Chapter 19
Nineteen
Zoey
I put my hands on his hips as he slides his tongue around and around in my mouth. My tongue fights with his even though I’m pissed he’s kissing me at work. I savor it, trying to drown out Derek’s words: “he likes to keep his options open.”
He lets my lips go, and my eyes flutter open a bit. “Don’t say it,” he warns. “I don’t want to hear it.”
“What is it you don’t want to hear?” I ask as he drops his hands from my face, but I keep my hands on his hips. “No kissing you at work and all that? The windows are tinted.
“I don’t think we’ll need to draw everyone a picture of what we are doing in here,” I tell him when my phone buzzes once and then stops. Both of our eyes go to the phone, and he steps out of my touch to grab the remote and press the button, making the privacy go away, and everyone can see in.
“That’s your lunch.” I point at the bag. “I ordered it this morning when I got in.” He just looks at me, not sure what to say. “I hope you eat what I got you.”
He looks at the bag, stopping in his tracks. “I’ll be back in fifteen for the call with my family.” He walks out as if he’s not leaving me here breathless from a fucking kiss. A kiss I didn’t even know I needed but then suddenly wanted.
I sit down in the chair, my legs shaky, when the phone buzzes yet again. I turn it over and see I have a missed call from Josh with a voicemail, which is weird since he’s never left me a voicemail before. If I didn’t answer his call, he would send me a text.
I press the voicemail and the woman asks, “Who’s calling?” I enter my code zero-two-five-seven, and she tells me I have one new message.
I press one to hear it, and then his voice comes through, “Hey, Zoey, just calling to see how your day is going. I miss you. Call me when you get off work.” His voice stops, and I think he’s hung up, but he didn’t. “I love you, Zoey.”
To replay this message press one, to delete press two, to save press three. I press two, deleting the message from my phone. My stomach sinks when I look up and see Nash standing next to the receptionist's desk, talking to Derek. I know Nash saw he called, and with that, I pull up his contact and change his name to just Josh without the heart beside his name. I also change the picture out, opting to leave it blank, before I text Zara.
Me: Josh just called me again and left me a voicemail, asking me how my day was going and to call him when I got off work.
I know she’s by her phone all day long, so it’s not a surprise when she answers right away.
Zara: Did you say you’re doing amazing and then send him a picture of Nash’s big dick?
I snort, thinking it might be something she would do if she actually got burned by a guy.
Me: No, I deleted the message.
Zara: Are you going to tell Nash?
Me: He was here when he called, so I turned over the phone.
Zara: The tea is piping hot… What did he say?
Me: Nothing, he kicked everyone out of the room so he could make out with me.
Zara: Did you block Josh’s number?
Me: No.
Zara: Dumb, dumb, and dumb.
Me: I’ve never blocked someone in my life.
Zara: Super easy, go to the contact and press block this number.
Me: Isn’t that childish?
Zara: He knows you’re a married woman, and he’s calling you. That’s childish. Someone stole your toy that you had been playing with for a year and now you want it back.
Me: Two years.
Zara: And after two years, he couldn’t commit. Time to cut the line. Block him.
I’m about to answer her when Nash returns to the room, holding a folder in his hand. I look at him and I try not to let what Derek said get to me. I mean, I was assuming he was a serial dater, but we’ve never sat down to discuss it. I don’t really think I’d want to know, if that makes sense. I said I would give him a chance and I meant it. I mean, yesterday when I saw those women’s clothes in his closet, I wanted to set it all on fire, but instead I tried to have a semi-rational conversation about it. Which ended up with me riding his cock before he came on my stomach and then ate me out after. Basically, up there on the list with one of the best days I’ve had.
Nash pulls out the chair beside me sitting down. “Are you going to eat?” I ask him softly, wondering if he’s going to ask me about Josh. The anticipation of him asking about it or bringing it up is making me so nervous, as if I’m hiding something from him. I know I sort of am, but there isn’t anything I can tell him. He called, and he obviously saw I didn’t speak to him.
