Accidental Rivals_An Office Romance

by River Laurent

  I could kill him. What is it with this guy? Why is he so determined to shut me out of this sale? And how dare he act like I’m the problem when he keeps going behind my back? A single tear spills onto my cheek, which I brush away with impatience. Now isn’t the time to get emotional.

  It’s time to get even.

  In another half hour, I’m finished placing mouse traps all over the house and not in discreet, out-of-the-way places, either. All throughout the kitchen, beside the fridge, sticking out from under the stove, in the pantry, on the counters. We’ll see what his private client thinks about this when they arrive. Then I go to have dinner with my sister.

  “I swear, lady, you are going to make sure I don’t fit into my wedding gown,” Tami says with a laugh.

  I eye up my sister as she folds a slice of pizza and takes a huge bite. “Nobody’s forcing you to eat a slice as big as your head.”

  She makes a face. “I can’t help that it’s so good.”

  “It is good,” I have to admit. “So, did you finalize the design of the invitations? The printer’s going to need them within a week, two at the most.”

  “I think so. Every time I’m sure I’ve made my mind up, I have second thoughts. I just need to choose one and stick to my guns.”

  “What’s Luke think?” I ask, though I know the answer before she speaks.

  “Please.” She snorts, shaking her head. “All he knows is the day the wedding’s taking place. That’s about the most I can get him to pay attention to.” He’s a great guy, but definitely the type to shut down in the face of so many details.

  “Hey. You.”

  We both look up in time to find Zack storming over to our table. How in the world did he know I would be here? Unless he found a way to look at my calendar. Is it possible?

  His nostrils are flared and I’m fairly sure his eyes are about to shoot fire by the time he reaches us. I take note of his clenched fists as I smile coolly up at him. “Hey! Are you hungry? This place has great pizza.”

  “Give me a break,” he snarls. “I just wanted to come in and thank you for the presents you left in the kitchen. Very classy.”

  I shrug, as blank faced as I can be, though it’s a different story inside. Inside, I don’t know if I should laugh, or be a little worried about him. I might have gone too far this time. He looks like he could blow his top at any moment. “I was concerned about the presence of mice in the house. Or maybe it was rats. You know, I’m not very good at telling the difference.”

  “Enough.” It’s a hiss, low and dangerous. “Are you ever going to get tired of playing these ridiculous games?”

  I stand, never breaking eye contact or even blinking. “Are you ever going to get tired of scheduling showings behind my back?” Then, I smile again. “You look a little flustered, Zack. And your face is so flushed. I’m worried about you. Maybe the stress is getting to be a bit too much. I think it’s time for you to step aside and give me the listing, if you can’t handle the pressure.”

  He holds my gaze for a beat before sneering, almost laughing, then turning his back on me and walking away.

  I watch, still standing, until he’s out the door. Only then can I sit down, my knees shaking.

  “Whoa. So that’s Zack,” Tami breathes.

  I almost forgot she was sitting opposite me. “Yes. Sorry I didn’t get the chance to introduce you.”

  She takes a handful of napkins and fans herself. “I don’t know about you, but it feels to me like the temperature just jumped twenty degrees in here.”

  “Maybe because my head almost burst into flames,” I suggest.

  “Or maybe because the two of you are so ridiculously into each other,” she whispers.

  “Once again, shut up. That’s not how it is. You just watched us together. We hate each other.”

  “Right. That’s why it seemed for a second there like you were about to suck each other’s faces off.”

  “You have such a descriptive way with words.” I wince as I reach for my ice water. I need to cool down. How does he always do this to me?

  “Honey, just admit it. You’re nuts for him. Your chemistry is off the charts. I mean, I could literally feel the fire between you guys. I almost felt guilty for sitting here, like I should’ve left you alone.”

  “Knock it off.”

  “I mean it!” She laughs…then, with a sigh she asks, “Did you really put out mouse traps in the kitchen?”

