And every time I caught myself softening toward her, I could feel the panic rise. Because if she found out why I was really doing this… she’d leave. And I’d lose more than just the company. I’d lose the one person I never meant to care about.
So yeah, maybe I was falling.
And maybe that was the real problem.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
ELISE
THE SOFT RINGof a text notificationstartled me more than it should have. I could blame my frazzled nerve on the large white mocha latte from Bakery Bliss that I consumed this afternoon, but the truth was, I was a ball of nerves because in just a few minutes I’d be face-to-face with Nathan.
It’s silly really, considering I’ve worked closely with Nathan for years and we’ve gone out of town together before. But despite all the accumulation of alone time we’d spent together, tonight felt different somehow.
With only one week left, time was running out on my position as his assistant and soon one of the three women we’ve narrowed it down to would be taking my place as his right hand. Another woman would be reminding him to eat when he got too wrapped up in work to notice the time, and she'd keep a stash of his preferred headache medicine in her purse becauseshe knew how often he got tension migraines from back-to-back negotiations.
A dark cloud threatened to loom over me, but I mentally swatted it away and forced myself to focus on more cheerful things such as the dinner tonight. With how crazy Nathan’s schedule has been, he hadn’t been able to have a sit down with Darryl until tonight. As requested, I arranged flights and booked hotel rooms from LA to Louisiana for Nathan and I the morning after the after party and now here we are, staying at The Four Seasons, the both of us getting ready in our respective suites for a dinner meeting with Darryl.
I turned my head toward my laptop, where Alessia’s face filled the screen. She was sprawled across her bed, her flannel pajama pants and Vampire Diaries hoodie a stark contrast to my outfit. While I was dressed for a night out, she was clearly ready for a night in.
She let out a low whistle the moment she got a full look at me through the screen. “Somebody looks hot!”
“You’re ridiculous.” I laughed, turning back to the mirror to apply the last coat of red lipstick.
“But you love me for it anyway.”
I didn’t even bother responding because we both knew she was right. After our girls night in, Alessia had quickly become someone Kelsey and I considered a good friend. She blended perfectly into our friend group and made it super easy and natural for Kelsey and I to trust her with our deepest secrets, including abusive ex boyfriends and double-identities.
“Is everything okay?”
Alessia adjusted her laptop and sighed. “I still can’t believe Kelsey is Rhodium. I mean, I believe it, obviously, but also I don’t?”
I glanced over at the screen, arching a brow. “Still processing, huh?”
“Uh, yeah.” She let out a short laugh. “One minute, I’m having a normal conversation with her, and the next, she’s casually revealing she’s one of my favorite singers like it’s no big deal. Do you know how many times I’ve screamed along to her songs in my car?”
I grinned, grabbing my perfume off the dresser. “Are you handling it okay?”
“I’m trying to play it cool,” she admitted. “I mean, she trusted me enough to tell me, which is huge. I don’t want to freak her out by fangirling too hard, but also, I am absolutely freaking out internally.”
“That’s fair.” I sat down on the edge of my bed, pushing aside the scattered clothes I hadn’t put away yet.
Alessia’s eyes suddenly narrowed at something on the screen. “Uh, Elise? Is that lingerie?”
My stomach dropped. I followed her gaze and realized, to my horror, that the delicate black lace set I’d packed was only half buried under a silk blouse.
“That is not for tonight,” I said quickly, grabbing it and tossing it into a drawer.
Alessia smirked. “Uh-huh. Because nothing says ‘strictly business’ like lacy, barely-there lingerie.”
I huffed. “It’s just something I packed. For myself.”
“For yourself?” Her brow arched. “Or for your sexy-as-sin boss? Where’s your boyfriend anyways?”
My cheeks heated. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my boss.” One who I’ve kissed once and was extremely attracted to. But Ale didn’t need to know that.
“The same boss that there’s a viral video of you giving him a lapdance? "
“It wasn’t a lapdance. It was a choreographed chair dance involving a male partner.” I explained.
