by Lily Hayden
She looked around the untidy office. A single desk faced the window, covered in papers and stationary. The rest of the room was taken up by a large table; the surface was covered completely in blueprints, weighted down by miscellaneous office objects. There was a large whiteboard covered in diagrams and figures, and the waste paper basket was spilling over with crumpled-up rejections.
She heard the door shut behind them and she felt her breath catch in her chest as she realised that they were completely alone. She felt her lips move of their own accord, trying to moisten the dryness that had engulfed them. Slowly, she raised her eyes to Armand and he met her gaze, his eyes curious and questioning. He lowered himself, perching on the corner of his desk and she could feel his eyes burning into her. The silence was deafening, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. The image of him kneeling in the cramped airplane bathroom, his dark head working expertly between her legs was burnt into her memory and his gaze was so intense, she felt that he could see her thoughts. His eyes travelled over her and then back to her face. A half-smile played at his lips and, finally, he held out his hand to her. She crossed the room on shaking legs and placed her palm gently in his. His fingers curled around hers and she felt a sizzle of excitement at his warm touch.
“It’s a mess in here.” He said, surprising her with his words.
He was still holding her hand in his.
“That’s ok.” She said, not taking her eyes off him. “Thank you for…”
She trailed off, unsure what to say.
He turned her hand over in his and raised it to his lips, pressing them down against the back of her hand. She hadn’t been expecting that and she heard herself gasp.
“Is that ok?” He asked, raising his head and looking at her with concern.
She could only nod. The feel of his lips against her skin had sent shockwaves of desire through her body, flooding the pit of her stomach with longing. She stepped closer. Suddenly the internship didn’t matter, she was being propelled by a primal craving. She stumbled on uncertain legs and found herself bumped up against his hard chest. It was his turn to look surprised and she saw longing reflected in his dark eyes. She slid one hand up against his muscular chest and he rose to his feet, pulling her against him. She felt his hand curling around her, caressing her buttocks through her suit trousers and she pressed her body against his. She tilted her face to look up at him and she waited for his lips to bridge the few inches to find her. She watched his lips part and his face moved slowly down to meet her.
The door flew open and Shauna sprang backwards, knocking over the trash can.
“Hey.”
A petite brunette in a tight black dress entered the room. She paused, her eyebrows arching upwards as she took in their closeness but recovered quickly.
“Sylvie.” Armand moved away from his desk and straightened the mess Shauna had made. “Have you sorted out your mistake?”
Sylvie scowled and turned her attention to Shauna.
“Sorry about the mix-up.” She said, ignoring Armand. “You’re going to be with me.”
“She’s here on an architecture placement.” Armand crossed his arms over his chest.
“Joseph needs an intern.” Sylvie shot the remark over her shoulder, not looking at him.
Shauna looked back at Armand, unsure what to do and when he didn’t respond, she followed the woman out onto the office floor.
“You’ll be better off with Joe.” She said, leading Shauna over to a scruffy-looking man who was hunched over his laptop. “Armand’s an asshole.”
With that the woman walked away, not bothering to make any introductions. For the second time that day, Shauna found herself waiting awkwardly for someone to notice her. This time, knowing that she had just missed out on getting reacquainted with the sexy stranger, it was frustration rather than anxiety that coursed through her.
Anti-Climax
Ella’s first day had been more successful. Caleb had spent the weekend with her in San Antonio, although he’d headed back to his family home every evening, making the ninety-minute trip back to his own single bed. Ella had been too excited about her new temporary home to dwell on her worries about their incompatibility, and besides, she figured that it was just like having a new, hot best friend who was there to keep her company and buy her dinner. She didn’t know anybody yet in San Antonio, so she was grateful that he’d been there for her. She was choosing to be optimistic about her new relationship with Caleb. Their petting sessions hadn’t exactly been heavy, but it was only a matter of time until he took her to bed.
She admired the way her tailored navy-blue pant suit clung to her in the mirror of the tiny motel room she was staying at. She’d left it too late to find anything better, but it was clean and, more importantly, affordable. She’d hired a car to get around while she was here, and she danced down the steps into the parking lot and slid into the driver’s seat. She and Caleb had checked out her new office over the weekend and the drive over was pretty straight forward.
At the headquarters of Henley Steelson, an international logistics company, Ella immediately felt relaxed and at home. The marketing department were fun and welcoming, encouraging her contributions and treating her like an equal. She’d expected to be lumbered with tiresome admin jobs and coffee runs, based on the experience of her last summer job, but Jessica, the attractive, thirty-something head of marketing, had taken a shine to Ella and she was paraded from one important meeting to the next all week.
