by Shauna Hart
The other woman tilted her head to offer her a sarcastic glare, her lips pursed. “Thank you,” she replied.
Connor appeared around the corner, shrugging into his jacket. When his gaze collided with Melanie’s, a guilty look clouded his features.
“Melanie, what are you doing up here?” he inquired, his gaze flicking back and forth between the two women.
“I’m covering for Callie. She had a lunch date. She didn’t tell me that you had one too,” she answered brusquely.
She hadn’t meant to say the last part, but before she could stop it, the words were out.
Miranda took a step forward to press herself against Connor. “I wanted to surprise you. I know how you love my little surprises,” she cooed.
Melanie fought the urge to roll her eyes as she turned back to face the computer.
“I do have a lot of work to do, Miranda,” he allowed.
“I know, but I had to see you. Besides, you can’t work all the time. You have to eat,” she reasoned.
“Alright,” he conceded.
They walked over to the front door. When they reached it, he looked back at Melanie.
“I’ll be back in an hour.”
She nodded, not even giving him the satisfaction of looking at him. Once they were gone, she shook her head. She couldn’t believe that she had actually thought he was attractive.
What a fool she had been!
He obviously had a girlfriend.
A girlfriend he’d conveniently forgotten to tell her about.
He was probably one of those guys who thought an omission wasn’t a lie.
Men were all the same. They all had a one-track mind, and unfortunately, it was in their pants. They should all come with a full disclosure rule so no woman would get duped into purchasing a lemon. If it worked for houses, it had to work for men too. Besides that, in her experience, men had a lot more to hide than wood rot and bad wiring.
They had things like silent girlfriends.
* * * *
“Melanie, could you come in here for a minute?”
She glared at the intercom. She’d like to tell him to go straight to hell, but she knew she couldn’t. Grabbing a yellow legal pad and a pen, she reluctantly got to her feet. After the little display he made earlier, she wanted nothing more than to avoid him.
Preferably for another year.
But unfortunately, she knew that that wasn’t an option.
Once she reached the door to his office, she took a deep breath before lightly rapping her knuckles on the hard wood.
“Come in,” she heard him call out.
Opening the door, she entered his office. He sat behind his desk, his back to her.
“I know,” she heard him say.
Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion until she saw the cord stretched around the arm of the chair. Obviously, he was on the phone. She started to turn to leave, but he spun around, his eyes meeting hers. He held up an index finger, silently asking her to give him a minute.
“I have to go,” he said.
Uncertain of what to do, she stood motionless in front him.
“I know,” he said, a smile gracing his face. “I will. I promise. Bye.”
With that, he hung up. Raising his head, he pinned her with an expectant stare.
“Have a seat,” he suggested, motioning to the chairs in front of his desk.
Walking across the room, she reluctantly took a seat in front of him. She didn’t want to be here. She wanted to go back to her desk and pretend that he didn’t exist.
But, unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.
“Sorry about that. The call came through after I called you in here.”
Refusing to meet his gaze, she looked away. “I’m just an employee. You don’t have to explain things to me.”
“Melanie, I did want to explain about earlier…” he started to say.
She held up a hand to stop him. “You don’t have to explain anything to me.”
He let out a heavy sigh. “After what happened last night…”
She pinned him with an angry glare as color crept into her cheeks. “What happened last night was a mistake.”
He shook his head, scrubbing a hand across his face. “Now, this sounds familiar. It sounds a lot like the speech I got about what happened a year ago,” he chided.
When she pursed her lips, he continued.
“When are you going to admit that last night happened because we both wanted it to?” he prodded.
Heat crept through her body at the images his words conjured. But she couldn’t give in to his subtle innuendoes.
Not again.
Not after what happened.
So, she did the only thing she could do.
She struck back.
“And what does your girlfriend want?” she demanded.
“Miranda is not my girlfriend,” he replied.
The look she gave him made it clear that she didn’t believe a word he said. “No?” she challenged, one eyebrow arched high. “Does she know that?”
The guilty look on his face made her stomach turn. “Things between Miranda and I are complicated.”
She held up her hands to stop him from explaining. “Save it. I don’t want to hear it. You can do whatever you want with Ms. Plastic. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Narrowing his eyes, he tilted his head to the side. “It doesn’t?” he challenged.
Anger rose up in her. “No, it doesn’t. Now, if this is the only reason you called me in here, I’d like to return to my desk. I have a lot of work to do.”
She started to get up, but he stopped her.
“Actually, I called you in here to discuss the preparations for the open house.”
Glancing back at him, she reluctantly returned to her chair. “Pretty much everything has been taken care of. All of the invitations went out two days ago,” she said.
“I have some people I would like to add to the list. I’ll email them to you today.”
“That’s fine. I’ll make sure that they go out as soon as possible,” she replied.