“I am,” he says, grabbing the brown bag in the corner. “Did you eat?” He looks over at me, and I shake my head. He pulls the sandwich out of the bag, then grabs the salad at the bottom of the bag, handing it to me.
I take the salad from him to keep my hands busy. “This looks good.”
“I’m really not hungry.” I have to look at him as he takes a bite of the sandwich. “For food anyway.” His eyes stare into mine, and I know exactly what he means. “All I know is I’m going to be famished tonight.” The minute he says that, I have to cross my legs to stop the throbbing because now all I’m picturing is him with his head buried between my legs. “I really wish we didn’t have this meeting.” He moves his chair from side to side, as if we aren’t having a sex talk in the conference room. “I’d take you home.” He looks around. “I don’t even think we’d make it into the house.” He grins. “The hood of my car is really sturdy.”
“Nash,” I say, not sure if I’m warning him to shut the fuck up or asking him to take me home and do whatever it is that he was thinking about doing to me.
“Did you get the email I sent with the pictures?” he asks, changing the topic as I take the top of the salad off, mix in the dressing, and shake it before grabbing a fork and eating some.
“I did. They are all so good.” I smile. “I don’t even remember half the pictures, or better yet, I don’t even remember him snapping all those pictures.”
“He was even there when we had our first dance,” Nash shares, pulling up the picture on his phone. It’s of him looking down at me with me facing the camera. The huge smile on my face was in every single shot. My arm around his shoulders with the bouquet hanging in my hand, my left hand on his arm, showing off my ring. “I ordered this for the living room downstairs.” He shocks me. “Let me know if you want to order any.”
“Surprise me,” I say, and he smirks, but his smirk stops when the ringing starts from his computer. “Here we go,” I say, putting down my salad and bracing for the meeting with his parents, trying not to freak myself out too much. The screen opens, and I see Caine pop up first, joined quickly by Grace, who I think is doing it to show support for me, I hope. Then his parents pop up on the screen, my in-laws. The thought brings me a mix of emotions.
“Hey, before we start, Mom, Dad, I’d like you to officially meet Zoey,” he says, looking over at me and giving me a smile.
“Mr. and Mrs. Griffin,” I say, clearing my throat when it sounds like it’s going to crack, “it’s nice to finally meet you. Nash has told me so many wonderful things about you.” I lie, and even Caine knows I’m lying when his eyebrows pinch together.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Mrs. Griffin replies. “I was hoping our first meeting would be in person.”
I try not to think about whether that’s a dig at me or not. “That’s okay,” I say, my hand shaking. Nash moves his hand out of the way to put it on my leg and squeeze softly.
There is nothing but awkward silence for a moment before Caine cuts in, “I have fifteen minutes before we have to leave. Zoey, why don’t you tell us what you have been doing and what you think the next step should be.” This I can do, this is my job, this is why I’m so good. I forget they are my in-laws and get down to business. By the end of the call, I’ve gotten a couple of smiles from his father, and his mother claps her hands and said it was all wonderful.
When he clicks the hang-up on the Zoom, I let out a huge sigh of relief. “That wasn’t so bad.” He leans back in his chair.
“I think it went as expected,” I answer. He looks like he’s about to say something when Kailyn comes into the room to get him for his next phone call.
“I should be done by five.” He gets up. “I had to reschedule everything from the past two weeks.”
“That’s okay, I have stuff to do,” I tell him as he nods and walks out without kissing me, which is what I wanted, but now makes me twinge a bit. He and Kailyn walk side by side, and he laughs at something she says before they disappear into his office.
I tap the pad with my finger before grabbing my phone and texting him.
Me: Lunch was good, but something tells me that I’ll be famished for dinner.
I put the phone down while I answer my own emails and make notes for some of my other clients. I don’t even see the time go by until Kailyn sticks her head in the conference room. “Nash told me to tell you he’ll be done in five.” She smiles. “He’s going to be swamped all week doing double duty.” Her tone is accusatory. “But you know Nash, act now think later.”
