Can't Make This Up

by C. Morgan

  “I don’t know. I guess I don’t want people assuming I got the job because we were dating.”

  “You were dating when he hired you?”

  I bit my lower lip. “Not exactly. I only met him at my friend’s wedding. We, uh, well, we hit it off.”

  She laughed and slapped her thigh. “You don’t have to explain. I’m well aware of how Ryker hits it off with women.”

  “No, it isn’t that. I mean, yes, it was that, but we’ve been working together, just work. Except once. Now it’s just work. Rather, it was. We just officially started dating last night.” I was rambling. It was guilt.

  She was smiling. “Why are you so nervous?”

  I sighed. “I don’t know.”

  “Don’t be embarrassed.”

  “It’s not that I’m embarrassed. It’s just, I don’t want anyone thinking there’s anything shady going on job-wise.”

  “I’ve seen how hard you work,” she said. “Everyone has. We know you deserve your job. And honestly, no one cares. You guys are so cute together. I thought you were a couple when he first brought you on.”

  “You did?”

  “I suspected it, but I didn’t know for sure,” she answered.

  “We should keep it a secret for now,” I told her.

  “Why? You are an adult. He’s an adult.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Look, I won’t say anything if you don’t want me to, but I’m happy for you guys. I knew there was something different about him. He’s been acting happier. He looks it too.”

  “Really?”

  “Duh! Everyone has noticed but we thought it was just because he finally got a good assistant.”

  I laughed. “Well, I hope that is part of the reason.”

  “I think it’s great. Congrats. I guess this means you aren’t my wing-woman anymore.”

  “I don’t think Ryker would appreciate that,” I said with a smile.

  “No, I don’t suppose he would. That’s cool. I will have to find another person to go out with me. It was fun while it lasted.”

  “It was a lot of fun that night and I want to go out with you again,” I told her. “I just can’t do the flirting thing.”

  She got to her feet. “Do you have romantic plans for your weekend away?” she asked with a bright smile.

  “No! Definitely not. Strictly business.”

  “Boo. That’s boring.”

  After she left, I sent Ryker a quick text. Yes, we were across the hall but I didn’t want to run right over and tell him. We were busted. We would never make good spies.

  We didn’t even make it a full day.

  Chapter 32

  Ryker

  I glanced over at her in the backseat of the hired car. She had her hair pulled up and her sunglasses on while she stared out the window. It was strange to look at her and feel all these things inside. I couldn’t remember ever feeling affection for a woman. I liked them well enough, but truthfully, I wouldn’t have been sad if I never spoke to any of the women in my past again.

  If I couldn’t talk to Trinity again, it would be a problem. She was different. She was special and I wanted to do everything I could not to screw it up with her.

  It was going to be a huge struggle to keep my hands off her while we were on our away trip, but I would do it. I would do whatever I had to in order to prove to her I was serious about dating her and sticking to the rules.

  But if she wanted to break the rules, I would be happy to go along with it.

  I looked out my own window and thought about the future. I had devoted a lot of time to thinking about her. I never spent that much time thinking about any person in my life. She dominated my thoughts. No woman had ever consumed me like she did.

  “Ready?” I asked when the car pulled to a stop.

  “Yes,” she said with a breezy sigh. “My flying jitters are gone. I’ve got this.”

  I resisted the urge to take her hand or put my arm around her as we boarded the plane. I sat down first and let her choose where she sat. When she sat facing me on the same side of the plane, I did a quiet little cheer. That was a good step in the right direction.

  “You seem much more relaxed,” I commented.

  “I am. I know what to expect and I feel ready. I’ve updated the files and all of the players are in the books, so to speak. If and when they come to see you, I’ll have all of their information at my fingertips.”

  “Thank you for being so on top of this stuff,” I told her. “It really streamlines the process.”

  “I know time is of the essence when you’ve got a hundred guys that could very well end up needing you.”

  I nodded. “It’s a big help and I know the trainers and doctors are happy with how quickly you got them the information as well.”

  Her chest puffed up a bit. “Thanks.”

  “Your parents must be proud,” I said in the hopes of getting her to open up about who she was.

  She smiled with a wistful look in her eye. “They probably would be. They aren’t here.”

  “Here?” I asked.

  “They died two years ago.”

  I felt like I had been punched and slapped at the same time. “Oh shit. I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

  “Don’t be sorry. You didn’t know. It isn’t like I wear a badge that declares me an orphan.”

  “Can I ask what happened? They both died in the same year?”

  “They were out to dinner for their anniversary. On their way home, a drunk driver crossed the center line and killed them both. The only good thing that came from that horrific accident was they died instantly together. I would like to believe their last thoughts were happy. They were celebrating and then it was over. I pray they never saw the guy coming.”

  “I am so, so sorry. I just can’t imagine that pain. Only two years ago? How are you so well-adjusted?”

  She laughed. “Oh, I have my moments. I lose my shit over nothing sometimes. I’ll smell Old Spice cologne and think of my dad. I see a woman wearing a coat that my mother always wore, and for the briefest of seconds, I think it’s her.”