For a moment, they both stared at each other. Melanie struggled to keep up the façade of professionalism, but inside, she was starting to break.
“Is that all?” she asked.
Letting out a heavy sigh, he nodded. “For now.”
Getting up, she hurried out of his office, practically running to the bathroom. Once she was safely inside the stall, she felt the tears slide down her cheeks. She didn’t know why she was so hurt. After all, the scene with Miranda made things pretty clear. Maybe she had hoped that he would have some sort of explanation for his connection with the woman? Some reason that might absolve him?
But there wasn’t.
He had just proved it.
And she hated him for it.
Chapter 8
Connor stared at his reflection in the mirror. His eyebrows crowded together in frustration as he tried in vain to get his tie straight. He’d been planning for this night for the last few weeks, and now all he wanted was for the damned thing to be over. Most of the employees were excited about the open house.
However, the tension between him and Melanie was at a fever pitch.
No matter how hard he tried, he would never understand her. Despite what she said, he knew that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Her body had given that information away.
So, why was she fighting it?
Grabbing his jacket from the hanger, he pulled it over his shoulders.
Miranda was an even bigger problem. When he began seeing her, the rules had been clear. Neither one of them was in it for a relationship. They had both agreed that this would be a casual arrangement.
But, somehow, things had changed.
Suddenly, the comfortable affair he had enjoyed was not enough for her anymore. And, if he was honest with himself, he knew that he couldn’t give her more.
Not now.
Not with things the way they were.
&n
bsp; Miranda was a beautiful woman. She could have any man she desired. She reminded him of that fact constantly. But it wasn’t just that. It was the fact that he was beginning to think that she was more interested in his bottom line than she was in who he was as a person. It wasn’t that he was rich, because he wasn’t. He had worked hard to get where he was. But more and more, Miranda was finding ways to spend his money.
And more and more, he wanted to find a way out.
He would be the first to admit that she would make some man happy.
It just wasn’t him.
The trouble was convincing her that splitting up was the best solution for both of them. For the past few weeks, he had tried to do exactly that with no success. Miranda was not a woman who accepted failure. Even if she didn’t truly love him, she refused to lose him. Appearances were everything to Miranda. They mattered much more than what was real.
That fact bothered him most.
It also meant that tonight was going to be a powder keg waiting for a match.
If Miranda found out that he was interested in someone else, she would declare war.
Melanie was a different type of problem.
She had already declared war, and unfortunately, she was using vigilante justice by giving him the cold shoulder. That meant that he might have not one upset woman but two to deal with tonight.
Sighing deeply, he stared at himself in the mirror.
One way or another, he was going to make Miranda understand that it was over.
He just hoped he wasn’t too late.
* * * *
Tonight was the night.
After thinking about it long and hard, there was only one solution to the predicament she had gotten herself into. Tonight, she would tender her resignation.
It wasn’t something she wanted to do.
It was something she had to do.
She had tried to maintain a professional working relationship with Connor. But after the last few weeks, she’d begun to realize that it was impossible. She had to do this before she made an even bigger fool of herself. Last night, she had poured over her finances to find a way out.
And she had.
With the little bit of money she had in her savings account, she could safely be out of work for the next two months without being in trouble. It didn’t make her happy to leave the firm she had so carefully crafted, but in the end, staying would be a bigger risk than leaving.
She slipped on her heels before checking her reflection in the mirror. After trying on ten dresses in the store, she had opted for a simple black cocktail dress. Giving her hair a quick fluff, she nodded. The dress had definitely been the right choice. The skirt was form fitting but flared out at the bottom.
She took a deep breath. No matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, she knew she wasn’t ready for this. But she had no choice.
Things had gone too far. Now, there was no way out.
Biting her lip, she made her way to the car.
There was no turning back now.
It was time to face things.
Things were already in full swing when she arrived. She walked through the office, making a final sweep before the guests began to arrive. Everything was perfect. She had set things up with the caterer so the servers would be alternating hors d'oeuvres. Drinks would be served throughout the night. The fresh flowers that had been set out throughout the office gave the room a fragrant scent.
Everything was ready.
Guests would be arriving any minute. Deciding to check Connor’s office, she walked into the room. His private bar was well stocked with a crystal decanter and glasses set on top. Strolling over to his desk, her fingers lightly trailed the surface. Her heart sunk as she thought of what she had to do tonight.
How would he react?
Would he argue with her?
Or worse, would he let her go without a fight?
She wished that his reaction didn’t matter.
But it did.
“Melanie,” she heard him say behind her.
His deep voice sent shivers up her spine, and she turned to face him. He crossed the distance to stand in front of her. She tried to calm her racing pulse, but his nearness made it impossible.
