in New York.”
He just stares at me.
“Sorry.” I grimace. “Is it too early to brag?”
His face grows serious. “Daisy, I have to tell you something,” he says, taking my hand and forcing me to a stop. “Let’s have a seat.”
“What’s this about? Come on. I was just kidding about the hot dog.” My throat tightens, and my mouth goes dry. He’s been acting weird today. Maybe he changed his mind about moving.
“It’s not about the hot dog,” he says as we sit down on a bench facing the water and the alluring Chicago skyline.
“Then what is it about?” I rack my brain for possibilities. Maybe he’s still staying, but isn’t interested in dating me?
He sucks in a deep breath. “It’s about . . .” He rubs his hands down his face. “Gosh, this isn’t easy.”
My heart tightens. “Asher, you’re scaring me.”
He pulls his hands away, and I realize his eyes are bloodshot.
“Asher,” I breathe out.
He takes my hand again, his long pause unsettling. “Daisy, I wasn’t looking for a job when I came to Chicago,” he says before sucking in a breath. “I was trying to get information for Purdy and Nader.”
It takes a moment for his words to sink in, like a distant echo slowly growing louder until it crashes into me. “What?” My voice trembles, and a chill spreads through my chest, hollowing me out.
He squeezes my hand tighter, but it doesn’t feel like a comforting gesture anymore. It feels like a trap. “I’m so sorry. My boss promised me a promotion, and I accepted.”
The world itself seems to tilt. It was all a lie? The time we spent together, the laughs we shared, the way he protected me from Todd—none of it meant anything. I fell right into his claws. “You lied to me. To Jan.” My breath catches in my throat. “You used me.”
His grip tightens again, desperate. “No, Daisy, listen to me!” His shaking voice matches the tremble of his hand. “Once we started connecting, I stopped. I swear! I just couldn’t do it anymore. I’ve already told Jan everything, and I promise you, I never gave Doug a single piece of information.”
I yank my hand away and stumble to my feet. “Is that supposed to make it okay?” My volume rises, and I don’t care that people are staring now, catching every word. “That you didn’t actually steal any information?”
“I’m sorry,” he says, stand ing up. His eyes fill with tears, and he wipes them with the back of his hand. “I regret it so badly, but I couldn’t lie to you anymore, because I like you, Daisy. I really like you, and I think you like me too.”
Something inside me shatters—something I didn’t even know I’d been holding together. My arms fall uselessly to my sides as the weight of his words presses down on my chest, suffocating me. “I don’t even know you.”
Spinning on my heel, I hurry away from him as I break into a run, tears streaming down my cheeks with every step, a sharp contrast to the laughs of children on the carousel and the happy faces around me.
Asher Forbes played me. Used me. Why do I always fall for guys who only want to manipulate me? What’s wrong with me?
My chest tightens painfully, and by the time I reach the foot of the pier, my breath is ragged. I glance back, half-hoping, half-dreading that Asher is chasing after me. But he’s not. Because none of what we had was real.