By the time Friday came, Ella had firm plans for after-work dinner and drinks with her new friends. She felt a little bad, as Caleb was heading off for his trip to Europe the next day, but they’d said their goodbyes the previous night instead. If anything, she was saving him from making the three-hour round trip that he’d made every day after work. She pulled her hire car into the spot she liked, spinning up the gravel lot as she screeched to a halt and ran up the metal steps to her room. Thirty minutes later, she was showered and flicking through her still-unpacked suitcase for something to wear. Jessica and the others had assured her that nobody dressed “up” up at their local bar, and she discarded the dressy-dresses she’d packed, settling on a pair of cut-off shorts and an off-the-shoulder cream top. She dug out a pair of sandals and tousled her blonde hair into loose waves. She grabbed her purse and pulled open the door to leave, walking square into the chest of Caleb who was stood at the door.
“Caleb!” Her mouth fell open in surprise. “What’s wrong?”
He smiled down at her and stepped over the threshold, forcing her to move back into her room.
“Surprise!” He grinned. “I know we said our goodbyes yesterday, but I missed you.”
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently on the top of the head.
“Oh, that’s sweet.” She leant into his embrace for a moment, savouring the solid feel of him against her, before she disentangled herself. “But, I’m just heading out. I did tell you I was going for drinks with my new workmates.”
Caleb kicked his sneakers off and sat down on the edge of her bed.
“You can go out with them anytime.” He shrugged. “I thought we could get some dinner, maybe watch a movie?”
“Honey,” She slipped down next to him, enjoying the way his arm snaked around her waist despite her annoyance. “I would love to, but I promised. And I can’t flake on them. Jessica’s my boss.”
“Just say you got sick.” He shrugged, smoothing her hair with one hand and pulling his phone free from his jean pocket with the other.
He held the phone up above them and snapped a photo. He added a filter and held the phone for her to look at the picture.
“Cute picture, huh?” He smiled, and then without waiting for her response uploaded the photo to his social media, adding a few hashtags for good measure.
She frowned. He had uploaded a different photo of them every day, starting with an airport arrivals selfie. #Pickingupmygirl #Texas.
She’d been over the mo
on. Even guys she had actually dated rarely posted couples selfies. If they did it was usually under duress. His public displays of affection and the efforts he had made to come and see her every day were almost outweighing the celibacy he had cornered her into agreeing to. They had some pretty heavy make-out sessions, and he didn’t seem to have a moral problem with groping as long as it was over the clothes. She’d led awake hot and frustrated every evening after he had left, but she’d come equipped, and the frustration was nothing that her trusty Hitachi wand couldn’t solve. Who would have known that she’d be such a problem-solver? She could be totally ok with celibacy.
However, this was not ok.
“Caleb.” She waited until he was finished posting his selfie. “You’re welcome to hang out here, but I have to go. You knew that I was going out with work. You can’t expect me to change my plans to suit you.”
“But I’m going away tomorrow.” He pouted, reaching for her hands. “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too.” She planted a chaste kiss on his lips. “But I’m not asking you to cancel your plans, am I?”
“It’s hardly the same.” His bottom lip poked out when he sulked. “It’s just some dumb bar.”
“It doesn’t matter.” She told him firmly. “I have to go.”
“Can I just come?” He looked up from underneath his thick dark lashes and her resolve melted a little.
In her heart, she wanted to say no, but it seemed a little churlish. There was no reason that he couldn’t come, and he was good company. Grudgingly, she agreed, but as she climbed into the passenger seat of the car he’d borrowed from his dad, she couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy.
At the bar, nobody seemed bothered with her unexpected plus-one and, as she washed her hands and reapplied lip-gloss in the restroom, she berated herself for being so hard on him. Jessica and the others seemed to be enjoying Caleb’s company. He was easy to be around, attentive and funny. She’d left him racking up the pool table with Macy and Joelle, and they’d barely noticed her slip away. Ella pulled open the heavy door and headed straight to the crowded bar to get the next round in.
The bar had been steadily filling up with a Friday night crowd and Ella squeezed into a gap, jostling to get the attention of the bartender. She watched, with growing frustration, as everyone around her seemed to get served and just as she was certain that it was her turn, a huge bearded guy slammed himself into the space next to her, his bulk pushing her out from her tiny spot at the bar.
“Hey!” She pushed the guy, but he didn’t seem to notice and, incensed, she tried to wriggle back into the space, but the crowd had surged around her, and she felt herself pushed further back.
She felt a hand snake around her slender wrist and, suddenly, she was propelled forward through the crowd back into the spot next to the big guy. Bodies were packed in so tightly that she couldn’t turn around to see her rescuer, but she could feel strong muscular legs and chest pushing up against her from behind and, by the familiarity of his touch, she assumed that Caleb had spotted her and come to her rescue.
“Excuse me.” Her rescuer reached over her head and tapped Big Beard on the shoulder firmly.
He paused, midway through giving his order, and turned to the interruption.
“This lady was next.”
The bartender leaned over to Ella and she repeated her order quickly, before turning to see the face of this chivalrous man, who, from his deep Texan accent, was definitely not Caleb. The man looked down at her, his eyes crinkling up at the corners in a smile.
“Jason!” Her mouth dropped open in surprise, and he grinned back at her.