  I reach for another slice. “Don’t judge me. You don’t know the whole story.”

  “So tell me,” she invites with a big-assed grin.

  Sienna

  “Are you freaking serious?” I blurt out when I see the pile of unanswered emails about the house. I can’t believe he hasn’t responded to any of these emails.

  Oh. Wait. Yes, I can believe it, because that’s the sort of thing he excels at: pretending to be a hard worker who just wants to do a good job, then ditching anything resembling work when he really needs to buckle down and do it.

  Hypocrisy, thy name is Zack.

  Hang on. Let me just check that he’s getting them, too. Yes, we’re both included on the list of recipients. Why hasn’t he sent a single reply? Does he think people like the ones we’re dealing with have the patience to deal with bullshit like his?

  No. It’s a message to me. And he acts like I’m the childish one.

  Fine, then. I’ll answer all these email on my own and…I’ll handle the showing at noon on my own too. He doesn’t need to know a thing about it.

  “Oh, shoot.” I’m running late for it, too. I wanted to get there before the clients, just in case he left a surprise for me the way I did for him.

  How far we’ve both fallen. I shouldn’t have sunk to his level in the first place.

  Too late now. I shove my arms into my coat and make sure to shut down my laptop. Don’t want to fall for my own tricks, now, do I? If I could just tip-toe out of my cubicle and down the hall without anyone seeing me and I don’t get stuck having to answer questions, I’ll be good.

  No such luck. Why would my luck turn around now?

  “Hey there.” Zack eyes me up when we cross paths not far from Rodney’s office. He was probably on his way in there to kiss the boss’s butt or something. Or to complain about me. Or to kiss the boss’s butt while complaining about me.

  He eyes me up and down, a smile touching one corner of his mouth. His imminently kissable mouth. “Where are you heading?” he asks, checking his expensive watch. “Not quite time for lunch, is it?”

  “I’m especially hungry today.” I smile. “Somebody ruined my appetite last night, so I didn’t get the chance to eat much at dinner.”

  “Hmm. Seems to me you were throwing down pretty hard on that large cheese pizza.”

  “You had the time to inspect the amount of pizza I ate while in the middle of that scene you created?”

  He opens his mouth and it’s so clear that he’s ready to throw back a real zinger, but the appearance of a third party interrupts us.

  “Hi, you two! My stars. What are you up to?” Rodney grins at us.

  I clear my throat, willing myself to calm down. Why do we keep doing things like this in the middle of the office? Becca’s words come back to me and I realize we’re only adding fuel to the gossip garbage fire.

  Zack manages to get the first word in, of course. “We’re about to leave for a showing.” He grins. “No big deal.”

  Why is he still alive? Why hasn’t somebody killed him by now? I manage to keep my expression neutral, but it’s a major effort.

  He looks down at me, those icy eyes of his sparkling. “Isn’t that right?”

  “Right as always,” I reply with a half-hearted smile.

  He tilts his dark head. “You know, I was just about to ask you if we could take your car, rather than both of us driving separately.”

  Ooh, he’s so stinking sneaky. And I’m so tired of feeling like we’re playing a game of chess which only he’s aware of. If we both go in
my car, he can keep an eye on me.

  Then again, I can keep an eye on him, too. Maybe this isn’t such a bad idea.

  “I love the way you two work together.” Rodney smiles before walking away.

  God, he’s so painfully oblivious. I guess that works in our favor, or else he’d know how badly things are going.

  “I’ll just get my coat,” Zack says.

  I could swear he’s grinning as he turns away. I watch him striding down the hall to his cubicle. There’s nothing for me to do but wait until he returns. We take the elevator in complete silence.

  “Nice car,” he murmurs as he slides into the passenger seat.

  “Stop it.”

  “I’m serious. I was complimenting you. Can’t a person compliment you?”

  “It’s nothing compared to your sex machine.” I smirk.

  “Oh, you don’t know anything about my real sex machine.”