  “Do you have siblings?”

  “Nope. Just me. My dad had a brother who died about six months after he did. My mother was an only child. I’m the last of my line.”

  I was in utter shock. “Wow. I can’t believe I’ve known you this long and I didn’t know any of this.”

  “I don’t exactly advertise it.”

  “But it’s such a life-changing event. I guess I just expect to see some kind of physical scar.”

  She smiled again. “Thank god there isn’t. All my scars are on the inside.”

  That was the saddest statement I had ever heard. “How long have you known Naya?”

  “Since high school. We went to school together and were roommates. She got me through some of the darkest days of my life. I owe her my life really. Without her there to drag me out of bed and without her there to make me eat and shower, I would have probably wilted away.”

  I couldn’t stop staring at her. What she had been through was unthinkable. I couldn’t imagine losing one of my parents, let alone both of them at the same time. “I’m glad she was there for you.”

  “Me too. She kept me distracted.”

  “Didn’t she meet Ryan about that same time?” I asked, doing a little math.

  “They met about a year before, but they weren’t really dating. It was an occasional thing here and there. It was a few months after the accident that they started seeing each other seriously.”

  “Was that hard?”

  “No. I was putting my life back together. I wasn’t going to keep her from living.”

  “You are one tough lady,” I told her.

  “I don’t know about that, but I can certainly fake it with the best of them.” She laughed. “What about you? What’s your dirty little secret?”

  “I think you know all my dirty secrets,” I told her.

  “Do I? I’ve heard a few rumors, but are they
real?”

  “I think I can safely say the bulk of what you’ve heard is not real. Rumors are nasty little things. A tiny kernel of truth gets blown up into this giant snowball of bullshit. Trust me, I’ve heard some of the stuff that has been said about me and even I am impressed with how fast the truth is spun into a salacious lie.”

  She smiled as her eyes flashed with amusement. “I heard you slept with six women in one night.”

  I almost choked. “Damn! Last time I heard that, it was four. I’m getting better.”

  “How come you’ve never done anything to challenge the rumors?” she asked.

  “When I was younger, like maybe twelve or thirteen, there was an incident at school. Rumors swirled about me pulling a prank. I didn’t do it, but the truth didn’t matter. The rumor tore through school and even spread to other schools. One day I had enough. I got in a fight with one of the kids that was spreading the rumor. My mom told me trying to stop a rumor, once it was out there, was like trying to plug a hole in a dam with my finger. She told me I had to let it burn out.”

  “That doesn’t seem fair.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t think it is, but my dad always says life isn’t fair. The rumors aren’t truly hurtful. I don’t hear most of them. I ignore it.”

  “Because the rumors bolster your manly ego,” she said with a laugh.

  I winked. “It didn’t hurt.”

  “That is just so wrong,” she said. “If I was the one with that kind of reputation, I would be a hoe and have to change my name and face.”

  “It’s a double standard. I get it. But to be fair, I didn’t start those rumors. I’m just rolling with the punches.”

  “Okay, now I’m going to dig a little deeper,” she said. “Can you handle it?”

  “Is this part of our dating relationship or am I your boss?”

  She laughed. “I guess this would fall into the dating category.”

  “All right, hit me.”

  “Have you ever been in a serious relationship?”

  “No,” I answered honestly. “Frankly, I’ve never been in a relationship, period.”

  “I find that hard to believe. You’re attractive, charming, and wealthy.”

  “Check, check, and check,” I said with a laugh. “But no girlfriends. Never wanted to bother. I spent a long time building up my business. When I was in college, I partied and enjoyed the ladies, but I never got into a relationship because I didn’t want the distraction.”

  “Distraction!” She burst into laughter.

  “I had a lot to prove to myself, my dad, and all those people that had been spreading the rumors about me. I wanted to show them I wasn’t just a partying playboy. My dad never really took me seriously when I told him what I wanted to do. I don’t want to say he discouraged me, but I knew he thought I was just playing around.”

  “You were always the party boy?”

  I nodded. “I was. Ryan was the good boy and I was not.”

  “Oh, the bad boy thing,” she cooed. “Every girl likes a bad boy.”

  “Yes, they did, but my dad was not confident the bad boy could be turned around. When I told him I wanted to start my own clinic, he brushed it off. I had to practically beg him to give me the seed money to start the place. Once I got his money, I was damned determined to pay him back every penny. I was glad he gave me the money and not a bank because it forced me to try a lot harder.”

  “Your practice has been established for years though,” she pointed out.

  “Yes, it has.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “And? You can’t tell me there haven’t been women in your life between then and now.”

  “There has been but none I was truly interested in. I didn’t want to waste my time dating someone I knew I could never love. My parents have one of those marriages romance novelists write about. I could never live up to that. Ryan is going to do it. I have no doubt in my mind. I guess you could say I was using him as my guinea pig. I wanted to see how it worked out for him. Then I would jump in and try it myself.”