“I don’t know about that.” I put my pen down. “Looks like he knows what he’s doing.”
“Most of the time.” She tries to joke with me, but there is no laughter there. “Have a good night, Zoey.”
“You too,” I reply, watching her walk away and head back into his office. I close down my computer and see Josh has called me twice more.
I close my computer and put it in my bag before making sure I clean up the conference room, deciding to work in one of the work spaces he has set up tomorrow. I’m pushing in my chair when Nash comes out of his office carrying his jacket in one arm, and I see his rolled-up sleeves. “Hey,” he says, meeting me at the conference door, “you ready?”
“Yeah.” He reaches for my bag, carrying it with his empty hand as we leave the office. Lulu waves at us as we walk out, and the heat outside hits me right away. “It’s so nice out.”
“We could eat outside, if you want,” he offers, opening the trunk and tossing my bag and his jacket in there. “Pick up a couple of steaks and grill.”
“Umm.” I shake my head. “I hate steak.”
“What?” he asks, shocked.
“Yeah, I know, but I just don’t like steak. Maybe it’s because I ate it so much as a kid, but I just?—”
“We could grill some salmon, then,” he suggests without skipping a beat, “or some shrimp.”
“Ohh, that we could do.” He opens the door for me but blocks me from getting in with his arm. “You need something?” I ask, my pulse picking up from him being close to me now.
“Yeah,” he says, tilting his head to the side and kissing my lips. His tongue comes into my mouth for a bit before he lets me go. “You.” He bends to kiss my neck before moving his hand so I can get into the car. “I was hard most of the day because of your text,” he tells me. “I’m having dessert before we eat.”
He slams the door, and I try to get my heartbeat back to normal as he gets in. We go to the supermarket, grabbing things to throw on the grill, and when we get home, I walk upstairs to get changed first.
The phone rings in my hand the minute I step into the bedroom, and turning, I see it’s Josh. I finally answer his call, “Hello.”
“Hey,” he coos all sweet, “I was wondering if I’d catch you. I’ve called you all day.” I roll my eyes.
“Calling me three times is not calling me all day.” I sit on the bed, not adding in dumbass.
“How was your day?” he asks, not even correcting me. “I know how busy you are when you get back from vacation.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “Listen, Josh—” I start to say but he interrupts me.
“I’m coming down to visit this weekend.” His declaration shocks me.
“For what?” I about gasp.
“I got us dinner reservations at seven thirty.” His voice is cheerful. “I figured we can have drinks before. There are some things we need to talk about.”
I look at the phone to make sure I’m not dreaming this up. He’s never made a reservation for dinner in the whole two years we were dating. Not even on my birthday. “Um, what?”
“I have to go,” he quickly says. “I’ll see you on Saturday. I love you, Zoey.”
The phone disconnects and I don’t have time to think things through before Nash comes in. “Who was on the phone?” he asks me, leaning against the doorjamb.
“That was Josh.” I’m not going to lie to him. That’s not the person I am. “He called me today. You saw it, and now he called me again a couple of times.”
“What did he want?” He folds his arms over his chest, his jaw getting tight.
“He’s coming to town and wants to go out on Saturday.”
“You’re not going on a date with him,” he snaps, standing up.
“I think I have to just to shut it down,” I say. “Closure for both of us.”
“Closure for both of you? I thought you had your closure when you asked him to commit to you, and he didn’t.” His words are truthful and also sting at the same time.
“You’re right,” I admit to him, “but I need to see him face-to-face to tell him it’s over.”
“He’s playing a game with you.” He walks into the room, pulling me up from the bed. “Trust me, I know the game he’s playing.” The words confuse me even more. “Little does he know that the game he’s playing”—he pulls me to him—“I’m going to fucking win it,” he says right before his lips crash onto mine. He spends the whole night making me say his name over and over again.