Mr. Fantasy: (A standalone romance)

by Cambria Hebert

  “Can we go in your office?” I kept my voice down.

  His eyes searched mine, looking for an answer I hadn’t yet spoken.

  “Please,” I whispered. I felt sticky and cold from the coffee, my hand still stung, and worse than anything physical, my emotions felt like they’d been run over by a freight train.

  “Yeah,” he allowed, resting a hand on my back.

  My relief lasted all of one second.

  “She’s my girlfriend!” Alan announced.

  Carter

  “Watch him,” I ordered before escorting Nora into my office and shutting the door. Her shoulders jerked from the abrupt slam of the door, making me angrier than I already was.

  This was a side of her I hadn’t seen before. Timid. Leary.

  Does it mean she’s guilty? Does it mean she knows she got caught in a lie?

  Gripping the edges of my jacket, she turned. Her face was pale, clothes wet, and her shoes were still lost out in the hall.

  “Carter…” She started, a slight tremble in her voice.

  I couldn’t do it. Despite experience and the lack of trust I had in almost everyone, I couldn’t bring myself to think the worst of her.

  My voice was harsher when I cut her off. “Don’t say anything.” Lifting her off the ground and into my arms, I strode across the spacious office toward the back.

  I felt her stare, though I didn’t look down. Carrying her into the adjoining full bathroom, I carefully sat her on the wide white vanity top beside the sink. Grabbing a small white towel, dousing it in warm water, I knelt level with her bare feet.

  “I’ll do that.” She huffed, pulling up her foot.

  Snatching it back, I cleaned off her feet, which were splattered with coffee. The instant my hand closed around her right ankle, she sucked in a breath and jerked back.

  “You’re hurt?” I demanded.

  “I just twisted it.”

  “Am I going to have to make it company policy that women stop wearing heels to work?” She probably thought it was an idle threat. It wasn’t. I’d told the damn woman to stop wearing them, but she refused to listen. “Now just look at yourself,” I muttered.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” My voice was gruff. Gently lifting her foot, I checked the ankle for any signs of swelling or bruising. It was slightly red on the outside, but I didn’t see a bruise. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

  I stood to lift her back into my arms, but she pushed me back.

  “I don’t need a hospital! I fell over in my stupid shoes. I’m fine.”

  Lifting an eyebrow, I challenged her. “And what about that wrist you keep cradling?”

  Both hands fell into her lap. “I just sprained it when I fell. It’s fine, too.”

  The wet rag hit the inside of the sink with a forceful slap when I threw it down.

  Nora jumped, and my blood boiled.

  “You scared of me?”

  “No!” The denial was swift and sure. Her blue eyes were round and sincere when they met mine. “I’m not. I swear. I know you wouldn’t hurt me. I’m just a little jumpy. I’m sorry.”

  Grasping her chin and holding her stare, I said, “Don’t ever apologize for something you didn’t do. Not even to me.” Releasing her face, I held out my hand. “Let me see your wrist.”

  Once it was in my hand, I got mad all over again. Nora wasn’t the smallest person I’d ever met, but she wasn’t big either. And though I admired her tough, independent streak, to me, she was fragile. She was someone I felt compelled to protect. It really pissed me off that someone had done this to her right outside my office while I’d been sitting inside, clueless.

  “It’s fine.” She assured me, rotating it to prove it. “It’s just a little sore.”

  Cupping her hand to still her movements, I stared down at the underside of her wrist, thinking how delicate her skin appeared. Carefully wrapping my free hand around her forearm, I dragged my thumb up and down the inside of her wrist, caressing the injury I couldn’t see.

  My heart beat irregularly, pounding suddenly, abruptly skipping beats, then slowing to a thud. Breathing seemed to take heavy effort, and honestly, I really just wanted to kiss her.

  Instead, I stood there against the vanity, between her legs, focusing all my energy down on where I held her, hoping even half of what I was feeling transferred from my caress to ripple across her skin.

  The sound of her swallowing echoed in my ears. Her hand settled over mine. “It’s not true.”