  “You didn’t want to waste time,” she murmured.

  “You are different, Trinity. You are someone I can see myself being with. I feel like we are compatible. Isn’t that one of the keys to a good relationship?”

  She nodded. “My parents were great friends.”

  “We’re good friends,” I reminded her.

  “We are,” she agreed.

  “And we’ll be better friends after this trip.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “You’re confident.”

  “We are on a work trip, but we have to agree we aren’t technically working every minute of the day. We’re going to be in New Orleans. There is a lot to do and see.”

  “I’ve actually been there before,” she said.

  “Really?”

  “I hoped to go to Ole Miss. My parents brought me out here for a visit. A year later, Naya and I visited for spring break. It was a lot of fun.”

  “I’m sure we can find something new to see and do.”

  “We’ll just have to see how it goes,” she teased.

  “Yes, we will,” I said.

  I wasn’t worried. I was going to treat her to a nice time, even if it was only for an hour or two. I saw every little moment with her as a step forward.

  I was going to work my way into her heart one way or another.

  Chapter 33

  Trinity

  “I upgraded your room,” he said when he came back to where I stood in the hotel lobby.

  “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “I wanted to do that because you deserve to be treated like the star you are.”

  “You are such a good boss,” I teased.

  “We can drop our bags off and do a little sightseeing,” he said.

  “Are we on duty?”

  “Come on,” he groaned. “We don’t have to report until tomorrow morning. Can we be off-duty for tonight?”

  He pouted. I could not resist a pouting Ryker. “Yes, we can. I would like that.”

  His face lit up. “Thank you.”

  We took our bags to our room and agreed to meet in the lobby in thirty minutes. I changed into something a little dressier than my traveling attire. I was going to call this a date. We were on personal time, which meant I was going out with a hot guy. I added some mascara and lipstick and hoped it didn’t look like I tried too hard. I liked this side of Ryker. He was sweet and friendly. His sensitivity was impressive. He would make a very good boyfriend.

  I waited for Ryker in the lobby. He was a few minutes late, which didn’t seem like him. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned. There he was holding a pretty red rose. “For you,” he said with a smile.

  “Did you seriously give me a rose?”

  “I would have given you a dozen if I could have gotten them,” he said.

  I inhaled the scent of it. “This is very sweet. Thank you.”

  “Let’s get out of here. I am craving a beignet.”

  He took my hand and led me out the door. The night air thick with humidity and the smell of sweet liquor welcomed us. I loved the city. I loved the liveliness of the community. “Hmm,” he said and slowed his pace.

  I glanced over to see what he was looking at. I felt myself turn red. “A sex shop,” I hissed.

  “Hey, a few toys are nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “I’m good.”

  “We could check it out and use our imaginations,” he said.

  “Consider this a first date,” I told him. “Would you take a first date to a sex shop?”

  He pretended to think about it. “I don’t have a lot of experience with first dates. I thought we established that. Would this be a first date no?”

  “Absolutely.”

  He leaned down and brushed his lips over my ear. “What if the people on the first date have already had sex? Like really, really, good sex.”

  “Nope. That never happened. We are on page one. You have to pretend that other stuff di
dn’t happen.”

  “Baby, you can wiggle your nose, shake your ass, or wave your magic wand, but I will never forget that happened. In fact, I can still taste you on my tongue.”

  I choked and tripped at the same time. That was bold and unexpected. “Slow down.”

  He dropped my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist as he tugged me into his side. “I’m taking it as slow as I can.”

  We wandered into a café and he ordered us each a beignet and a cappuccino. We sat down at one of the small bistro tables. “I so love this place,” I said with a sigh.

  “There is a romantic tone to the city,” he agreed.

  “Absolutely. It’s so wild and untamed. I love the culture. I could sit here and watch people all day.”

  “After we get through this season, I want to bring you back here. It would be officially a date weekend. No work.”

  “I would agree to that.”

  “I’m going to plan it,” he said with finality.

  After we finished our snack, we went on a bit of a sightseeing tour before we landed at a restaurant that specialized in shrimp and grits. “I have craved this since the first time we came here. I’ve had the dish other places, but there is something about this place that makes it taste better.”

  “I agree.”

  On the way back to the hotel, his hands were everywhere. He held me close and snuck in little kisses here and there. Before going up to our rooms, he pulled me toward the lounge. “One drink,” he said.

  It wasn’t like he needed to beg. “Gladly.”

  Before we got to the lounge, he pulled me out of the lobby and pushed me against a wall with his body holding me in place. He kissed me until I felt my toes curling in my boots. When he released me, I let out a long breath.

  “You are so good at that,” I breathed.

  “Practice makes perfect.”

  We sat in the lounge with live music filling the air. It was easy to fall into the lull of a romantic getaway. In some ways, I hated that I worked for him because it put a serious damper on how much I could do with him. I couldn’t blur the lines because I knew there would be no way back. Things would get tangled up, and if there ever was an issue, it would be like trying to undo a hundred knots in a roll of fishing line.