glanced at the tray as she placed it on the corner of my desk. All of my favorites were present.
“What the hell?” I asked. “Where did that come from?”
“Who cares,” Ethan said. He was already salivating.
“I’m not entirely sure, Ms. Harper. A courier delivered it a few minutes ago. There’s a card. It’s in the bag. There are also utensils and plates in here.” She placed the bag on my desk next to the Titanic of sushi.
“Thanks, Constance. And please call me Alexis.”
“Yes, ma’am, Ms. Harper,” she said, turning to leave.
“Wait. Constance, do you have lunch plans? Please take some of this.” There was absolutely no way that Ethan and I could eat this much food.
“No, thank you, Ms. Harper,” she said. If I wasn’t mistaken, she might have wrinkled her nose in disgust. But, if she had expressed an actual emotion, it passed as quickly as it had come.
I stared at the assortment of raw fish before me and waited long enough for Constance to get back to her desk. “Why is she so stiff?” I muttered under my breath.
“I don’t know but I’d like to show her something stiff.”
“Gross Ethan! She’s at least 15 years older than you.”
“Simmer down, A-lister. Constance is a … what’s it called? A cougar. And I bet she can sharpen a pencil like no other.”
I looked at him like he had just spoken in Portuguese. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t ask her to sharpen a lot of pencils. And what does that even mean?”
He shrugged ambivalently. “I’m saying that I’d like to help her file something, and I’m not the only one around here who would.”
I shuddered. What a horny idiot. “What about Jillian?”
“What about her?” he asked. He winked at me and gave me his most charming smile. “We have an understanding.”
“Hmmm,” I said, picking up a spicy tuna roll. “I had an understanding once, and you can see where that got me.”
Ethan looked at me like I was stupid. “Whatever. You’re as happy as a pig in shit. Can we eat already?”
He was right. I was as happy as a pig in shit. Or at least I had been until my dad had interrupted our little piece of heaven.
He grabbed for the plastic bag and dug through it until he pulled out a sealed envelope. Handing it to me, he said on an eye roll, “Gee, I wonder who it’s from.”
I had a pretty good idea, too. Opening the note confirmed our suspicions.
Alexis,
Don’t let him scare you. You are mine, and I am yours. This boat is unsinkable.
Love,
Adam
P.S. – You can share with Ethan. I know how he likes smelly tuna.
Ahhh. I was still a pig in shit.
“Adam?” Ethan said through a mouth full of raw fish.
“Yeah,” I said a little too dreamily. Adam’s gifts always made me swoon.
“You guys are sick. Seriously. I don’t ever want to be like that.”
“Yeah, you do.” I said, putting the note back in the envelope and reaching for a plate. Why would he not? In moments like this one, it didn’t get any better.
“Yeah, okay,” Ethan said thoughtfully. “Maybe some day. But not today.”
“Speaking of today. I have to kick Adam out tonight.”
Ethan stopped chewing and stared at me like I hadjust spoken Portuguese. Yep. That was pretty much the reaction I could expect later, too.
_________________________
I flew through the lobby, my heels making a ruckus as I went. Tony was slumped behind his desk, reading a magazine. It was probably one of Adam’s. “Hey, Alexis,” he said as I passed.
“Hey, Tony. I’m late,” I hollered behind me. It was 7:35. I’d gotten tied up at work, and now I only had 25 minutes before Marlene and Lizzie would be here. I had even less time to explain the situation to Adam and show him the door.
“He’s already up there,” Tony said, as if he could read my mind. I wasn’t surprised that Tony knew his whereabouts. It seemed that Adam had made his first friend in the building. Unfortunately, his only friend was the guy who was paid to know
“What the hell?” I asked. “Where did that come from?”
“Who cares,” Ethan said. He was already salivating.
“I’m not entirely sure, Ms. Harper. A courier delivered it a few minutes ago. There’s a card. It’s in the bag. There are also utensils and plates in here.” She placed the bag on my desk next to the Titanic of sushi.
“Thanks, Constance. And please call me Alexis.”
“Yes, ma’am, Ms. Harper,” she said, turning to leave.
“Wait. Constance, do you have lunch plans? Please take some of this.” There was absolutely no way that Ethan and I could eat this much food.
“No, thank you, Ms. Harper,” she said. If I wasn’t mistaken, she might have wrinkled her nose in disgust. But, if she had expressed an actual emotion, it passed as quickly as it had come.
I stared at the assortment of raw fish before me and waited long enough for Constance to get back to her desk. “Why is she so stiff?” I muttered under my breath.
“I don’t know but I’d like to show her something stiff.”
“Gross Ethan! She’s at least 15 years older than you.”
“Simmer down, A-lister. Constance is a … what’s it called? A cougar. And I bet she can sharpen a pencil like no other.”
I looked at him like he had just spoken in Portuguese. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t ask her to sharpen a lot of pencils. And what does that even mean?”
He shrugged ambivalently. “I’m saying that I’d like to help her file something, and I’m not the only one around here who would.”
I shuddered. What a horny idiot. “What about Jillian?”
“What about her?” he asked. He winked at me and gave me his most charming smile. “We have an understanding.”
“Hmmm,” I said, picking up a spicy tuna roll. “I had an understanding once, and you can see where that got me.”
Ethan looked at me like I was stupid. “Whatever. You’re as happy as a pig in shit. Can we eat already?”
He was right. I was as happy as a pig in shit. Or at least I had been until my dad had interrupted our little piece of heaven.
He grabbed for the plastic bag and dug through it until he pulled out a sealed envelope. Handing it to me, he said on an eye roll, “Gee, I wonder who it’s from.”
I had a pretty good idea, too. Opening the note confirmed our suspicions.
Alexis,
Don’t let him scare you. You are mine, and I am yours. This boat is unsinkable.
Love,
Adam
P.S. – You can share with Ethan. I know how he likes smelly tuna.
Ahhh. I was still a pig in shit.
“Adam?” Ethan said through a mouth full of raw fish.
“Yeah,” I said a little too dreamily. Adam’s gifts always made me swoon.
“You guys are sick. Seriously. I don’t ever want to be like that.”
“Yeah, you do.” I said, putting the note back in the envelope and reaching for a plate. Why would he not? In moments like this one, it didn’t get any better.
“Yeah, okay,” Ethan said thoughtfully. “Maybe some day. But not today.”
“Speaking of today. I have to kick Adam out tonight.”
Ethan stopped chewing and stared at me like I hadjust spoken Portuguese. Yep. That was pretty much the reaction I could expect later, too.
_________________________
I flew through the lobby, my heels making a ruckus as I went. Tony was slumped behind his desk, reading a magazine. It was probably one of Adam’s. “Hey, Alexis,” he said as I passed.
“Hey, Tony. I’m late,” I hollered behind me. It was 7:35. I’d gotten tied up at work, and now I only had 25 minutes before Marlene and Lizzie would be here. I had even less time to explain the situation to Adam and show him the door.
“He’s already up there,” Tony said, as if he could read my mind. I wasn’t surprised that Tony knew his whereabouts. It seemed that Adam had made his first friend in the building. Unfortunately, his only friend was the guy who was paid to know
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