  I looked up. “No?”

  “Of course not. There hasn’t been anyone. Not a single man since the night I spent with you.”

  The way those words made me feel almost hurt. The relief, the validation, and the building tension between us all mixed together, making my stomach drop. Pulling my hands away from hers, I cupped her face and laid my lips against her forehead.

  “You just taught me something,” I whispered.

  Abruptly, her head pulled back, so I slipped my hand around to cup it, stopping it from hitting the mirror.

  “You really need to be more careful,” I scolded.

  Unconcerned that she’d nearly brained herself, she asked, “I taught you something?”

  I nodded.

  “Tell me!”

  “I guess I’m the kind of man who would steal someone else’s girl.”

  Her mouth fell open. That stupefied expression of hers hit me every single time. Chuckling, I dipped quickly, pecking a kiss to the corner of her open lips.

  Smacking my shoulder, Nora said, “What did you just say?”

  My stare lingered on her when I pulled back. “The second that dickbag out there declared you were his, all I could think about was hauling your ass into this office and demanding that you never see him again.”

  “Dickbag?” she echoed.

  “Never before would I ever have messed around with someone else’s woman. But you aren’t anyone else’s good girl. You’re mine.”

  “I am?”

  Nodding, I guaranteed her. “You are, and I will steal you away if I have to.”

  I loved it when she whispered, sort of like her voice was a secret only I knew. “You don’t have to steal me away.”

  Hooking my hands behind her knees, I dragged her over the counter until she nearly fell off the edge. Stopping her with my body and planting both palms on the counter on either side of her hips, I kissed her.

  Stroking my tongue into her mouth, seeking hers, and dancing while our lips created the music. Breathing in deeply without lifting my head, both arms closed around her so there wasn’t a single millimeter of space between our chests.

  The second her legs wound around my hips, the blood in my veins pounded, the tips of my ears grew hot, and we melted even closer.

  Out in my office, my cell went off. I ignored it, turning my head so I could kiss her just as deeply from another angle.

  Nora’s fingers slid up my arm and gripped my shoulder. Pushing back just slightly, I chased her. Making a sound of protest, my body followed hers until we were kissing just as passionately as seconds ago.

  “Anders!” someone familiar called from out in the office.

  Nora squeaked and pulled back, clutching at me.

  Keeping her in the circle of my arms, I yelled over my shoulder. “What?”

  “You need to come deal with this.”

  Settling her farther back on the counter, I went to the bathroom door to look out at Aaron. “He sent his son, huh?”

  Aaron shrugged.

  “Bring him in.” I decided.

  Nora gasped.

  Going back inside the bathroom, I shut the door this time. Against the wall was a black armoire. I pulled open a few drawers to grab a white T-shirt and some socks. Kneeling back in front of Nora, I put the socks on her bare feet.

  “You can wear this shirt,” I said, lifting the edge of my jacket to glance at her ruined top. “Use whatever you need in here to clean up.”

  “Why did you let him
in here?”

  Folding my arms over my chest, I regarded her. “Because his father has been trying everything he can think of to get his hands on Zero.”

  Her face wrinkled, lips turned down. “Why in the world would Lewis want a video game?”

  She was on a first-name basis with Regal Tech’s CEO?

  “How do you know his son?” I asked. “Why would that douche out there even claim you were his girlfriend?”

  “I used to be,” she answered, catching me off guard.

  “What?”

  “That’s Alan Regal,” she explained.

  Alan…

  “Awful Alan.” She tried again.

  My upper lip curled. “That’s your ex?” I pointed at the door. “That’s the guy you went to the Caribbean to forget about?”

  She nodded miserably.

  My laugh was humorless. “I mean, I expected him to be a piece of work, but that guy?” Jealousy hammered at me from the inside out. “Lewis Regal’s son?”

  “When I first saw him today, I thought he was here because of me… but then I heard him trying to get past Meghan to see you.”

  My eyes narrowed. “You thought he was here for you?”

