Chapter Eight #3
Lottie pours ice into a cocktail shaker, then begins to free pouring from multiple different bottles before adding a splash of what smells like pineapple juice.
She slams the cap onto the base and begins to shake it over her shoulder like a seasoned bartender.
After a minute or so, she picks up a strainer and holds it tight over the now-capless base and pours it into a Marie Antoinette glass. Pushing the ice-cold drink toward Mia.
“Thank you,” she says, lifting it to her lips, the prosecco left on the counter.
It wasn’t unheard of for these dinner parties to descend into how many drinks Lottie could create until we each found an empty bedroom and passed out until morning.
But not tonight. Not only are we unprepared for a sleepover, I can’t say for sure I’d be able to keep my hands off Mia if we were to share a bed, which given we’re leading everyone to believe we’re dating, we would be sharing a room.
“I presume you’re not drinking tonight?” Lottie asks.
“Not tonight.”
“Excellent, you’ll be the referee.”
“Referee?” Mia asks, taking another sip of her cocktail, and damn it, she’s nearly drunk half already.
Lottie is lining up her next glass as I pull a water glass from the cupboard, filling it and passing it to her.
“Those—" I point to her cocktail, “—are lethal. A glass of water between each one.”
“Yes, Dr. Adams.” She smirks over the rim of her glass, gently tipping it into her mouth until she’s drained it. Picking up the second one, she takes a tentative sip, ignoring the glass of water I poured her.
“Oh boy,” Lottie mutters.
I pull her to the side, and lower my voice so that Mia can’t hear us.
“Can you go with this? Me and Mia, I mean. It’s too complicated to explain now, but as far as everyone is concerned, we’ve started dating.”
Lottie mimics zipping up her lips and throwing a key over her shoulder.
“Not that our friendship is transactional, darling, but I may need to call in a favor from you in exchange. The social media stuff is really affecting Luca’s PR team. They’re not happy.”
She sighs, and it’s then I notice the slight gray beneath her eyes, the forced smile.
It seems I’ve neglected my friend the last few weeks.
I’ll need to carve out some time to rectify this.
Luca, her secret beau, is a very high-profile figure, and his PR team is a headache, but for good reason.
The public isn’t aware of their relationship at the moment.
They’ve decided to keep it quiet, given that Luca is a prominent figure in his home country.
Dating an American would come with some complications, even if Lottie is essentially US royalty.
“Okay, let’s talk about it tomorrow?”
She blows me a kiss before sauntering into the living room, her long flowing dress sweeping behind her.
Turning to Mia, who I have no doubt is using the drink as liquid courage.
She seems nervous when in reality she has no need.
These people are my friends and will respect her regardless of what she does or studies.
Of course they’re intrigued. I’d never brought a woman to our monthly Dinner Club before.
Although in reality, Dinner Club mostly meant we played board games and drank until the small hours of the morning.
Each month we would swear to be sensible, only to be egged on by one another until the following month, where the entire process would begin again.
“You’re a bit of a brat, did you know that?” I whisper into the shell of her ear as we return to the living area.
She glances over her shoulder, giving me a nonchalant shrug that morphs into a grin. Oh, she knows exactly what she’s doing.
She moves toward the open space on the couch, but I quickly slip in before her, pulling her onto my lap instead, and she lets out a yelp of surprise.
Snaking my arm around her midsection, I whisper for her to relax, and despite all eyes being on us, she does.
Her body practically melts against mine, all soft and supple.
As I begin to trace my fingers absentmindedly over her forearms, she wriggles her butt until she’s comfortable against me.
The soft faux leather leggings brush against my hand, and I feel my face redden.
Given how inappropriate this is, she doesn’t seem fazed at all, whilst I was blushing like I didn’t know where to put my hands.
I have my employee sitting on my lap. I would be a walking HR violation right now if I wasn’t the head of HR.
Or maybe Mia is. She does everything else for me.
“So how long has this been going on?” Katie wiggles her fingers between the two of us.
“Umm… a month?” Mia says as if she’s asking a question.
“A few months,” I say at the same time.
“Who asked who out on a date?” Katie adds, really leaning into her role.
“Oh, Alfie has been begging me to go out with him for months,” Mia starts. “But I finally agreed to go out with him a month ago.”
I pinch her side, and she twists awkwardly, yelping a little before plastering on a big grin.