“Ella, right?”
“Uh huh.” His grin was infectious, and she couldn’t stop smiling. “Wow! Let me buy you a drink.”
He leaned over her head and gave his order to the bartender, but when she came to pay, the bartender waved her away.
“Jason’s got it.” The woman replied, winking at the handsome man as if they were old friends.
“I can’t let you pay for all this.” Ella gestured at her tray full of drinks. “I already owe you compensation for the airplane ordeal! You disappeared before I could thank you properly.”
Jason took the tray from her hands, and expertly lifted it. The crowd magically parted to let him through, and she noticed everybody seemed to know him.
“Where to?” He stopped walking as soon as they were out in the open.
She hesitated. She didn’t want him to disappear like he had at the airport. He seemed to sense her reluctance, and he set the tray down on a table, but remained standing. She snuck a quick look at him. He was dressed like he had just got off work, in suit trousers and a shirt, unbuttoned at the neck. His sleeves were rolled back, and she was drawn, not to the massive Rolex but to the red scar that curved up the inside of his wrist. He saw her looking and he moved his arm to his side, out of sight.
“Sorry.” She felt herself blush at her obviousness. “I didn’t mean to stare.”
“It’s a flashy watch.” He tried to make a joke, but his eyes hardened a little. “That’s what I get for showing off.”
“Oh.” Ella shook her head quickly, not wanting him to think she was some kind of gold-digger, mentally calculating his net worth. “Sorry, it was your scar that caught my eye. It looks painful.”
She was surprised to see his face visibly soften and he extended his arm to her, running his own finger over the puckered tissue.
“It’s pretty much healed.” He told her. “Are you a nurse or something?”
She laughed, and she felt any tension melt away.
“No! Nothing remotely interesting like that.” She told him. “I’m down here on a Marketing Internship for the summer. I’ve just finished my first week. In fact,” She pulled an apologetic face. “I should really get back to my friends.”
She made no attempt to move though and reached for her beer, taking a long pull on the frothy, cold bottle. She knew she should wrap up the conversation and get back to the group, but she felt an almost magnetic pull towards Jason. She snuck a glance over at the group. Caleb was helping Macy to line up a shot. Ella’s sharp eyes took in the way his hands lingered for a little too long on her tiny waist, but she pushed the image away and turned back to Jason.
“Do you come here often?” She asked quickly, and then blushed. It sounded like a corny pick-up line. “Ha! I mean, I owe you at least a drink. Will I see you here again?”
Jason laughed, and she couldn’t help, but join in.
“Most weekends.” He said. He clinked his beer against hers. “I’ll carry this over.”
He picked the tray back up before she could object and carried it over under her direction. He left before she could make any introductions and she watched him disappear into the crowd. She turned back to her friends, trying to ignore the disappointment that dropped like a stone into her stomach. Caleb was still laughing and joking at the pool table. He hadn’t seemed to notice she’d been gone. She tried not to get annoyed at the attention he was giving Macy and Joelle and turned instead to Jessica and Sawyer.
“Did I see you talking to Jason Stephens?” Jessica asked in a low voice when Sawyer turned away.
“Uh, yeah.” Ella nodded, seeing Caleb walk over from the corner of her eye. “Do you know him?”
“Everyone knows Jason.” Jessica grinned, but didn’t elaborate.
“I’m going to have to call it a night.” Caleb said to her as he wandered back over. “Don’t let me drag you home, though. Stay with your friends.”
Ella looked up at his handsome face, forgetting her preoccupation with Jason.
“You sure?” She asked. “I’m a little tired.”
“No.” He shook his head firmly. “Honestly, I’ll feel bad if you leave. I’ve already gate-crashed your night.”
He didn’t wait for her reply and turned his attention to her work-mates.
“It’s been a pleasure to meet y’all.” He imitated the local accent. Despi
te his dad living in Austin, Caleb’s family were all native Chicagoans and Ella frowned, uncertain whether he was mocking them or not.
Ella followed him out to the parking lot, despite his protests for her to stay indoors. At the door, he gave her a quick hug and she looked up at him, confused. He’d been desperate to spend time with her, yet he was hugging her goodbye like she was his sister.
“Is everything ok?” She asked, wondering if he had seen her talking to Jason and was jealous.
“Yeah, of course.” He hugged her again and pressed his lips gently to hers.
She melted into his touch. That was better.
“I’m just tired.” He said, slowly releasing her. “It’s all that driving this week.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She felt a stab of guilt.
“I wanted to come.” He reassured her. “Now, get back to your friends. I’ll call you.”
Slightly placated, she wandered back over to her friends. Jessica was racking up the pool table for another game and Ella played two games before she noticed Macy had been gone a while.
“Has Macy gone home?” She asked looking around the heaving bar.
Jessica and Sawyer exchanged glances before nodding their heads. Ella caught their shifty looks, but Jessica started talking about something else, and Ella didn’t feel comfortable pushing the subject, she barely knew these women. It was none of her business.