  Her eyes lowered, fingers twisting in her lap. “He wasn’t very happy with me when I refused to go to Boston with him.”

  The way she’d looked when I’d stepped into the hall earlier flashed through my mind. The way Knox was standing between her and her ex and the way he described what happened assaulted me.

  I took a menacing step toward her. “He treat you like that all the time?”

  “Not all the time,” she refuted, but it was weak.

  No wonder she’d looked timid and meek. It wasn’t because she’d got caught lying. It was because that bastard ex of hers abused her.

  “I’m going to kill him.” I decided and moved stiffly to the door.

  “No!” Nora exclaimed. When she leapt off the counter, her hiss of pain hit me between the shoulder blades.

  Forgetting Regal, I turned back to see her massaging her ankle. Cursing low, I slid her back onto the counter.

  “Please don’t fight,” she pleaded, grabbing my arms. “He’s not worth it.”

  “Has he put his hands on you before?” I asked, barely controlling my temper.

  “Please.”

  That was a yes. As if I didn’t have enough reason to dislike Lewis Regal, now I had another. His son was a giant wanker.

  “It’s not as bad as you’re thinking.” Nora went on.

  I laughed. “If it was anything like what I saw in the hallway, it’s bad enough.”

  “He said he was here about business.”

  I grunted. “So?”

  “So this isn’t about me. What could Regal Tech possibly want with Zero?”

  Voices out in my office made me look around. “We’ll talk about it later.”

  “Wait!” Her fingers caught my shirt when I started away.

  Glancing down, I lifted a brow.

  “Just see what he wants, okay? Keep things about work. Whatever was between me and Alan ended a long time ago. I don’t care about him.”

  It wasn’t that simple. Thinking it could be was wishful.

  “Clean up. I’ll come get you when he’s gone,” I said, pressing a kiss against her temple.

  Any other protest she made fell on deaf ears as I stepped out into the office.

  Nora

  Reality vs. Fantasy Observation #3:

  Fantasy is breaking up with a guy and thinking it’s completely over.

  Reality is learning you have really shit taste in men and he’s a stalker.

  First of all, this was a really nice bathroom.

  Secondly, was Carter smoking crack?

  Dude must be because he actually thought I would hide in the bathroom after he just so nonchalantly declared he was going to kill Alan.

  Um, yeah right.

  Not that I actually thought Carter would resort to murder, but as he proved earlier, he was not above throwing a punch. It was a damn good punch, too. Knocked Alan right on his ass. I admit it made me a little gleeful to see Alan go down like that.

  Okay, a lot gleeful.

  What were the odds that Alan would show up here like this? That he would somehow have business with Ansoft? Alan didn’t even work for his dad yet. Why would he be here on Regal Tech business?

  The questions and curiosity were relentless.

  After hopping down from the counter, I washed my face (bye-bye, makeup) and found a brush to run through my hair, pulling it back into a bun and securing it with a hair tie I found in my bag still slung across my body.

  Once that was done, I exchanged my stained white blouse with the white T-shirt Carter gave me. Luckily, the blue skirt I was wearing was high-waisted, so I tucked in the shirt and rolled up the sleeves a bit to make it a little more polished.

  Quickly wiping down my legs, I noticed a bit of coffee on my skirt, but there was nothing I could do about that. Wondering what was going on out there, I fished some tinted lip balm out of my bag, applying it to my lips and then the apples of my cheeks. I needed to hit the beach this weekend. I was not tan enough for Miami.

  The second I was finished, I pulled open the bathroom door and nearly collided with Knox. “Ahh!” I pressed a hand to my chest.

  Knox turned around with a concerned look in his eyes. “You okay, ma’am?”

  “I told you to call me Nora,” I said. “Why are you in front of the door like this?”

  “‘Cause you were in there,” he said as if it were obvious.

  “Oh, hey,” I said, dropping my voice so no one else could hear. I felt oddly secure saying this now because the guard blocked everyone else from view. “Thank you. For before.”

  Holding out his fist between us, he smiled. “You ever need anything, just holler.”

