Annihilate Me by Christina Ross

know you have your
commitments, as I do, but to give this our best shot, I see only one solution,
which I’m fairly certain you won’t take.”
    “What’s
that?”
    “I
want you to come back to Wenn,” he said.   “As soon as possible and in whatever capacity you wish.   You love business.   I can offer you the world of big
business.   If you agree, I’ll know
for certain that we can spend time together because I’ll make that a priority.”
    I
started to speak, but he interrupted.   “Just let me get breakfast going, or my reputation for being a halfway
decent cook is going to be blown, which Michelle would have my ass for.   We’ll talk after we eat.   I’ll listen to you and I’ll hear you,
but I hope that we can work something out, Jennifer.   I’ve always been decisive about what I
want.   I didn’t take asking you to
be my girlfriend lightly.   I asked
you because that is exactly what I wanted, and what I continue to want.   You are who I want.   I know this has happened very
quickly—I get it—but maybe it has for a reason.   Having you here now feels right to me.   It feels like this is how it should
be.   I know I’m probably way ahead
of you in terms of our relationship, but that’s just who I am, so I’m being
honest with you.   After we eat,
we’ll talk.   OK?”
    My
head was spinning, and I could feel my guard going up.   I liked my job at db Bistro.   I won that job on my own merits, which
was important to me.   But I couldn’t
deny his point, and I also worried about how the lack of seeing each other
would affect our relationship.   Of
course it would.   We’d rarely see
each other.   I wasn’t a
fool—things would collapse because of that.   But I never saw this job offer coming,
and I wasn’t sure what to make of it.   Still, I had to at least hear him out and give it some thought.   It was only the right thing to do.
    “OK,”
I said.   “We’ll eat, and then we’ll
talk.”  

 
 
 
 
    CHAPTER SIX

 
    “How
were the eggs?” Alex asked, looking at my empty plate.
    I
wiped my mouth with a napkin, and shot him a glance.   “Is that even a question?”
    He
smiled at me, and when he did, his eyes were soft.
    “They
were heaven.   All of it was.   Michelle trained you very well.”   I checked my watch.   “We probably should talk.   It’s fifteen minutes before eight, and
your meeting is at nine.   Living
room?”
    “Sure.   Another cup of coffee?”
    “I’d
love another.   Let me help you clean
up.”
    He
tried to say no, but already I was out of my seat.   I stacked the plates, separated the
silverware, and cradled the two empty juice glasses around the bar to the
sink.   I rinsed off everything while
he stood beside me and poured the coffee.   I thought about what he said earlier about this feeling right to
him.   Helping him in the kitchen
felt natural to me.   It was the
oddest thing.   I’d only known this
man for a few weeks, but there was a rhythm between us that was
undeniable.   And confusing.   I was too new to all of this, and had to
wonder if what was happening between us was special, or if it was as rare as he
suggested it was.
    Lisa will know.
    When
we finished in the kitchen, the tension between us was high because neither of
us knew what was going to be said.   But he still reached for my hand when we walked into the living room
with our coffee.   I could tell that
he was nervous, so I squeezed back.   We sat on the white leather sofa, put our mugs down on the coffee table,
and Alex reached for my legs and swung them over his lap.   He removed my sandals and started to rub
my feet.
    “I
know you love your job, Jennifer.   And I know that it’s important to you that you landed it on your
own.   You have every reason to be
proud of that.   I’m proud of you for
it.”
    I
didn’t say anything at first—I just watched him.   He wasn’t looking at me.   Instead, he had a brooding look on