Chapter 10
My alarm blared next to my head, and I hated it. Hated it more than a normal morning because it was two hours earlier than it normally blared. And I got up at six to get to my six-thirty Pilates class.
“I hate you,” I whispered to my phone, rolling out of bed, catching the rug with my knees.
Should I crawl to the shower?
As I laid my head on the mattress, my eyes begged to cover them with my eyelids. That was what they were there for, I guess I should let them do their only job.
I stood, not questioning where my willpower to move had come from. My forehead squished against the shower tile while I allowed the hot water to pound against my back.
Get out.
Just shut off the water and get out. People do this every day. This is not an impossible task, you lazy cow.
With that peptalk, I snapped the water off and slid out of the shower. Lotion was applied, with lip gloss, and tinted sunscreen slapped on with my eyelids still half closed.
I need to tip my lash artist more.
The doorbell chimed when I stumbled to the kitchen to switch on the coffee maker. With a longing look at the still sleeping coffee maker, I threw open the door with a glare.
Mr. Easton stood on my “I can see up your skirt” welcome mat as if it wasn’t the ass crack of dawn. The sun wasn’t even awake yet.
I scowled, until I noticed an energy drink clutched in his hand.
“Is that for me?” I stared lovingly at the black and red can, barely stopping myself from licking my lips.
“You know these are horrible for you, right?” His hand still held the liquid energy, and a flash of me clawing it out of his hands flittered through my mind.
“What? I had no idea. Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention. In fact, I will be a great friend and take it off your hands so as not to ruin your perfect health.”
He huffed, handing me the can. I did a small happy dance before popping the tab, the hiss still the sexiest noise I’d ever heard.
Sorry, coffee machine.
“Are you ready?” Easton asked. He glanced around my house, not trying to be inconspicuous.
“I am. Thank you for driving me to the office. Even though I could’ve just gotten a ride from Jules. She lives right across the street.”
“Yes, you mentioned that last night between the snoring and drooling while I drove you home.”
I stared at him, taking another drink, wondering if there was a hint of a smile on his smug face.
“And yet you are still here at the ass crack of dawn to drive me to work. Why is that?” I asked.
“You live alone?” He didn’t answer my question.
“I do.”
“Religious?”
“No,” I laughed. “It’s a long story.”
He cocked an eyebrow.
I inhaled, and gave him a short version, “I told Bradford I wanted to live near Jules. Jules and I found these houses and put in our bids. Bradford bought a house across town to surprise me, but both mine and Jules’ bids were accepted.
I couldn’t turn down the interest rate, and Bradford had already signed the papers.
We figured when we got married one of the houses would be a rental.
” I shrugged, knowing how asinine it sounded, but I didn’t want to dwell on old wounds.
He turned around and walked out to his car without looking back. He was so cocksure that I would follow him.
Ugh, he’s right.
An exhausted sigh slipped out of my mouth. I took a large gulp of my current reason for breathing, grabbed my purse, and followed.
Just like he knew I would.
I attempted to slam the door, but of course Mr. Fucking-Perfect’s luxury car was equipped with anti-annoyed Rachel function. As hard as I pulled the door, it clicked shut like it was closing on a whisper.
Fucking hell, even his car is against me.
Although I stared straight ahead, I knew with certainty he was wearing a smug grin.
“How’s Aurora’s project going?” he asked, pulling onto the freeway.
He would ask the one question that animated me and pulled me out of my sour mood. A smile tugged at my lips, making my whole face twitch, but I did my best to suppress it.
“It’s going fabulous. Her idea is solid, and with us behind her pushing her in the right direction, she will have to hire employees soon.”
Without my brain’s permission I turned to look at him. His smirk was firmly in place. “That sure of yourself, are you?”
“Damn straight! I’m good at one thing, branding and marketing. She made a good decision choosing our company.”
“Two things.”
“What?”
“Branding and marketing are two things. So, you are not just good at one thing.”
“My branding and marketing skills are intertwined so tightly you wouldn’t be able to tell where one ends and one begins.”
“Let’s hope so. I will ruin your company if you don’t deliver what you promised. Aurora deserves this win, and I won’t let you bring her down.”
I sucked in a breath, ready to give him such a scathing set down he would be forced to remove his head from his ass.
“We’re here.”