  At least I have an excuse to look over my left shoulder so my face is turned away from him so he can’t see how red I have become. How is he so good at making me do that?

  He taps his fingers on his thighs, clicking his tongue against his teeth in an obvious show of discomfort.

  He’s not alone in that.

  “Sooo…” He looks around, searching for something to talk about. And the genius picks the worst possible thing, “Last night. Was that your sister you were having dinner with?”

  Last night. When I would’ve shoved the rest of my pizza in his face if it hadn’t been such a good pizza. “Yes. That’s my sister. How did you know?”

  “You look alike. Are you twins?”

  “No. I’m older.”

  “Ah. Okay.” More finger tapping. “It’s nice, seeing sisters hanging out. So many siblings don’t.”

  “I guess so.”

  “Do you guys get along well?”

  I nod, focused on the road. “I’m her Maid of Honor, and we were having dinner as an excuse for her to obsess over details. Not that I mind. She’s really stressed out over this.”

  “Weddings drive people nuts.”

  “That they do, evidently.”

  “You’re a good sister,” he offers.

  It’s so out of character, judging by the way we’ve been at each other’s throats all this time, that I can’t help feeling surprised. “How would you know that?”

  “Because you humor her, instead of telling her where to get off with her obsessive wedding bullshit.”

  I can’t help but laugh. “Oh, you have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to speak those very words.”

  “But you haven’t.”

  “No. I haven’t.”

  “Because you’re a good sister.” He sounds pleased with himself, having proven his point.

  I’m about to tease him over a little when his phone rings.

  That damn phone. Always interrupting things.

  “Sorry,” he mutters as he answers.

  Immediately, I hear the sound of a woman’s voice on the other end. A rather hysterical voice.

  My hands clench the wheel until my knuckles go bone white.

  Since we’re already at the house by now, pulling into the roundabout, he gets out of the car at the first opportunity and continues his conversation.

  Fabulous. I guess I’m on my own again.

  But didn’t I want to be?

  So why is my blood boiling when I think of him on the phone with another woman? Would it be better if it were a client he was speaking to in secret? A client wouldn’t sound that hysterical—at least, I’d hope not.

  It doesn’t matter, because he’s off the phone well before the clients show up and things go well. By this time, we’ve both shown the house so many times it barely requires clear thought for me to rattle off the house’s many advantages.

  They leave, seeming happy but a little vague, and I can tell they won’t make an offer. I think Zack got the same impression too. There’s no way for him to rush off and leave me holding the bag, seeing as how we came in together so he hangs around and helps me tidy things up a bit.

  As long as we don’t both need to be in the library at the same time, we’ll be fine. I don’t know if I could face him in the room where we almost…

  For some reason, the memory stirs me to anger. “So, it sounded like she was pretty upset,” I snark over my shoulder as I polish the table in the entryway.

  “What?” The sound of him beating a cushion comes to a halt.

  “The girl on the phone earlier. She was upset. What’d you do? Barge into the restaurant where she was having dinner with her sister and cause a scene?” It’s not nice. Nowhere close to it. But I can’t help myself.

  His sigh is heavy. Put-upon. “That was my sister. You have a sister with problems, so do I. Something in common. Crazy, huh?”

  Yeah, right. A likely story. “What’s her name?”

  “Beth.” He didn’t have to think about it.

  Well, so what? He has a sister named Beth. That doesn’t mean it was her on the phone. “What was she upset about?”

  Another sigh, though he keeps up the cushion rearranging. “She just had a bad break up. They were together for a long time. I used to think he was a decent guy, but my opinion has changed considerably.” He sounds angry. Legitimately angry.

  Is he that good an actor, or is he telling the truth? “What happened?” My voice is a little softer than before.

  He shrugs. “Classic story. He was cheating on her. And now, just this morning, she found out he’s with this girl. They’re moving in together. Not even a full week after Beth and he broke up.”

