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“No drinks, no shots, no Nat.”
I looked around the office floor, to see if anyone was listening, “Mav.” I sighed. “Those were the terms to our agreement, you of anyone should know I can’t back out now.”
“Do I need to remind you what happened the last time you went out after work for drinks with her?”
My hackles bristled at his tone, and I snapped back at him. “You mean when you showed up and ruined the evening?”
“I mean you being drunk and unaware of your surroundings and getting attacked on the subway!”
He was so angry, but I knew him well enough to know his anger didn’t come from me directly, it came from his guilt.
“I’ll drink water and I’ll be safe on my way home.”
“No.” He said again.
“Maverick.”
“No, damnit. No! I can’t stomach the thought of you going out and being at the mercy of the world like that again Cora. No!”
“You don’t get to decide what I can and cannot do Mav. And I cannot argue with you about it right now, I’m at work. I love you. I’ll call you when I get home, okay?”
“Cora, don’t you dare hang up right now, this conversation isn’t over.”
“I know it’s not. I’m just pausing it. I love you.” I said again, for added soothing of his alpha attitude. “I have to go.”
I hung the phone up as he started to growl something at me and groaned. I hated this.
But I needed to keep some of my independence too, I just didn’t know how to do that when bad things had happened last time.
“Cora.” Mr. Peterson called, and I took a deep breath and went into his office and spent the rest of the day elbow deep in paperwork and copyright law education.
I shot a text to Maverick to get a rain check on our lunch date when Mr. Peterson said we would be lucky to get done with everything by five if we worked through lunch. I didn’t wait to see his reply to my message, because I knew he would be angry, and I didn’t have it in me to disappoint him twice in a few hours.
Five o’clock came in a flash and I left my desk in a daze. My brain was numb from all of the information it had retained in the last few hours, and I nearly forgot my evening plans until I got to the reception area and Nat stood waiting for me.
“Are you ready to let your hair down!” She called loudly, shaking her short hair back and forth enthusiastically.
I smiled at her and let today’s stress melt off my shoulders. “Yes, yes I am.” I said back honestly. “Where are we off to tonight?”
“I was thinking we could go to Pandora’s Patio, it’s a block away but a little more upscale than McCulley’s.”
“Sounds… interesting. There are no boxes you’re going to try to open while we’re there right?” I asked, winking at her.
“No ma’am.” She said shaking her head back and forth. “I will be on my best behavior.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Right.”
We rode the elevator down to the main lobby and walked across the marble floor towards the front doors and as we passed through the doors held open by the doorman, my step faltered as I spotted a very intimidating Maverick leaning against the back of his SUV. He was the picture of perfection; his black suit was immaculate, and his dark hair laid perfectly atop his head matching his perfectly dark scowl as he stared at me as he posed with his ankles crossed and his hands in his pant pockets.
“Are you in trouble?” Nat whispered to me, halting next to me.
“Something you should probably know about me now Nat, is that I’m always going to be in trouble with that man.”
She snorted and pulled me towards the brooding darkness of Maverick Jones. I was aware of his employees milling around us as we stood in a stare down and was unsure of how to proceed. He answered for me though when he leaned up off the car and opened the back seat door. “Where are we off to tonight ladies?”
His voice was steady and calm, and to the untrained eye, he looked calm and unfazed. But I felt the power radiating off of him as he looked from me to Nat and back.
She stumbled over herself. “Oh, uh. Cora didn’t tell me you were coming along.” She said, elbowing me in the side and I groaned.
