Chapter 2
Chapter Two
BLAKLEY
“I’m definitely going to be murdered, right?” I asked as I paced my bedroom.
My best friend Isabella stared at her phone while perched on the edge of my bed, her legs crossed, and a small frown on her face.
When she didn’t say anything, I cleared my throat and asked again. “Am I really going to get murdered if I do this?”
Isabella put down her phone and looked up at me, a small smile playing on her face now. I had known Isabella for years and she was one of my best friends. She was also one of the most beautiful people I knew. Her whole family was, if I were honest. She had three gorgeous sisters, and her brother was a man who apparently made people swoon when he walked into a room. I had always thought of him as Isabella’s younger brother, so that hadn’t been a thing in my eyes. But now as I stared at my friend, I had to wonder if I’d lost my mind about the decisions I’d made.
“No. Maybe. I hope not.”
“Not helpful.” We grinned at each other before she shook her head.
“Honestly, a group chat? So they just entered your number and suddenly you were part of their meeting? That sounds a little suspicious.”
“I know, right? But it does happen. You’ve heard of it happening. There was that whole viral moment where a grandma texted the wrong person inviting him to Thanksgiving, and then it turned into this heartwarming thing.”
“I remember that. It’s just all that had happened with a group chat. You usually have to add contacts.”
“Maybe he typed it in. Who knows. But I was in there, and all of the people sounded like they were joking around and they were a family who cared about each other. A real family with sarcasm as their love language.”
“And so the real family is why you’re going to go on this coffee date?”
I ran my hands down my dove-gray slacks, and immediately went to take them off, knowing I needed to wear something different. Maybe a skirt. Yes, a skirt would be good.
“Are you getting naked for me for a reason?” Isabella asked, and I flipped her off before putting my pants back on. “I was thinking about wearing a skirt, but then that seemed a little too forward.”
“You mean one of your A-line pencil skirts? No, that wouldn’t be too forward. And we’re going to be late and hit every ounce of rush hour if you don’t make a decision. You look gorgeous, Blakely. Live in it. Be in it.”
I held back a smile since she sounded like the trainer in the classic Miss Congeniality . “Thank you for coming over. I know you’re busy and you don’t have time to deal with my insecurities and the fact that I’m going on a blind date with a man I’m randomly texting about the weather and Avalanche games.”
“I still can’t believe he said he was a Penguins fan.” Isabella held up her hand. “It’s okay. We all have a thing for Crosby.”
I gave her a wry smile as I met her reflection in the mirror. “I’m sure there are other guys on the team you know.”
My best friend shrugged. “Well, I don’t really pay attention to them unless they are my team. It’s not like I have time.”
“You work more hours than I do.”
“Maybe. But it’s what I do. It’s life. Now, you look wonderful, for work, and for a simple coffee. I like Taboo. They have great sandwiches, and I go in for a different type of coffee every time. They seem to fit my moods. It’s a little creepy actually.”
“I’m going to a creepy coffee place to go meet a serial killer,” I blurted, and Isabella let out a deep breath, calming herself while I did the same. She knew I was on a downward spiral, and I needed to lift myself out of it if there was any way for me to make it through the day.
“You’ve been to Taboo. You like their coffee. You also like the look of the very hot tattoo artist next door. ”
I bit my lip and inhaled before letting out a long breath. “That is true. And there’s a bookstore that I love nearby. In fact, I love that whole street. It’s like a little oasis in the middle of downtown. This is fine. It’s just coffee. It’s a public space.”
“Do you know his name?” she asked.
I froze, realizing that I didn’t. That seemed like a little oversight and yet I knew it was for a reason. Being strangers in a text chain was easier to lean into than knowing who this man was. However I was about to meet him. “I don’t. I don’t even know what he looks like. I’m just going to meet some guy holding a phone in a coffee shop. I could sit next to anyone. This is so unlike me.”
“Just Google his phone number and figure out who it is.” Isabella reached for my phone, and I snatched it back, feeling a little protective of it. When she raised her brows, I winced.
“I don’t know if I want to know.”
“What are you worried about? That he is married? Someone you know? A ninety-year-old man?”
I put my face in my hand and groaned. “This is ridiculous. I should just look up his number.”
