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“Oh, um”—I wipe my face with a napkin and clear my throat—“he was happy to have me home.”
“I started telling her about how wild the party got. Rowan’s the best boss ever, letting shit like that happen at his house. When you took that body shot”—My eyes shoot to Lorenzo but his expression doesn’t falter as he listens to Victor with a grin—“off Sara, I swore he would shut the whole thing down. But then he started cheering you on and I was done for.”
Lorenzo laughs and responds, but I can’t hear him through the horror I feel. My stomach rolls and I completely lose my appetite. So not only did he return to the party, but he was taking shots off another woman? Did he have sex with her, too?
I feel dumber than a rock. He made it clear what it was, but obviously I’m a fool and incapable of leaving it there. He owes me nothing. I’m ashamed at how let down I feel. When he walks away, I’ll put my food back and go to my desk. I need to process this alone.
“I’m gonna grab my lunch and sit with some of the guys from my department. Catch ya later.” Lorenzo dismisses himself without looking at me again.
I start packing up my lunch and say, “I just realized I forgot to do something. I’m going back to my desk.”
“You work too hard,” Alexandra says between bites of food.
“It makes her happy,” Victor says with a shrug. More of our coworkers are filtering into the break room, making the space feel cramped and suffocating. I stand up and wave goodbye, forgoing returning my food to the fridge. I’ll just keep it at my desk so if anyone sees me, they’ll believe I’m working through lunch.
Once I’m back at my desk, I allow myself a small moment to fall apart. I feel like a fool and I can’t even blame him. I knew what it was. I thought I was okay with it. But obviously, I’m not.
I pull out my phone to text Char, but I don’t even know what to say. How do I explain that I’m a hopeless romantic idiot who regrets what I did? Especially after she was so “proud”?
“So, this is where the magic happens?” My phone clatters to the floor when I hear Lorenzo’s voice. He retrieves it and hands it to me, his brow arched in amusement.
And it pisses me the hell off.
“I have work to do,” I tell him, putting my phone on my desk and staring at the computer screen. I input my password and open my emails.
“Are you okay?” He has the audacity to sound concerned.
“Never better.” I refuse to make eye contact with him. I’m not exactly treating him like a coworker, but fuck him.
“Hey.” When I click on an email and don’t respond or look at him, his finger tugs at my chin, forcing me to look at him. I immediately glance around to check that the office is empty. Confirming we’re alone, I turn back to him.
He’s leaning against my desk and staring at me intently. Smoke and cinnamon drift over when he speaks. “I told you I’d keep the secret.”
What, so that’s what all this was? Him keeping the secret?
It doesn’t matter.
“Yes, thank you.” I force myself to sound calm and collected.
“Is this therealKate, then?”
My eyes narrow but he doesn’t waver. “This is theonlyKate. Now if you’ll excuse me, I do have some things to take care of.”
I force my eyes to stare at my computer screen, because really I just want to take him all in. His smell, his voice, his presence in my space… it’s causing me to want more.
“See ya, princess.”
Chapter Eight
December 29th
Imadeitthroughthe week without seeing Lorenzo again. Okay, maybe I did everything I possibly could toavoidseeing him. I came in early, ate lunch at my desk, and practically ran out of the building at 5 pm. One of my favorite parts of the office is that it’s a ten minute walk from my apartment. The gym I do my pilates classes at is in between the two, so I stop there on my walk home.
It’s 4:30 pm on Friday, and the employees are buzzing with the excitement of the long weekend for New Year’s. I can’t help but feel excited, too. I’m the only one still working as everyone else waits out the clock. Victor is telling me about the trip he and his boyfriend are taking for the weekend while I finish organizing the files for the audit.
At 4:50, we start cleaning our desks and packing our bags. A ding sounds from my computer and I groan. Who the hell would be writing to me just before the holiday weekend? I unlock my computer and open Teams, the messaging app our company uses.
Lorenzo Mancini: what are your plans this weekend
