Chapter 18 #2
I walk down to the cafeteria in a daydream as my security trails behind me.
How is it I don’t even notice them with me anymore?
Max has taken a week off to go away with his girls.
I think Joshua has just pissed him off too much to be around, something he has denied of course.
As I head down the hall to the cafeteria, I see two of Joshua’s bodyguards waiting outside, leaning up against the wall, and I get a rush of adrenaline.
He’s here. I try to hold my idiocy to a minimum and not jump in the air.
I enter the cafeteria as casually as I can, and my eyes scan the space.
I see him. Joshua is sitting at the table closest to the door and his broad back is facing me.
He is on the phone and has a notepad in front of him and is writing something down.
I walk over behind him to say hello when my eyes glance at the notepad and I read the name Coby Allender written on it.
He speaks down the phone unaware that I am here.
“I want a list of past offences and the evidence being
presented at the upcoming trial.”
He listens for a minute. “No, when is the trial?” He listens again. “I see.” He listens again. “Tell me, do the police think he is guilty?” My eyes widen, who is he talking too? I walk past him and straight to the counter.
Fishface looks at me. “What will it be?” she asks flatly. God this woman is a bitch.
“Skim cap.” I raise my eyebrows at her as if to say, yes you, you are a bitch, and I know it.
She nods and takes my money and I turn to see Joshua scribbling on his paper.
His eyes flick up and connect with mine, and he smiles sexily.
I literally swoon. He only has to look at me and I melt into his eyes.
I smile and turn back to the counter and I watch him in the reflection of the fridge door in front of me.
He keeps writing and talking, then he hangs up and rips the top piece of paper off the notepad, folds it and puts it in his inside suit pocket.
He takes a sip of his coffee and sits still staring at me, then he gently cracks his neck and I smile.
Some things will never grow old. I take my coffee and walk over to him.
“Hi,” I smile.
“Hello,” he smiles back.
What I really want to do is slam my hand on the table and scream where the hell where you when I woke up this morning, asshole, but I have to remind myself that this new improved version of myself is non drama queenish, and boy does it suck.
“Did you have a nice day?” I smile as I take a sip of my coffee. He nods. “Yes, we started a new job today, so I was busy.”
I frown. “New job?” I question.
He smiles. “Just a little six week one.”
“Oh,” I nod as disappointment runs through me.
“You?” he asks.
I shrug. “It was ordinary, nothing exciting.”
He smirks as he sips his coffee. “We are heading back upstairs.” His eyes linger on mine.
I nod and smile and he rises from his seat and follows me out.
We walk into the crowded lift and stand silently next to each other.
He is so tall and big, his body oozes power in that dark charcoal three-piece suit.
I can feel the electricity coming from him as my body weakens with want.
I wonder if any of the other women in the lift can feel the heat oozing from this fine specimen.
As I watch the numbers above the door light up, I silently make a pact with myself.
I am not mentioning last night or asking him when I am seeing him again.
I need to be strong, even if it kills me, and it probably will because he is acting like he doesn’t have a care in the world and I could quite easily strangle him with a smile on my face.
Calm, calm, calm…keep fucking calm. We walk to the lounge seating area and we sit opposite each other.
“Have you been in yet?” I ask the others.
“No,” they all reply flatly without looking up.
Joshua takes out his phone and starts to read and scroll through it. I sit with my legs crossed trying to look everywhere but at him. Bridget and the boys are deep in conversation about Adrian.
“So, is he seeing him tonight?” Abbie frowns.
Cameron nods and throws his hands behind his head. “Yep,” he answers as he leans back in his chair.
I frown. “Huh, who is he seeing tonight?” I ask.
“Nicholas Anastas,” Bridget replies.
“How did that come about?” I frown.
“He texted him this morning demanding to see him,” Cameron says as he raises his eyebrows.
“How hot. I love it when a man demands to see you. Now that’s romance.” My eyes flick to Joshua who doesn’t even hear me and is smirking at his phone. Hmm…take a hint, bastard.
Joshua laughs and bites his bottom lip to stifle his smile as he watches something on his phone and his eyes flick to me. I frown in question. What is he looking at?
My phone beeps a message. I pull it out of my bag.
