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“I’m so sorry, fuck him. He doesn’t deserve you.”
Tears form in the corners of her eyes, but they don’t fall. She sucks in a breath, trying to keep her composure.
The waitress refills our glasses of wine.
“Leave the bottle, please,” Poppy murmurs.
Why do men have to be so selfish? I dig into my mash potatoes, and the food melts into my mouth.
“What did the messages say?”
She pushes her plate to the side and drains the rest of her wine, then pours herself another glass.
“He misses her. He wishes to be with her. She gives better head than me.” Tears trail down her cheeks. “When I confronted him about it, he said the messages didn’t mean anything and he only spoke to her because we were having problems. He admitted when I was out of town for work that he had sex with her.”
I want to find Link and slap the shit out of him. No one deserves to be treated the way she has. He’s never nice to her. Always saying messed-up stuff to her to bring her down. I don’t say much because she’s in love with him, so she won’t leave him no matter what he does. But it shouldn’t surprise me because Link and Carter are best friends. They are both shitty people.
I slurp my fruity wine. “Men are pigs.”
She bunches her eyebrows, exhaling deeply. “I already sent out the invitations to the wedding and paid for the venue.” She throws her hands in the air. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to be stuck in a marriage where I have resentment toward him.” She cuts her asparagus into pieces and puts one in her mouth. “My mother wants me to stay with him because his family is wealthy, and my father can use his name for more connections.”
“You don’t have to decide now. Take the time you need. Marriage is a big step and something you need to think about,” I say between bites of my mashed potatoes. “You shouldn’t marry someone because of their last name.”
She wipes the tears from her eyes. “You’re right. Enough about me. How is your new job?”
The entire workday, I spent my time daydreaming about Atlas’s face between my legs while he ate me out on his desk. There is nothing wrong with me fantasizing about him as long as I don’t touch him. It doesn’t help that we work all day together, or he wants to fuck me as much I want to fuck him. It also doesn’t help that there is a thick cloud of sexual tension between us. It’s suffocating, and it’s a big distraction to me while I work. I wish I worked on a different floor, so I wouldn’t have so much pent-up sexual urges. Even though I would never admit it to him. I shouldn’t entertain the thought of us because I have a career and a reputation to uphold in the fashion industry. If we were ever to hook up, it could change our relationship. I like to keep it professional. Boss and employee. A family friend I usually ignore. Working with him gives me a lot more reasons why I shouldn’t sleep with him. When I’m around him, my body doesn’t behave in the way I want it to. I don’t normally go for guys like Atlas because I know what kind of lifestyle it entails.
I watched my mother live the same lifestyle. Be surrounded by luxury, only for the guy to disregard you for something he feels is better than you. A man can make you feel so high about yourself you’re floating on cloud nine, then they can make you feel so low about yourself as if you don’t matter. Everything you built with him doesn’t matter. Their emotions change like the weather. Like Carter. One minute, we’re in love with each other, and the next he’s dropping me like a bad rash. Atlas is going to do the same thing. He’s no different, which is why it’s best for me to avoid him at all costs, no matter how tempting he seems.
I use a fork to yank the meat from the lobster tail, and dip it in butter before popping it in my mouth. I relish in the sweet meat.
“My boss was a complete ass to me most of the day. He’s an arrogant bastard I want to slap silly,” I murmur, finishing my meal.
I leave out the fact that I work for Atlas because if I tell her, she’ll tell me it’s fate for us to be together. She’s having problems with Link, but it doesn’t stop her from dreaming about a fairy-tale love story.
“Your boss sounds like a cranky old man.”
More like a hot devil dressed in an expensive suit.
“You have no idea.”
She continues to eat her meal, and we chat about life and our plans for the weekend. Poppy peers up, and her eyes widen as a smile spreads across her face like butter.
“Guess who walked in through the door?” Poppy squalls.
I twist myself toward the entrance to find Atlas speaking to the hostess, and he’s in the suit he wore earlier at work. I press my thighs together as awareness prickles at my spine. His face contorts with curiosity, and his shoulders are tight, with Jasper standing next to him. I know a little about Jasper. From the conversations I heard earlier, they have been friends since they were kids. Jasper is known to be a playboy and sleeps with beautiful models, and he’s the world’s biggest slut. He is gorgeous like Atlas. Tan skin, dark hair, chocolate eyes, and thick muscles. He’s built like a linebacker.
My eyes follow them as they are seated two tables across from us. Great, now I have to slip out of here before he spots us.
“Oh! My gosh!TheJasper Barrett is here. He was on the cover ofHealthmagazine.” She picks up a napkin and fans herself. “He’s fine as hell.Peoplemagazine labeled him as the hottest playboy. Too bad he’s a slut, though.” She sets the napkin down on the table.
I never told her I had been pining over Atlas after my father’s retirement party, and how he’s currently living in my brain rent-free.
How long will it take Atlas to give up on chasing me? Hopefully soon. It’ll make it a lot easier for me to control myself around him. How long is it going to be for the flutters in my chest to die down, or my arousal to stop growing in the pit of my stomach? It’s so hard to control myself around him, especially when we’re alone in the office.
“Don’t make eye contact with them. I don’t want Atlas speaking to me,” I whisper.
“Why?” she asks, not taking her eyes off them.