I glanced out my window, shocked that we were in front of my office building. How had I been so engrossed in his assholeness I missed the fact we’d been parked in front of the building for fuck knows how long?
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, and the ride,” I hissed, climbing out of his car with my purse swinging wildly over my shoulder. Once again, the damn car wouldn’t let me slam the door.
I stomped off, not bothering to look back at the smug asshole. A smirk of my own graced my face when I realized I left my empty energy can in his pristine car.
Ha, take that, dickface.
“Morning, what are you doing awake so early?” Bradford asked.
I moved around the office, getting it ready for the day.
“Ugh, I forgot I didn’t talk to you last night.” I had called Bradford when I got home, but it went to his voicemail. I assumed he was sleeping like most normal people would be doing at that time.
I was also exhausted and fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow, which for me was not a normal occurrence. When sleep claimed me like it had, I didn’t argue. Sleep and I had been in a toxic relationship, but whenever it called, I went running to it.
“Sorry about that. I fell asleep pretty early last night. This traveling is wearing on me, and I can’t seem to catch up.”
“I know. Not to sound like a whiny girlfriend, but your traveling isn’t my favorite thing, either.”
“Fiancée,” he corrected.
I smiled at the ring gracing my finger, letting the overhead lights catch the facets and allowing it to shine just like it was meant to shine.
“Yes, well, this fiancée will be happy when you are done with this deal and are home more often. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. Now tell me what happened that made you get up so early while I shave.”
“We went out to dinner last night with Aurora and her group to celebrate the signing of the contract. Mr. Easton drove me to the restaurant, and I was going to get a ride back to my car from Jules. Well, Jules had too much to drink and didn’t want to drive.
So, Cole drove her back in her car and Aurora drove his car home.
I went with Mr. Easton to get my car, but ended up falling asleep while he was driving …
You know I don’t sleep well without you.
He took me home and decided to torture me for his good deed by making me wake up at the ass crack of dawn to drive me to work, and it’s not even my day for Pilates. ”
I grabbed another energy drink out of the fridge but remembered Mr. Easton’s stupid comment this morning and put it back, grabbing a water instead.
Who am I?
“Why didn’t Jules drive you into the office today? You two do work together.”
I listened to the familiar sound of Bradford shaving, getting lost in the noise.
“Because he’s psychotic. He doesn’t trust me and Jules to do a good job with Aurora’s project, and I have a feeling he’s keeping an eye on us, waiting for us to mess up so he can fire us.”
“Maybe he has the hots for you,” Bradford said, his razor clinking against the sink.
I laughed and continued to laugh when I sat down at my desk for the first time that morning. “I don’t think Mr. Easton has any feelings in his body, let alone the emotional capacity to think someone is hot. Besides, he saw the ring firmly on my finger and knows that I’m spoken for.”
“Good, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t notice how incredibly sexy you are.”
“I promise you that is not it at all. I think he has just advanced from torturing small animals to humans and I’m the lucky girl he’s starting on.”
“Think how bad he’s going to feel when you two make Aurora’s project a global sensation. He’s going to feel like such a jackass.”
“I hope so.”
The elevator dinged, alerting me to Jules’ arrival. “Jules just got here, I’m going to let you go. Talk to you later.”
“Talk to you tonight. Don’t let Mr. Easton torture you. Remember, you are bigger and smarter than any small animal that has been in his clutches before.”
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. I love you so much and I’m so glad I’m marrying you.”
“Love you more. And I cannot wait to be your husband. Have a good day. Love you.”
“Love you, too,” I said before hanging up.
“You two are disgusting,” Jules moaned when she plopped down in her chair.
“I know. We are horrible people for being happily in love. How dare we?” I placed my hand above my heart in mock horror. “You definitely need to find a better best friend.”
“I know, but they are in demand and a new best friend is on back order for at least two years. I’m just biding my time with you until my new one gets here.”
I tossed a crumbled paper at her as we laughed.
“So, since you are alive, do I need to help you bury a body?”
“No, I refrained from murdering Mr. Easton this morning.”
“How magnanimous.”
“Oh, it was nothing of the sort! He just had me get up so early I didn’t have the energy or strength to kill him. It was rather genius of him. Get me when I have no will to live so he can keep his life for another day.”
“They did say he was the first in his class in college before he dropped out.”