My assistant was many, many things, and thankfully, obedient was one of them. She knew she was invaluable to me. I wouldn’t be where I was without her, that much I was certain of. But every time she brought up Vera, I wanted to reconsider just how much I really needed her.
I couldn’t think! I blamed it on the noise of the construction site. It was barely audible, but it was loud enough. It definitely had nothing to do with who was out there, probably wearingsomething sleeveless, showing off those arms that could carry me anywhere I wanted to go?—
I shut my laptop and stood up. I walked over to Eloise’s desk and her smile was mischievous. “I knew you’d want to see for yourself.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not here for her. I’m here for the email you sent me, about franscesca’s book tour?”
She groaned. “Oh, right. That. Well, we’ve hit a little snafu with the bookstore in Seaport…”
Against my better judgment, my eyes did, in fact, end up drifting over to the construction zone. It wasn’t my fault they were being loud. When I looked over, of course my eyes landed on a familiar firm ass. Butts were my weakness and my eyes were drawn to them every time. I remembered that night and how it felt under my hands and I had to stifle a groan.
When she stood up and took off her shirt so she was only in a tank top and jeans, I let out the tiniest whimper. Blushing, I looked back at Eloise, hoping she didn’t notice.
The smirk on her face told me she had. Shit. “Shut up,” I demanded.
Her only response was a laugh. “Speaking of sexy women, have you found a date for the wedding yet? It’s coming up, you know.”
I groaned. “No one was talking about sexy women, but I know. And no, I don’t have a date for my best friend’s wedding.” They picked the worst time to stop construction. All eyes were on me and my blush was darker than my red blouse.
“Please tell me she didn’t hear that?” I whispered.
“Probably not. Maybe she’s walking over here for another reason? It wasn’t that loud, I’m sure no one even heard you.”
I didn’t look in her direction, I couldn’t. There was no way she actually heard me. She was several feet away.
“Sorry to interrupt, ladies. I couldn’t help but overhear. Cara, if you need a date, I’m happy to lend a hand. I have my own tux and everything, as you’ve already seen.”
I took a deep breath and turned to face Vera. She had the faintest sheen of sweat on her skin and my eyes had to be peeled away from her arms. Her eyebrow was raised in question when I finally met her gaze. Did she notice me drooling over her strong arms? No, because I wasn’t.
“That’s nice of you to offer?—”
“Yes. So nice, Vera.” Eloise interrupted.
I scowled at her and she took a step back towards her desk, giving us a little more privacy. See? Obedient.
“I appreciate the offer, but I can’t accept.”
“Why not? You need a date, and I’ve proven to be one hell of a dancer.”
I scoffed. “Because, Vera?—”
“Vera? What are you doing here?” I froze. This was my literal nightmare.
I turned around to see Blair walking towards us. I was pretty sure the whole floor was watching the scene unfold, and I wanted nothing more than to be holed up in the privacy of my office.
“Hey, Blair. My company is doing construction on this floor.”
“What? That’s amazing! I just came to visit my bestie and talk wedding nonsense. Do you two know each other?”
I just stood silent the entire time, watching my own life play out like I was watching a movie. I didn’t know what to say or do, and I couldn’t look at Vera. I kept my eyes on Blair the entire time. My best friend had the worst timing in history.
“Oh, we met a while ago. We were actually just talking about the wedding.”
What the fuck? Noweweren’t. Eloise and I were talking about the wedding, Vera just interrupted and offered herself as my date, which I wasn’t accepting, by the way.
Blair’s eyes grew wide and she looked at me. “A while ago? Is she the date you mentioned?”
I opened my mouth to say no, but I lost all the air from my lungs when I felt a strong hand on my waist. “Yes, I am. I hope that’s okay? We were just talking about it, and I’m very excited.”