It’s a text from Joshua. I smirk and open it, it’s a movie.
I frown as I hit play, and my eyes narrow at the screen.
I smile as I see the camera wobble around and I see Joshua sitting on my bed smiling at me.
I press pause and retrieve my earphones from my bag and plug them in so I can hear what is going on.
My eyes flick to Joshua as I put the earphones in, and he smiles broadly at me. Jeez, what’s so funny? I press play again and sit still as I listen to my drunken voice. Oh my God.
“I know, let me do a dance for you,” I slur.
The camera goes to me. Holy shit, I look like a train wreck, my eyes widen in horror and I feel myself flush.
I look up and Joshua has just taken a picture of my face.
I fake a smile. “Very funny,” I mouth. He laughs and looks back down with his arms folded in front of him.
I continue to watch the nightmare unfolding in front of me. Oh no, what am I doing now?
I hold my hand up to my mouth as I watch myself start to spin on the spot.
I feel myself blush as I see what I look like.
What in the hell kind of sexy dancing is that?
Oh shit…it gets worse. I start to do high kicks in the air like a cheerleader on crack.
I smile in embarrassment as I hold my hand over my face.
This is woeful, no wonder the poor bastard ran this morning.
He has been forced to watch this tape, damn technology.
My eyes stay glued to the screen again as I take off my clothes and straddle Joshua.
I lean in and kiss him, and his hand reaches out from behind the camera and he feels my breast and then his hand runs under the rim of my underpants.
I watch myself bend and kiss him and then say the words, “I love you, Joshua.” The film goes off.
I sit and stare at the phone in horror, do I laugh, or do I cry?
Here I am trying to channel Kate Middleton when I am actually channeling Absolutely Fabulous and so much for playing hard to get…
I told him I loved him. I look back up to see that Joshua and the others have gone in to see Gran.
I walk in slowly and stand behind the group with my heart still racing.
Everybody sits around Gran’s bed and makes idle conversation with her.
She seems happy and is laughing. Joshua turns to see me and stands to give me his chair and I smile and take it thankfully.
We stay with Gran for over an hour and then gradually one by one say goodbye.
This is the part I hate. I have to wait for him to say something about seeing me, what if he doesn’t?
We walk to the lifts together and shuffle in.
I stand at the back next to Joshua and the others all stand in front of us jabbering about something.
Joshua links his pinky finger with mine, and I find myself smiling at the floor.
The lift gets to the bottom and the doors open and everybody exits.
Joshua pulls me back into the lift by the finger and pushes the button. The door closes.
We stand still, held together by the smallest part of our body. He bites his lip as he looks at me. “What are you doing tonight?” he asks quietly.
“Nothing,” I reply as my eyes search his.
“I’m thirty, seventy wanting to see you tonight,” he breathes.
I frown. “Thirty, seventy,” I repeat.
A whisper of a smile crosses his face as his eyes penetrate mine. “Thirty percent of my brain wants to see you and seventy percent of my brain tells me it’s a mistake.”
I smile as I bite my bottom lip. “Can I change the odds with a closing argument?”
“Perhaps,” he whispers as he raises a brow.
“What if I said I was going to make you coffee and dessert?” He shrugs. “Thirty-five, sixty-five.”
I smile as my eyes hold his, our pinky fingers still linked. “We could spoon on my lounge again and you could kiss my neck as you cuddle me.”
“Seventy, thirty.” He raises his eyebrows.
I bite my lip and smile. I like this game. “We could take a shower,” I whisper. “You could wash me, I’m feeling very dirty.”
His eyes darken. “Ninety, ten, your way.”
I smirk. “I could wear my white nightie again and you can run your hands all over me as I tell you how much I missed you all day,” I breathe.
He smiles broadly as his eyes twinkle. “Were you on the debating team?” he asks as he cocks his head to one side.
I smile mischievously as I bite my bottom lip, feeling very proud of myself.
“You give a very good closing argument, Miss Marx.” He raises a brow.
I smile as I pull back from his grip. “Yes, and it was the white nightie that won me arguments back then too.”
“I don’t doubt it. See you in twenty.” He releases me and hits the lift button, and the doors open.