“You should have done it weeks ago.”
However, I did what I should and typed the number into my search engine.
“Do you really have it memorized?” Isabelle asked and I tried to ignore the humor in her tone.
I didn’t look at her face, my cheeks burning. “We’ve been talking. It’s been nice. And I’ve been looking at the number instead of a name because I couldn’t add him to my contacts.”
Yet everything changed with a single page load on my browser. I shouldn’t have been surprised that the world was a little ironic. Because as soon as the page loaded, I stood in my room, mouth agape as Isabella sucked in a breath.
“Aston Cage?” I blurted, my voice going high-pitched. “Aston Cage. Of the Cage family? Cage Enterprises ?”
“Your voice is getting a little high-pitched.”
My hands gripped my phone so tightly, my knuckles went white. “It should be. Aston Cage. I know this man.”
Isabella’s eyes shot up to mine. “You’ve met him before?”
I shook my head. “No, my boss just hates him. Because a lot of times we go for the same developments, and they win.”
“Because the Cages are a little savvier than your boss. You know that. That’s why you work for your boss. You’re always fixing everything he messes up.”
I held up my hand. “I don’t have time to worry too much about that. But look at him. Look at him. ” I held up my phone to her and waved it around.
“What am I supposed to be looking at? He looks like a dude. With hair. That seems to be a little dark. Sometimes he has a beard in these photos, sometimes not. And he looks to do a lot of galas. That sounds boring.”
I turned the phone back to me, and scrolled, realizing that he was indeed on the arm of a different woman in practically each one. Gorgeous statuesque women and variety of color of dresses. All for galas. “Oh, this is so stupid. This is Aston Cage. That means I was in the group chat of the Cage family .”
“They aren’t gods. Though your boss would’ve loved that.”
My gaze shot to hers. “He can never find out. No wonder they all ghosted the chat right before I left. They had to be freaking out.”
“It’s not like they’re going to divulge family and business secrets in a group chat. At least I would hope not. They seem smarter than that.”
“But it’s Aston Cage .”
“Is he a playboy or something? I’m an accountant. I don’t know these things,” Isabella said with a sigh.
“You’re a brilliant accountant, and no, I don’t think so. Maybe. That doesn’t matter. He’s gorgeous.”
“He’s a man.”
I laughed at that, shaking my head. “Maybe you’re the one who needs to go out and meet somebody.”
“The next time I get added to a family group chat, maybe I will. But I have enough in my life to deal with. Especially because we’re going to be late. Now go to this coffee thing. Let one of us live a little. You’re going to be fine.”
“I can’t believe you of all people are the one pushing me into this.”
“I’m living vicariously through you. Your job is more fun, your life is more fun, and you’re going to meet a CEO who could take over the world. I don’t see the problem here. ”
“I see a very big problem here.”
“What’s the worst that can happen?” she asked, sounding so much unlike Isabella, I was afraid we had somehow switched places.
“Are you kidding me right now?”
“I have your phone tracked, and I’ll put an AirTag on you. I’ll know where you are at all times.”
“That sounds a little more like the real Isabella,” I said with a laugh, as I hugged her tightly. She patted my back, and then pushed off me.
“Now let’s go. I’m not in the mood to deal with assholes on the highway. Which is every day.”
“Thank you for getting here before the sun even rose.”
“It’s because I love you. And I needed to make sure that our tracking is going well.”
I laughed at her, and we made our way to our respective jobs, that tension writing the back of my mind the entire time.
Work seemed to go at a slog all day. I enjoyed my job. I enjoyed strengthening businesses and figuring out which player was best for which position, but my boss of Howard Enterprises didn’t play well with my ideas. But it was my job to make sure that we didn’t go under and break the rules.
I wasn’t a CEO. I wasn’t a CFO. I was someone who had to have my hands in a thousand pots at once. And I enjoyed it. That meant I had to keep my mind on task, and I wasn’t doing it very well because I was sitting here wondering what the hell I was going to do.
“Blakely, do you have the report?” Mr. Howard said from my doorway, and I smiled at him. The man didn’t specify which report and could have just emailed me. He didn’t have to walk across the office just to ask me about a report that was probably already in his inbox and printed out in triplicate because that’s how he liked things. Who needed to save trees?
