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Chapter Twenty-Three
James
ItwasFriday,andthe last day Gwen would work for me, so I took her to lunch now that she was feeling a little better, even though she still looked pale and somewhat sick at times.
“How are you feeling?”
“Okay right now. I have a doctor's appointment next week to get some labs done and make sure nothing else is wrong. Thank you for taking me to lunch.”
She seemed a little distant and preoccupied, so I thought I’d clear up the elephant in the room. “Well, I wanted you to know that I’m going to let you stay at my place for the time being. There is no reason for you to move. He doesn't have the room, and I wouldn’t suggest it with all the women he has coming and going at his place. Besides, I can’t let you go. You would only end up in his bed since he can be quite the charmer when you get to know him.”
“Wait. Do you want me to stay with you and work for his department? How does he feel about that?”
“He shouldn’t have anything to complain about, and neither should you. I’ll help you get your own place eventually, but for now, you can save money at least. And we both work for Renegade Accessories, it’s our business and we're partners, so us fighting about all the details of how and when things get done is enough. I won’t have him squabbling over where you rest your head. If I need to call my brother, we have the majority ruling at Renegade, so he can just forget it.”
She eyed me suspiciously, and I had to wonder why, but it didn't matter. What Gwen didn't know was that if I couldn’t have her as my assistant, that was fine. She’d be in my home and in my bed — mine.
“How is he going to feel about that? And is that okay? I could stay with Martie and maybe that wouldn’t be a bad idea anyway, since things are getting weird.”
“Nah, that won’t be necessary. Besides, I think you’ll have much more fun with me. No strings attached, of course, but plenty of fun.” I held out a shrimp cocktail to her lips hoping to feed her.
She wrinkled her nose at something I’d seen her eat before. “No, thank you. Just the thought of eating that makes me want to throw up.”
I tossed it in my mouth and moved on. Everything I tried to place in front of her she seemed to pass on, until I held up a shrimp again. Her eyes lit up, and I laughed.
“Do you think they have chocolate sauce or something I can dip that in? And maybe some ice cream? Oh, and see if they have some avocado too.” She smiled so sweetly at me that it was almost too hard to resist her womanly charms.
Immediately, I did her bidding while trying not to throw up myself. Back at the table, when the waiter gave us what I asked for, I fought hard to keep my stomach level as I watched her down every bit of that strange concoction.
“And you wonder why you're sick? Is that how you're eating these days? Maybe next time, a ham sandwich or a bowl of spaghetti, I don’t know.” I devoured my steak and potatoes, all but ignoring her food, even if it meant ignoring those delectable lips for a while.
“I have to talk to Terry before I agree to stay at your place.”
Her words incited a riot of anger and frustration in my head. Finished with my meal, I leaned back in my chair and studied her beautiful face. “That isn’t necessary, as I told you. I will handle Terry. You just have to know that you’ll be staying right where you are and working as his assistant. If he acts inappropriately toward you ever, you just say the word, and I will handle it. It’s really okay that you're staying with me.”
She said nothing else but gone was her weak stomach. Meanwhile, I wanted to murder someone, my frustration and aggravation was so high off the charts.
I’d heard the new rumors circulating in the office about her and Terry, and that was another reason I wanted her to stay with me. The last thing we needed was bad press in our office, or rumors that continued to get worse and forced me to end her career at Renegade. That was not an option.
Still, when nighttime came, and I found her in her bed again, I thought maybe she was still sick. I knocked gently; hopeful she was awake after Andrew told me she’d gone to bed after getting home.
“Gwen?”
Slowly, the door clicked open and there she stood. She moved sideways so I could enter the room, but I could tell by her movements that something was bothering her.
I got comfortable in the chair across from the bed and looked at her — really looked. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. I just needed some rest and time to work on my novel.”
Her laptop was still open on the desk by the window. I wanted to know what she was writing. “Success then?”
“Yes.” Gwen’s fingers splayed across the blanket as she tried to smooth it out.
“Would you like to join me for a drink?” The room's mini bar was well stocked, so I helped myself and held up a glass for her, smiling.
Time to loosen up after a long day of work and have a bit of fun!
“I’m good, James. I shouldn’t have anything to drink as nothing good will come from that. Besides, I really need rest, so if you wouldn’t mind, if we have nothing important to discuss, I’d like to get some sleep. I’m not trying to be rude, but I just want to go to bed.”
