AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hello?”
“I’m heading to lunch, do you have plans?” Lydia asked, her mind still reeling from the look on Dane’s rugged face. It was the expression of a man bent on seduction, but why had it been directed at her?
“Nope, I was just heading for some fast food.”
“Ah-ha!” Lydia cried. “I’ve saved you from a heart attack.”
Roni laughed. “Most likely. Where do you want to meet?”
“How about Alejandro’s?” Lydia asked, referring to one of their favorite Mexican restaurants.
Lydia heard Roni sigh. “You’re determined to kill my diet, aren’t you?”
“You don’t need to diet; your body is perfect.” Lydia secretly wished she looked as good as Roni. It seemed the older they got, the better Roni looked. It wasn’t fair.
“Fine, but if my pants are tight tomorrow, I’m blaming you.”
Lydia pushed the key in the ignition and started the car. “Deal, meet you there.”
They hung up and Lydia sat there another few seconds to let herself calm down. Why do I always let Dane do this to me? She needed a vacation or she really would lose her mind.
As she put the car in gear and headed out of the parking lot, she recalled the day Dane had hired her. She’d been nervous as hell and she’d spilled coffee down the front of her tan skirt. Dane had handed her some tissues, a kind smile tilting his sexy lips. Trent had frowned at her as if she’d spilled the coffee on him instead of her. Mac had simply winked. Flustered and near tears she excused herself and nearly bolted for the restroom. When she’d finally managed to face Dane again, he’d offered her the job and told her she could start right away. She’d always wondered why he’d bothered to hire her. She’d been a total klutz, completely unprofessional, and yet he’d taken her under his wing.
She hadn’t worked in a legal office before, so the first few weeks had been murder on both of them. She’d made a mess of everything, from accidently deleting documents to overlapping meetings. If anyone had deserved to be fired, she had.
Lydia rounded a corner as she pondered the big question: Why had he kept her on? She hadn’t been the most qualified, not by a long shot. She wasn’t even all that attractive, so it wasn’t for the eye candy. As she pulled into the parking lot of Alejandro’s restaurant and found a space, her mind glommed on to that look on Dane’s face. She might not have known what she was doing two years ago, but she knew exactly what she was doing now, just as she knew that look. It said seduction. Her body warmed as she imagined being the object of Dane’s lust. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind he’d be something else in bed. She’d witnessed him when he was attracted to a woman. The few times he’d let his dates meet him at the office Lydia had glimpsed a rougher, more primitive side to her boss. What would it be like if all that sexual aggression was focused on her?
Lydia shook the thought away. That road led to disaster. Clearly it’d been too long since she’d had sex. Daydreaming about Dane wasn’t what he was paying her for. He would never mix business with pleasure anyway so there really wasn’t any reason to let her imagination go hog wild. Right?
A tap on her window yanked her from her thoughts. Roni stood outside her car giving her a what’s up look and motioning for her to hurry up. Lydia turned off her engine, grabbed her keys and purse and hurried out of the car. “Sorry, my mind seems to be somewhere else today.”
“I gathered,” Roni mused as they walked together into the restaurant.
Lydia’s stomach rumbled as the aroma of burritos and salsa hit her nose. They were led to a comfortable booth near the back, away from everyone else. They gave the hostess their drink order and settled in. After the woman left, Roni looked across the table and asked, “Want to talk about it?”
“Dane is making me insane,” Lydia gritted out. “I feel like I never have a chance to catch my breath and it’s making me want to make a break for it.”
Roni crossed her arms, a stern look settling over her features. “Did you tell him he needed to give you more time off? You have a high-stress job, Lydia. You’ll burn out at this rate.”
Heat flooded her cheeks as she started to pick at her paper placemat. “Not exactly. I sort of stormed out.”
Roni’s eyes went round. “You didn’t!”
For the first time in hours Lydia felt her muscles relax. “Actually, I did. And he even begged me not to quit.”
Roni grinned. “Wow, I’m impressed.”
“Don’t be. I told him I wasn’t quitting.” Lydia’s shoulders slumped. “I have the hardest time standing up to him.”
“You always have the hardest time standing up to people. You’re a pushover. A sweet pushover, but still a pushover.”
Their waiter came and left two bowls of salsa and a basket of chips before glancing up at Roni. He licked his lips and stared, then dropped his order pad. He leaned down and picked it up, his face red when he stood back up again. As he stammered out a welcome, Roni grinned. Ah, the goddess strikes again, Lydia thought. It had been a joke between her and Jeanette that only Roni had the ability to make men of all ages stammer and drool. After Roni ordered her usual fajitas, he finally realized there were two people at the table. Lydia ordered two enchiladas and sour cream and shook her head as she watched him stride off. “You do realize that with you around, I’m pretty much invisible, right?”
“If you?
??d let me help you with your wardrobe a little, that wouldn’t happen. I told you before you’re a babe, you just like to hide it.”
Her anger rose. “I dress like a professional. My job requires it.”