“Which report?” I asked.
He scowled at me, and I knew that was probably the wrong thing to say. “You know, the report. The one I’ve been waiting on.”
“It should be in your inbox.” Again, I had no idea what report he was talking about, because he didn’t know what report he was talking about, but I was up to date on what he needed from me, so it would be in his inbox. His team of assistants should have already handled it, but he liked to look grumpy and in charge on the floor. It lent a sense of control that I didn’t understand, but he said it worked.
I had to remind myself I really loved my job when people did what they were supposed to do. Even though it wasn’t my biggest fan right now.
“Good, good. You’re still on for the gala this weekend?”
“I’ll be there. It’s a lovely charity event.”
“Yes, but we have to make sure we don’t let the Cages outshine us. You know them. They always like to walk around like little peacocks, pluming their little feathers.”
I wasn’t even sure that was true, but I did my best to keep a straight face. Because I was about to go on a coffee date with the head peacock .
Oh, God. This was such a bad idea.
“I will do my best to not let them take over.”
“Good. It’s a charity event, and we need to make a stand.”
It was a charity event and that meant we should probably give to charity and raise awareness, but sure, making a stand worked. With that, Mr. Howard stomped off, probably to go growl at someone else, and I looked down at my phone, and realized I had fifteen minutes to get to Taboo. I quickly set everything as idle, nodded at my assistant, and made my way down the high-rise.
I loved living in Denver, I loved the view, the air. I even loved the insane weather that never made any sense. I lived in a suburb like most people who drove into the city, not downtown, but I didn’t even mind the commute. When I had lived on the east side of town, I had been able to take the light rail in, but the west side of town didn’t have everything I needed yet. But they were working on it, so they said .
I let out a deep breath. I spent so much time these days trying to live in my head rather than in the reality of the job I hated. So focusing on the commute and my family meant I didn’t dwell on the day-to-day life that was slowly sucking the life from me.
Everything was fine. I loved this.
I loved my job.
The fact that I kept having to say that worried me, but it was a dream job. I sort of made it up as I went along and excelled in a business that stressed me out—when they powers that be allowed me .
And now I was meeting with my boss’s rival. This was going to go lovely.
But he didn’t know who I was. Unless he googled my number like I should have done this whole time. That seemed like a very big lapse in judgment.
I walked the two blocks toward the center of town, and finally made my way to the main street that I loved. There were little cafés and small businesses everywhere. Nothing looked too commercialized or downtrodden. People seemed to like each other on this particular street. It was always surprising since most of the time people tended to ignore each other.
Taboo had been located here since before I started working, and probably years before that. I loved the coffee and the pastries and needed to come down here for sandwiches more often, but I ate at my desk more than I should.
I looked down at my gray pants and soft pink top, and realized I looked like a business professional, not someone off to get afternoon coffee with a man I didn’t even know.
Except for the fact I knew his name and what he looked like.
This was insane.
“Get over it, Blakely. It’s a cup of coffee,” I muttered to myself before opening the door to walk in.
There could have been tables around or even cute decorations. There could have been a thousand people in there, begging for coffee and pastries, but I didn’t see them .
Instead, I only saw him.
Aston Cage .
All six-foot-something of him in a dark gray suit that fit him to a tee. Clearly bespoke or tailored perfectly for him. His piercing blue eyes caught me in a web, and I couldn’t stop looking at him.
He was built, broad shouldered, but it narrowed down at the waist, so almost like a swimmer’s body. His hair was dark, longer on the top than the sides, and perfectly coiffed as if he spent far too long in the mirror.
Or maybe he just woke up like that. Perfect and amazing.
Somebody bumped into me, and I moved to the side, realizing that I was blocking the door.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. If I had someone looking at me like that, I’d stand there too,” the stranger said before she waved her fingers at me and him and moved back.
I moved to the side then, as Aston came forward.
“Hi,” I whispered.
“Hi,” he said right back, his voice deep, intoxicating.
What was with this? We hadn’t even said anything.
When his lips quirked into a smile, I blinked, telling myself to snap out of it.
“I see you also Googled me,” he said softly.