  I bumped mine against his, and someone behind him cleared his throat. Knox stepped aside for Carter, who gave me an unreadable look.

  “I said I’d come get you when we were done.”

  “I’m not hiding in the bathroom,” I rebuked.

  Meghan rapped on the door, then strolled right in without waiting for permission. I glared at her because she had so many rules regarding everyone else, but she seemed to think she could roll on in without any care in the world.

  “I have the coffee you requested,” she said, looking around for Carter. “And the crew is almost done cleaning up the hallway.”

  “Thank you, Meghan,” Carter said, and she acted as though she’d been nominated for an Academy Award.

  Beaming as though she’d soaked her face in too much highlighter, she stopped before Carter, retrieving an iced coffee and holding it out. “Just the way you like it.”

  Her eyes cut to me as if to say, I know how he takes his coffee.

  I started at her, but Carter smoothly intercepted by angling himself between us. Plucking a coffee out of the holder, he passed it to me. I passed it to Knox.

  “Thanks, Nora.”

  Carter slid his guard a glance, and Knox cleared his throat. “I mean, ma’am.”

  Carter handed me the next one, along with a couple creamers. “Go mix it at my desk,” he said softly.

  Meghan’s eyes narrowed, and I smiled sweetly as I took the coffee over to Carter’s desk.

  “Should I send your shoes for cleaning?” Meghan asked. “They’re a mess. You’ll probably have to go home for the day.”

  “I can—”

  “Throw them out.”

  A choked sound ripped out of my mouth. “No way! I like them.”

  “I’ll get you some sneakers,” he replied, then nodded at Meghan.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Who are you to be buying shoes for my—” Alan spoke up, the first time he’d said a word since I stepped out of the bathroom. I’d been avoiding looking at him, but now that he had spoken, it was hard to pretend he wasn’t there.

  “She’s my intern.” Carter cut in coolly, practically d
aring my ex to keep talking.

  Meghan handed off the last iced coffee to Aaron, who was standing close to Alan (which I know was not a coincidence), then quietly left the office.

  My ankle was throbbing, so I sat down in the closest chair and sighed.

  “Nora!” Alan scolded. “What the hell are you doing?”

  Alarmed, I sat up rigid. “What?”

  “Interns don’t sit in the CEO’s chair.”

  Wincing, I glanced down. Yep, I was sitting in Carter’s chair. Behind his desk.

  I started to get up, but Carter subtly shook his head. “She’s fine where she is.”

  “I apologize on her behalf,” Alan said. “She needs some more training in—”

  “It is not your place to tell me what my interns need and don’t need.” Carter’s voice was cold.

  Almost as if cued by his boss, Knox came over to stand beside the desk.

  “Can we get back to the meeting, please?” Alan said, shifting into business mode.

  “There is nothing more to talk about. I said no. Zero will remain with Ansoft.”

  “Once I walk out of here, so does the thirty million.”

  I nearly choked on my coffee. “Thirty million dollars?”

  “Nora, tell your CEO he’d be crazy to turn down that kind of cash. Tell him that Regal Tech is a good company.”

  I felt my nose wrinkle. “Is Regal Tech getting into video games?”

  Alan turned his full attention on me. “You know about Zero?”

  Carter remained completely unchanged. Knox and Aaron remained completely unchanged. But everything felt different. No one but Alan even looked at me, but they didn’t need to.

  “Should I?” I asked. “I heard you mention it before, and I just assumed… Ansoft is a video game company.”

  Alan stood. His shirt was stained with coffee, and his tie still looked damp. “They develop apps and other simple technology as well.” He goaded me, trying to see what I would say.

  “If it’s so simple, why can’t your father just make whatever it is himself?”

  Aaron chuckled beneath his breath, and Carter full on grinned.

  Alan flushed, but his lips flattened. “Eh,” he grunted. “Why am I even asking you? You’re just an intern.” Cocking his head to the side, he asked, “How’d you get hired here anyway? Ansoft doesn’t take on interns.”