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“I hate going to the doctor’s office and having to wait. And don’t call me to the back if you’re not ready for me. Now I’m stuck in your sterile room scrolling through my phone so I’ll have something to do. At least if I’m in the waiting room I can watch the TV or people watch.”
“I know.” She laughed out loud, shaking her head. Did she have any idea how pretty she was when she laughed? Her whole face lit up, and the sound of her laughter was magical.
“What’s your biggest pet peeve?” Montez asked.
“Negativity.”
“Come on.”
“I’m serious. Negative people get on my nerves.” She smoothed her hair, though there wasn’t a strand out of place. “People who always see the glass as half empty instead of half full. There are a lot of terrible things in the world, but sometimes it’s just not that serious. They’re the kind of people who… let’s say we found a cure for cancer, they’d still find a way to complain!”
He chuckled. “I have the feeling you’re thinking of someone in particular.”
“I’ll never tell.” She pretended to zip her lips.
“Okay, let’s continue. What’s next on your list?”
They covered a few more topics, including mentioning the names of friends and discussing more of their backgrounds.
After more than an hour had passed, Montez set aside the ball and sat in the armchair across from Desiree. “What about your competition for the promotion? Do I need to know anything about him?”
She slowly closed her notebook and a serious expression came over her face.
“I need to tell you something about him. His name is Royce Brayden, and he’s my ex.”
Montez cocked his ear toward her as if to hear better. “Yourexis the competition for your promotion?” He couldn’t believe it. This was messy.
“Yes.”
“Hold up. What happened between the two of you, because the way you talked about him the other day, I thought the devil himself was the person you were competing against.”
“I practically am competing against the devil, and I’d rather not go into the details,” she said.
“Wait a minute, now I understand what’s going on. You don’t just need an escort to this dinner—you need to show your ex that you’re no longer alone, right?”
She dodged his gaze and started writing again. “The importance of this dinner cannot be stressed enough. My promotion is on the line.”
Montez leaned forward. “Answer the question.”
She refused to look at him, and he didn’t say a word, determined to wait her out.
Finally, she let out a sigh that seemed to come from deep inside and raised her eyes. “Fine! I admit it. I didn’t want to attend the dinner alone because Ass-Face will be there. We split up several years ago, and he’s a real piece of work. Sexist and a jerk but knows how to hide his true nature in front of our boss. Most of the staff can’t stand him, but he’s good at his job.”
“Better than you?” Montez asked.
“No.” She spoke with vehemence and conviction. “He’s also married with a baby on the way.”
“And you’re not.”
“I don’t care about that. All I care about is the promotion.I want this job.”
“Why do you want it so much?”
She reared back, as if the question startled her. “Why does anyone want more money and greater responsibility?”
Montez braced his arms on the chair. “Now that I know this man is your ex, I know exactly how to play this.”
“What do you mean?”
