Chapter 16 #2
“You look lovely, Nel.” He leans in and kisses her cheek and she blushes on cue. “Hello, Alora,” he says, he undoes his suit coat button with one hand as he sits down.
Hmm….
Where’s my ‘you look lovely’…? Asshole.
He sits back, crosses his legs, and brings his eyes to meet mine before raising an eyebrow, arrogance personified. He raises his hand for a server and she comes over. “I’ll have an espresso please.”
“Yes sir.” She disappears into the kitchen.
He seems different today. Cocky or something, pissed even.
Ha, he’s pissed that I didn’t call him…well, screw you, asshole.
He’s here to see Nel and I want to know what the ever-loving fuck is going on here.
“I didn’t realize you were coming to Paris,” I say, damn this bastard for being so sexy.
“I have business here this weekend.”
“And yet you didn’t mention it?”
“My calendar is a private matter.”
Really?
Like that is it? We glare at each other as animosity bounces between us.
“Alora was just telling me all about how close the two of you are,” Nel gushes in an overenthusiastic tone.
“Was she now?” A trace of a smile crosses his face.
Shut up, Nel, you big-mouthed idiot.
“Not how close we are.” I feel my lying face begin to blush. “How close I am to your sister.”
“Come now.” He smirks sarcastically as he takes a sip of water. “We’re basically family, Alora. You’re like an annoying little sister.”
Nel laughs on cue. “Haha, that’s hilarious.”
The sky turns red….
Okay. Fuck. You.
I don’t know anyone who jerks off for their annoying little sister.
“So, Alora, do you have someone special in your life?” Nel asks.
“Recently single,” Edward answers before I get a chance.
My eyes flick to him, I’ll answer my own questions, asshole.
“I would like to know more about you, Nel,” Edward says. “Are you with someone?”
“No, very single.” Her eyes light up as she stares at Edward for a beat longer than necessary.
Ugh…this woman is getting annoying.
“I find it hard to believe that someone hasn’t snapped you up.” Edward smirks into his coffee as his eyes hold hers.
“Just waiting for the right man to show up.” She smiles as she runs her hand through her hair.
They’re flirting.
I get a vision of myself flipping the table upside down.
“Aren’t we here to talk about the refurb?” I open my notepad with a sharp snap.
“Yes, let’s do that,” Edward replies. “Nel, why don’t you run Alora through the brief.”
“Sure.” She retrieves a folder and begins to flick through the pages while she explains in great detail what the design plan is. And I wish I could tell you I am listening to every word, but I can’t even think when I’m this close to him.
His aftershave dances around the table like a tangible force, bringing with it memories of spas in Switzerland and legs over shoulders and pulling himself in my back room…and he’s here to see fucking Nel.
“And here in this room…” Nel continues, bringing me back to the present.
I watch the two of them flirt in a detached state. Edward Prescott takes what he wants and to hell with the consequences; if he wants Nel, I’m positive he’ll have his wicked way with her.
Not that it’s anything to me. I don’t care about him, he’s made it crystal clear where his interests lie with me.
Wait…. Have they slept together before? My eyes flick between them as I look for evidence, I mean she is beautiful.
“So, Alora….” More muffled voices.
What do I care anyway?
“Are you listening at all?” Edward says. “Alora?”
Huh?
I glance up to see them both looking at me as if waiting for an answer.
“Excuse me?”
Edward puts his hands up in question. “What are you doing?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Stop wasting my time,” he snaps. “You aren’t even listening.”
“I am listening,” I fire back. “I am processing.”
“Processing what?”
“Don’t be rude, Edward,” I snap. “I am not in the mood for you today.”
“Well, I am not in the mood for you either.”
“Oh my.” Nel laughs. “You two really are like siblings.” She pushes her chair out. “I’m going to the bathroom.” She disappears across the restaurant and my eyes come back to Edward.
“What are you doing?” he snaps. “I am giving you the opportunity of a lifetime and you are sitting there daydreaming.”
“For your information,” I spit, “I am not daydreaming, I am fuming.”
“Fuming?”
“Why did you bring me here to watch you flirt with your interior decorator?”