  I wince. “Ouch. That’s awful.”

  “I know. You have no idea how much I want to go over to this douchebag’s new apartment and knock his head off.” His beating has become quite… intense. Almost violent. The cushion is going to burst if he doesn’t stop.

  He is telling the truth.

  “It’s a shame we can’t fight our loved ones’ battles for them.”

  “Tell me about it. All we can do is be there for them when things go south.” He glances my way with a crooked smile. “I’m about to say something which is going to sound ridiculous.”

  “Because that would be the first time you’ve ever said something ridiculous?”

  He snorts, shaking his head. “Anyway, as I was about to say, it’s a relief to be able to talk about it. Even if it’s only you I’m talking to.”

  “Ha, ha, very funny.” I smirk, rolling my eyes, but we both laugh.

  Gee. Maybe he’s somewhat human, after all. Maybe that night we had together wasn’t only a way for him to get under my skin and trip me up.

  Or maybe I’m letting my hormones get in the way again, like an idiot. I need to keep my head in the game, as the clock is ticking.

  Sienna

  We aren’t back in the office for more than a few minutes before a new email comes through. I pull up closer to my laptop to make sure I’m reading it correctly.

  The Dawsons want to see the house again. Today.

  “Yes!” I whisper, pumping my arm in victory. Nobody can see me, so whatever. A second showing basically means they’re ready to make an offer, and I know Nick is so desperate to unload the place at this point that he’ll accept just about anything reasonable.

  I have a good feeling about these people. I did from the first. They’re not going to lowball me, and they’re not just wasting my time. This is very good. A light at the end of the tunnel.

  Zack’s cc’d on the email, so I know he must see it, too. I manage to calm myself so as to not look like a complete doofus by running into his cubicle like a squealing schoolgirl.

  Once I’m suitably serene, I walk over there like a normal person. A mature person. One who’s about to make a killing on a major sale.

  “Hey.” I grin, leaning in the doorway with my arms folded. “Did you see?”

  But he doesn’t look happy? Why not? He should look happy. Instead, he looks like somebody just killed his puppy.


  “This is going to sound completely ridiculous, or maybe not, since I already explained the way things are with my little sis.” He sits back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “I promised her I would see her today. Like, now-ish. I was just on my way out, and knowing the way things have been going, I’m fairly sure I won’t be able to make it back to the office in time for the showing.” He sounds pained and looks even worse. “This is why I was getting all those calls.”

  I can see the conflict he’s going through, and I know how tough it can be. Then I realize how mad I was whenever he was on the phone during that showing and I feel bad. I’ve been there, too. So many times. Wanting to help Tami even when there are so many other things that need my attention.

  Which is why I’m about to do something I would never do otherwise.

  “You know what? Go ahead. I’ll take care of things for both of us. And hey—if you can make it, that’s great. You know how long second showings can take.”

  He blinks, hesitating like he’s waiting for the punchline. “Are you serious?” he finally asks.

  “Yes. Seriously. Beth needs you.”

  “No bullshit? No tricks?”

  “Nope. I know what it’s like to have a sister who needs your time. Don’t sweat it. Seriously.”

  “All right.” He smiles, still looking surprised. “You’re doing me a huge favor. Thank you.”

  “I’m not doing it for you.” I wink before backing away. “I’m doing it for your sister. Solidarity. Girl power. And all that.”

  And maybe a little bit for him. But only a little bit.

  “Where’s your boyfriend?” Mrs. Dawson asks when we meet in front of the house.

  She would. He has that effect on women.

  I ought to correct her. I really ought to. Shouldn’t I? Yes. I should. But it would look childish and silly. So I don’t. I’ve been accused of worse things than sleeping with Zack. “He had a family emergency,” I say as I unlock the door. “I know he wanted to be here to see you again. I’m sorry.”

  “Not a problem,” Mr. Dawson replies. “I’m just sorry to hear that.”