“Not what we agreed, Miss Sinclair,” I mutter low enough that only she can hear.
“I kept telling him how inappropriate it is, but you know Alfie, no care for the rules at all.”
Katie and Lottie snicker as Caleb and Jonesy look a little perplexed.
“Just a resident bad boy, no regard for other players of the game.”
“Miss Sinclair…” I warn.
“I’m practically fighting women off all the time. They just can’t resist him. That's why I was so reluctant to date him.”
“That's it.” I launch us off the couch, hoisting Mia up and over my shoulder as she slaps my ass, her screams bouncing off the walls and up the high ceiling.
“Put me down! Being manhandled is not part of my job description, Dr. Adams.”
I stride into the kitchen, plonking her onto the kitchen island.
“Oh, fantastic.” She picks up her forgotten prosecco and downs it in one.
“You said you would behave,” I murmur, settling between her legs and taking the glass out of her hand.
She taps a finger against her lip, pretending to remember. “I don’t believe I made any such promises. I promised that I would keep your secret, which I’m doing.”
“They’re never going to believe what you’re saying.”
“I disagree.”
“Oh really, why is that?”
“I think they’re thrilled.”
“Thrilled?”
She rolls her eyes, wrapping her legs around my waist, making my cock ache.
“Yeah, Dr. Adams. Your friends are kind of shocked you have a girlfriend. I think it sounds like you need to get out more.”
“I do fine.”
She grins now. “I’m sure you do.”
“I didn’t mean that…I just mean, I don’t need to flaunt this. Us sitting together will suffice.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
“The fun is where we maintain a good employer-employee relationship at the end of this by not taking things too far,” I warn.
Her voice lowers, her gaze dipping to my lips. “So to be clear, what exactly would be considered too far?”
My hands slide up her thighs, my thumb running along the inside until I reach the top and grip her hips. “I think you’re smart enough to work it out.”
She leans forward, her arms lightly tracing over my shoulders until she links her fingers behind the back of my neck. She’s so close, I could almost brush the tip of her nose with mine.
“It seems you’re not smart enough to make the determination though, Dr. Adams.”
“Oh, I’m smart enough to work it out. I just don’t have the strength to follow through. I’m going to need your assistance, Miss Sinclair. Work with me here?”
“What’s in it for me?” Her nose rubs against mine this time, and I suck in a breath.
My hands are all over my fucking employee.
What the hell am I doing? I am becoming more and more like my father every day.
Taking advantage of employees, using people for my own gain.
But with Mia, it’s the truth within a lie.
I don’t have the strength to stop this pull I have toward her.
For now, I withdraw my hands, stepping away.
I adjust myself, Mia’s eyes lighting up with victory.
I hold out my hand to her, and she takes it, hopping down from the counter.
I ignore her question, partly because I’m scared of what she would ask for. And partly because I know whatever it is, I’ll give it to her.
◆◆◆
The evening descends into an unplanned and yet not entirely unpredicted chaos. Katie and Jonesy have argued to the point of nearly clawing at each other about the acceptable way to mimic a dog during charades.
Lottie has taken no fewer than three phone calls, her words getting more and more slurred with each one as she hiccuped through. No doubt to her secret beau.
Caleb has kept his eyes on Mia the entire time, tilting his head every now and then as if she were a complex puzzle for him to figure out. Asking increasingly personal questions.
These people are my friends, and they are aware of my proclivity to dating, or lack thereof.
Why wouldn’t they be curious about her? Despite the fact that the second she sank into my lap, the Mia I know all too well rippled to the surface.
She’s charmed them for sure, and I’m almost certain that Caleb is calculating the likelihood that whatever is going on between us is casual, a fling, something he can pick up once we’re over.
I like Caleb. We’ve been friends for years, but despite being a respected psychologist who works in emergency services, he has a penchant for anything that gives him an adrenaline rush.
Booze, drugs, women, the latter especially when she is off limits.
I’d unintentionally created the perfect prize for him by holding Mia against my lap.
Not that Caleb would do that to me if I asked him not to.
I am his friend and, as such, immune to his behavior, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try to push my buttons, regardless.
“Caleb, darling,” Katie straightens her spine, “you’re being an awful creep tonight.”
His mouth quirks up, and his eyes shift toward Katie.