A slow grin slid across his mouth. “Things look great out there,” he observed.
Her silence made him tilt his head, a curious look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Her mouth went dry, and she wet her lips. “It’s just…” She trailed off, not knowing how to begin.
Not knowing how to end.
His eyebrows drew together in confusion. “What?” he repeated, his voice dropping to a husky timbre.
“I…”
Before she could say anything, Jill appeared around the corner.
“Mr. Mason?”
He turned to face her.
A blush crept into Jill’s cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
He glanced back at Melanie before turning to face her again. “What is it, Jill?”
Jill’s gaze flickered back and forth between them. “I just wanted to let you know that the guests are beginning to arrive,” she said.
With that, she disappeared around the corner.
When he turned back to face her, he shook his head. “Sorry about that. What were you going to say?”
She shook her head. “It can wait,” she said softly.
His eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?” he prodded.
When he didn’t move, she motioned to the door. “Well, come on, our guests are waiting,” she replied.
He smiled as he held out an arm for her. As her arm linked with his, she knew that tonight was going to be one of the hardest nights of her life.
She also knew that it might be the last time she had with him.
Chapter 9
Connor glanced around the room. Everything was going according to plan. He had already spoken with most of the clients, and each one had promised loyalty to the firm. All in all, their efforts had paid off.
Scanning the room, he spotted Melanie standing with a man. His eyes narrowed as he recognized who it was. He had met Doug Taylor several times. The man owned a small construction firm. If he remembered correctly, he was recently divorced. Melanie’s laughter floated through the crowd as she leaned toward Taylor. She was obviously enjoying herself.
Maybe a little bit too much.
Instantly, he wanted to walk across the room and stuff his fist down the man’s throat.
His jaw clenched.
He wasn’t prone to jealousy. In fact, it rarely happened.
So, why was it rearing its ugly head tonight?
The answer was immediate.
Because despite every warning he had given himself, he had begun to care.
He didn’t want it, wasn’t ready for it, but it was there all the same.
Gritting his teeth, he watched Taylor put his hand on her upper arm as he whispered in her ear.
Damn it, this had gone far enough!
He was just about to take the first step over there when Miranda stopped him by sliding her arm through his.
“Connor?”
Casting an irritated look over his shoulder, he bit out a reply. “What?”
She pulled him around to face her. “I swear you haven’t heard a word I said,” she observed.
Had she been talking?
“What is it?” he asked.
Her eyelashes fluttered as she placed her lips against his ear. “I was saying that maybe after the party we could go back to your place,” she suggested.
He didn’t have time for this, especially when it appeared that Melanie was getting even closer to Taylor.
Closing his eyes, he struggled to find a suitable excuse.
“Miranda, I’m not sure tonight is a good night,” he began.
Her eyebrows furrowed together, and her lower lip extended in what was intended to be a sexy pout. “But Connor, I’ve missed you. Haven’
t you missed me?”
He caught her fingers as they began to climb up his chest.
“It’s just been crazy right now. I was thinking we could talk after the party. Maybe tomorrow?”
She tilted her head to the side as her lips formed an angry line. “Don’t mince words, Connor. If you have something to say, just say it.”
His eyes met hers. One thing about Miranda was that she could see through a con. That combined with her persistence proved to be a deadly combination.
Especially for him.
Especially tonight.
“Look, I’ve been meaning to talk to you. I care about you a lot, but…”
Before he could get it out, she finished the sentence for him. “But you don’t want to see me anymore?”
His silence was the evidence she needed.
She shook her head. “That’s it, isn’t it?” she challenged.
He let out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry, Miranda.”
Her laughter sent a chill of alarm up his spine.
“No,” she said, her voice so quiet it scared him. “You’re not sorry, yet, but you will be.”
With that, she walked away, leaving him to wonder what the cryptic warning meant.
Miranda wasn’t a vengeful person.
Was she?
* * * *
Where was he?
It had been over an hour since the last guest left. The catering company had packed up and left, and she had no idea where Connor was.
Jill walked over to her.
“So?” she asked.
“So, what?” Melanie replied as she grabbed her folded letter of resignation.
Jill let out an impatient huff. “So, what’s going on between you and Mr. Mason?” she prodded.
“Nothing,” she answered, trying her best to avoid her gaze.
Jill’s eyes narrowed. “It didn’t look like nothing to me.”
Reluctantly, she met her gaze. “Jill, I told you nothing is going on between us,” she lied.
It wasn’t true.
But then again, she couldn’t even decipher what was happening between her and Connor for herself, let alone tell other people what was going on.
“That’s good, because I would hate to think you were one of those women who would sleep with a guy to keep their job,” she said.
Anger burned at the implication. “Well, that’s not what’s happening. And I can’t believe that you would think that about me,” she lashed out.
