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Harris Construction, LLC.
Jackson Key, FL
Present Day
Maeve Thomas sat in her office, at her desk, hunched behind her computer monitor, listening intently to a conversation she shouldn’t. It wasn’t the first time and definitely wouldn’t be the last time she eavesdropped on her bosses as they chatted like the best friends and business partners they were. Then again, was it eavesdropping if they were holding their conversation right in front of her office door? The door open, their voices loud, carrying easily across the immaculate space? It was like they were asking her to listen in—and sometimes, they’d include her. When they even remembered she was there. Which was only when their conversation—or rather argument—needed an outside opinion.
“I can’t believe you’re actually eating those,” her boss, Blaze Harris, said incredulously, his thick arms crossed over his even thicker, harder chest. The man was well made, sexy as all get out, and 100% in love with his girlfriend, the sweet yet sassy Anna. Watching those two together was like watching soft-core porn; sexy kisses, sensual touches, lots of murmured words, neck nuzzling…. It absolutely did not make Maeve jealous. Nope.
It did not make sad, shy, invisible Maeve want a romance and HEA of her own.
Her gaze flicked from Blaze to the other man standing just outside her office door.
Alejandro Mendez.
She heaved a wistful sigh. Yeah, she was a flipping liar. She did want all that—the sexy kisses, sensual touches, neck nuzzling and whispered words of love and seduction. She wanted all those things with her other boss, her sexy as hell, walking sex, perfect male specimen boss…who looked right through her.
“Of course, I’m going to eat them! They’re my favorite,” AJ replied around a mouthful of triple chocolate chip cookie.
Blaze snorted, rolling his eyes. “That isn’t the problem, man, the problem is that you’re trusting that whoever this chick is, she isn’t trying to poison you. How can you trust that she didn’t do something to them?”
Good question, Maeve pondered. For all AJ knew, those cookies were yummy with a dash of rat poison. Then again, Maeve knew exactly what was in those cookies: chocolate chunks, flour, sugar, eggs…and love. Lots and lots of love.
It had taken her three tries to get them just right, based on the recipe he said his second “mom”, Lisana, used to create the treats back when he was a little boy.
But neither Blaze nor AJ knew that. Or would ever know.
A sharp pang rattled through her chest at that thought. For all she felt for AJ, he would never feel the same for her. The real her. Maeve Thomas, Office Manager.
He was crushing on someone else. An anonymous online femme fatale. A woman he’d been chatting with for three months over email. The woman he’d been chatting with was witty, brash, bold, intelligent, and sassy—all the things AJ liked. She was a woman so amazing and wonderful, AJ couldn’t help but fall for her.
She was Swan. A totally made up person.
Who also happened to be her. Maeve Thomas. Anonymously. Because she was an idiot who thought telling him she was crushing on him without telling him who she really was, was a good idea. So…maybe she wasn’t totally made up, because Maeve was real, she really said and thought all the things she shared with AJ, she just felt more comfortable being that woman when AJ didn’t know what she looked like.
In real life, out from behind the computer screen, AJ looked right through her. Sure, he smiled at her when he greeted her every morning, or when he asked her a question about this document or that file, but he never stopped to speak to her unless it was about business. To AJ Mendez, Maeve might as well be an office appliance.
For her, though, it had been love at first sight. Because life was a bitch like that.
Groaning at the ridiculous situation she’d gotten herself in, Maeve fought the urge to bang her head against her desk because, not only would that draw the attention of her bosses, it would also make her headache that much worse.
AJ finished chewing, his expression pensive. Finally, he replied, “I don’t know how to explain it. Yeah, in the beginning I was skeptical—I mean catfishing is slimy as fuck, but…well, she never gave me that vibe, ya know. From that first email, all I ever felt was intrigued, like I wanted to know more about her. And the more we got to know each other, the more I got to know her, the more I…I don’t know…trusted her, I guess.”
Blaze stared at AJ, his lips thin. “But how do you know you can trust her?”
AJ shrugged. “I just do.”
“You don’t even know if she is real, she could be someone playing someone else. Hell, those cookies can be store bought and repackaged to make you think she actually made them.”
Uh, that’s a no. I definitely spent days working on the perfect recipe, and another couple of hours making that batch.And…she may or may not have eaten a batch or two on her own.
Her gaze moved from AJ to Blaze and then back to AJ, her mouth opening and closing as the urge to interrupt, to interject, to finally be seen flooded her throat. But she pushed it down, panic rising in its place.
No, she couldn’t tell him anything, no matter how much she wanted to. The second AJ realized she was the one who’d been sending emails and treats, he’d fire her. Never mind the fact that he’d also probably look at her like she was a scheming bitch, using her wiles to trick him into falling for a fat, ugly nobody.
Nausea swirled in her belly, making her swallow.
She needed to get out of there—but AJ and Blaze were in the way.