Amusement flashes across his face.
“This isn’t funny, Edward.”
“Jealous?”
“Not one bit,” I fume. “Disgusted.”
“Disgusted?”
“Yes. You disgust me.”
He leans his elbow on the table and steeples his pointer finger up over his cheekbone, his eyes dancing with mischief. “So why do you keep thinking about me?”
“I’m. Not. Thinking. About. You.”
“So…” His eyebrows flick up. “My cock, then?”
“Listen here, you,” I whisper angrily. “Stop talking about your cock to me. Your cock has nothing to do with this.”
“Famous last words.”
“Of whom?” I fire back. “I never read any famous last words about your dick in the history books.”
“That’s because you are out of touch with quality literature.”
“So…” Nel says.
We both lean back guiltily.
“I think I have enough to start on.” I close my notepad that doesn’t have one frigging note in it. “I’m going to workshop this and I have to get going because I have a….” I try to think on my feet. “I have a lunch date I have to get to.”
Edward’s eyes meet mine. “With who?”
I shrug nonchalantly. “The man I came to Paris to meet.”
Yes…this is good.
“Really?” Edward’s eyes meet mine. “I’d love to meet him.”
“Oh…you will.” I smile sweetly.
Fuck….
“Great. Let’s meet back in the bar at say six.”
What?
“Um…. Oh…. Well.” I feel my face turn a shade of fuchsia red flustered.
Edward rolls his lips to hide his smile, conceited ass. He knows I’m lying…. Damn it.
“Sounds great,” I lie.
“We’ll make a double date of it.” He gives me a playful wink.
Oh…so he is here to take Nel on a date. Of all the bastardly assholes on earth.
Suddenly single and he’s chasing fucking Nel.
“Awesome.” I smile through gritted teeth, and by awesome, I mean this is a fucking catastrophe. “Nice to meet you, Nel.” I shake her hand. “I look forward to working together.” I turn and walk back to the elevator at fast pace.
Fuck’s sake….
An hour later I’m pacing in my room.
What do I do…. What do I do?
I don’t want to cancel tonight and I don’t want him to have the upper hand. He thinks I was lying about having a lunch date…. And I was, but he doesn’t know that.
He can’t know that.
Here I am constantly daydreaming about all things Edward Prescott and trying to force a tiny bit of effort and here he is flying to Paris to spend time with Nel.
Oh god, I’m such an idiot.
He thinks it’s all about him…. I need to get the upper hand.
But how the hell do I do that?
I flop back onto the bed, now I’m going to have to go out and find a man in approximately… I look at my watch. Six hours. Which is impossible because you can’t find a decent man on earth in an entire lifetime. I don’t want some average Joe, I need an expert. Someone really fabulous.
Unless….
No.
Surely not.
I bite my lip as an idea rolls around in my head…. I mean, it could possibly work.
I pick up my phone and google:
Male escort Paris
My heart races as I wait for the results.
THOMAS STONE.
Professional and discreet.
With shaky hands I dial the number.
“Hello,” a deep sexy voice answers.
“Um…hi. Is this Thomas Stone?”
“It is.”
I close my eyes, mortified by what’s about to come out of my mouth.
“My name is Alora and this is the lamest thing I’ve ever done but I have to go out tonight and I need a platonic date to pretend to be on a real date with me,” I blurt out in a rush.
“Where are you?” he asks.
“I’m in Paris.”
“Okay.” He thinks for a moment. “You’re in luck, I’m also in Paris this weekend and I don’t have anything on tonight.”
“You don’t?” I frown.
“But I do have a job on tomorrow so I will need to be out early in the morning.”
“Oh.” I widen my eyes in horror. “You can leave tonight. This isn’t a real date.” I scrunch my hair in my hand. “Absolutely two hundred percent platonic.”
Arghhhhhh!
“We’ll see.” He chuckles. “Text me the address and time.”
“Okay,” I whisper. I hold my chest, I’m sure I’m about to have a heart attack at any moment.
“Oh, and Alora.”
“Yes.”
“Wear something sexy.”
My eyes widen and the phone goes dead.
What the hell have I done?