“I’m sorry. Hi, I’m Blakely,” I said, awkwardly holding out my hand.
Aston looked down at it, that smile still on his face, and slid his hand over mine. “Aston. Can I get you a cup of coffee? ”
“That would be lovely,” I said with a laugh, and then he did the silliest and most attractive thing ever, and lifted my hand to his lips, and I knew there was a problem.
“Oh wow,” another woman said as she walked by, fanning herself.
I blushed and took my hand back. “Now that I’m done making a scene. I’d love coffee. Though I am more of a latte girl.”
“We can do a latte.”
“Should I ask if you do this often? I feel like I should ask if you do this often.”
“I have never asked a wrong number out for coffee before. Though I have been here before. Not with another woman though.”
“Oh. That’s good.”
“It is.”
We ordered our coffees, talking of weather and sports like we were good at, and I had to wonder if we would talk about anything else.
But it was just coffee after all.
The place was full, so we ended up sitting outside at a little table, nerves running through me.
“So. I would ask what you do, but I sort of know what you do.”
“My brother who works in security would probably want to know if you knew that before you Googled me.”
I blinked. “As in I somehow entered myself into your life through a random text message? Like I’m the one who typed it in?”
“That’s what he would want to know. I assumed that you didn’t somehow secretly break into my other brother’s house to type in your phone number.”
My lips quirked, my shoulders immediately relaxing.
“Yes, it was all an accident. And I actually didn’t Google your name until this morning.”
Heat crossed my cheeks, and Aston leaned back and blinked at me. “Really? So you didn’t know my name this whole time?”
“It was an oversight. But you didn’t ask why.”
“Because I Googled you that day,” he mumbled, looking a little contrite. “Should I have waited?”
“No, you were the smarter one. Plus, you know, you have the whole family business you need to protect. But I’m not going to be a danger to any of that.”
Though I did work for a man who hated him. However, that wasn’t going to be a problem. This was just coffee, and Mr. Howard didn’t care. They ran in different circles after all.
“I feel like I really should have asked your name.”
“Maybe, but it was fun figuring out who you were just through text messages. I mean, I know that you don’t like the Penguins.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t not like them. But you have to have loyalty. You’re from here.”
“I am. But sometimes I travel. And I can’t get to an Avs game. Or a Broncos game.”
“That is true. And honestly, I have no idea how you even got time away to have lunch today. You have to be too busy to have coffee today. What I know of your business is insane. You guys do so much. ”
He shrugged, tapping his finger on his mug. “True, and I have a good team and family that works with me. However, I’m allowed to have coffee with a beautiful woman.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s a lie.”
“It is not. I’m sorry to say, but you are beautiful.”
“Well, I could say the same to you, but I’m pretty sure the two women that literally swooned next to you while we were talking in there answered that for both of us.”
He snorted and finished his coffee. “I can’t say that happens often.”
“No you just don’t notice it.”
“So you didn’t notice the man looking at you?”
“I only noticed you.” I put my hand over my mouth and groaned. “Pretend I didn’t say that.”
“If it helps, I hadn’t even realized I was standing there gawking at you until that woman said something,” he whispered.
“Oh.”
Oh.
“I really have to go back to work,” I said after a moment, and he nodded.
“Same. I have meetings. But I’d like to do this again?”
My cheeks warmed. “Coffee in the middle of a workday?”
“Or dinner.”
“Dinner. Dinner could be good.”
He stood up and took my hand. “I’ll text you?” he asked, the light in his eyes dancing.
I wanted to know this man. This enigma. “Okay. Text me.” Texting him felt familiar in such an unfamiliar situation.
He kissed my hand again, and I rolled my eyes. “I’m sorry, I’ve never met someone who actually did that.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever actually done that,” he said, squeezing my hand. “It just felt apropos.”
“I’m busy this weekend,” I blurted. “But maybe next weekend?”
“Next weekend can work, and as it happens, I’m busy as well.”
“Well, this was nice, I’ll talk to you soon?” I asked, knowing I was babbling at this point.
“Yes, Blakely, I’ll talk to you soon. It was lovely to meet you in person. Especially for a wrong number.” And then he walked away, and I did my best not to watch him do so.
Oh, I was in so much trouble.