can’t even find words,” he gushes as he stretches the flowers out to me.
I rise on unsteady feet to take the bouquet from him and set it on the small shelf near the window. “Thank you,” I blush, glancing down at my simple white blouse. I discreetly brush away oatmeal crumbs from the energy bar I ate earlier.
“I hope the flowers are okay,” he says nodding his chin in the direction of the bouquet. “I didn’t know what flowers you like so I got you jasmines. Y’know, ‘cause your name is ‘Jasmine’.”
That gets me to giggle. “Well, that was very sweet of you.”
He takes my hand and places a kiss on my knuckles. “Sweet gesture for a sweet girl.”
I bite back a smile. This guy is an expert at flattery. Even his over-the-top, cheesy delivery works. “Wh-what are you doing here?” Saying that I feel flustered and taken off-guard by his visit is an understatement.
He flashes me that 1000-megawatt grin. “Told you I’d take you to lunch next time I was in the city.” He says it so matter-of-factly like showing up at my job unannounced in the middle of the day to whisk me off to lunch is the most ordinary thing in the world.
“I just – I didn’t expect that you actually meant it,” I say. With my track record – a.k.a. Liam Cartwright – I’ve learned not to get my hopes up because some guys make promises they have no intention of keeping. “And I have so much work to do...” I’m overwhelmed just glancing at the to-do list jotted down onto a small sheet of yellow paper stuck to the corner of my computer screen.
“Well, I was in town and I decided to drop by –” He stops midsentence and gives me a forthright look. “Oh, hell – I’m lying. I just couldn’t stop thinking about your pretty smile so I moved around some campaign events and drove into Manhattan to see you.”
A wave of heat courses over my entire body. “You postponed campaign events and drove to Manhattan just to see me ?”
He’s grinning again and I can’t help the thumping of my heart. “So, are you gonna come eat with me or are you gonna turn me down? Gas isn’t cheap these days so you’d better say ‘yes’.” He winks.
I find myself giggling again. “Okay, okay. I guess I can spare a few minutes for a quick lunch.”
“That’s fantastic,” Chess says as I quickly log out of my computer and grab my purse.
I throw a glance at the takeout bag containing the lunch that Liam sent me today. For a fraction of a second, I fell a pang of guilt low in my stomach. But, I chase it away. I won’t let this misplaced sense of loyalty to Liam get in the way of having a great lunch with Chess.
I round my desk and Chess follows me out the door, his hand going to the small of my back as I step into the hallway. The touch makes me a tiny bit uncomfortable; it feels too intimate, too cozy. But when I glance across the hall and notice the slat of Liam’s blinds rustling, I turn to Chess, give him my widest smile and loop my arm through his.
Chapter 17
The shock comes first. Then, it’s rage pumping through my body.
I yank the knot of my tie away from my throat because suddenly the air in the room is thick and hot.
Who the fuck was that guy who just waltzed in here with those goddamned flowers and left with my Jasmine?
My mind keeps replaying that wide, happy grin she wore as she wove her arm through his. That smile should be for me. Nobody else.
I want to break something. Rip it to shreds.
I shove my fingers through my hair and pull at the roots as I pace the floor. I snatch up the paper bag containing my lunch and pitch it at a wall. Soup goes flying in all directions, staining the walls, the carpet and one of the chairs sitting in the corner of my office.
Not my Jasmine. I can’t watch another man take her from me.
There’s a soft, tentative knock at my door before it opens a crack. Luce sticks her head
I rise on unsteady feet to take the bouquet from him and set it on the small shelf near the window. “Thank you,” I blush, glancing down at my simple white blouse. I discreetly brush away oatmeal crumbs from the energy bar I ate earlier.
“I hope the flowers are okay,” he says nodding his chin in the direction of the bouquet. “I didn’t know what flowers you like so I got you jasmines. Y’know, ‘cause your name is ‘Jasmine’.”
That gets me to giggle. “Well, that was very sweet of you.”
He takes my hand and places a kiss on my knuckles. “Sweet gesture for a sweet girl.”
I bite back a smile. This guy is an expert at flattery. Even his over-the-top, cheesy delivery works. “Wh-what are you doing here?” Saying that I feel flustered and taken off-guard by his visit is an understatement.
He flashes me that 1000-megawatt grin. “Told you I’d take you to lunch next time I was in the city.” He says it so matter-of-factly like showing up at my job unannounced in the middle of the day to whisk me off to lunch is the most ordinary thing in the world.
“I just – I didn’t expect that you actually meant it,” I say. With my track record – a.k.a. Liam Cartwright – I’ve learned not to get my hopes up because some guys make promises they have no intention of keeping. “And I have so much work to do...” I’m overwhelmed just glancing at the to-do list jotted down onto a small sheet of yellow paper stuck to the corner of my computer screen.
“Well, I was in town and I decided to drop by –” He stops midsentence and gives me a forthright look. “Oh, hell – I’m lying. I just couldn’t stop thinking about your pretty smile so I moved around some campaign events and drove into Manhattan to see you.”
A wave of heat courses over my entire body. “You postponed campaign events and drove to Manhattan just to see me ?”
He’s grinning again and I can’t help the thumping of my heart. “So, are you gonna come eat with me or are you gonna turn me down? Gas isn’t cheap these days so you’d better say ‘yes’.” He winks.
I find myself giggling again. “Okay, okay. I guess I can spare a few minutes for a quick lunch.”
“That’s fantastic,” Chess says as I quickly log out of my computer and grab my purse.
I throw a glance at the takeout bag containing the lunch that Liam sent me today. For a fraction of a second, I fell a pang of guilt low in my stomach. But, I chase it away. I won’t let this misplaced sense of loyalty to Liam get in the way of having a great lunch with Chess.
I round my desk and Chess follows me out the door, his hand going to the small of my back as I step into the hallway. The touch makes me a tiny bit uncomfortable; it feels too intimate, too cozy. But when I glance across the hall and notice the slat of Liam’s blinds rustling, I turn to Chess, give him my widest smile and loop my arm through his.
Chapter 17
The shock comes first. Then, it’s rage pumping through my body.
I yank the knot of my tie away from my throat because suddenly the air in the room is thick and hot.
Who the fuck was that guy who just waltzed in here with those goddamned flowers and left with my Jasmine?
My mind keeps replaying that wide, happy grin she wore as she wove her arm through his. That smile should be for me. Nobody else.
I want to break something. Rip it to shreds.
I shove my fingers through my hair and pull at the roots as I pace the floor. I snatch up the paper bag containing my lunch and pitch it at a wall. Soup goes flying in all directions, staining the walls, the carpet and one of the chairs sitting in the corner of my office.
Not my Jasmine. I can’t watch another man take her from me.
There’s a soft, tentative knock at my door before it opens a crack. Luce sticks her head
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