redeeming cupid 01 - struck by eros by jenn windrow Page A

jeans, his smile like a predator that cornered its prey. “We have some work to finish. A few problems that weren’t resolved yesterday.”
    Len looked at Grayson with narrowed eyes. “You again?” He rubbed at the wrinkles between his brows.
    Grayson gave Len a half-a-second glance. “Me again.” He turned his attention on me. “I need a few minutes of Noel’s time to fix a mess.”
    “We can talk tomorrow.”
    “Tomorrow will be too late. The project will be ruined.”
    “Take that up with our boss…” The ding of the elevator cut off the rest of my sentence.
    The doors parted. Len’s soul mate walked through, briefcase in one hand, phone in the other. She headed for the revolving door and Grayson and I watched her walk by. How would Grayson stop her before she disappeared from Len’s life once again?
    Not my problem. All I had to do was sneak Len out of the building like the stolen property he was.
    “How about dinner?” I wrapped my arm through Len’s and guided him to the exit, leaving Grayson standing with a gaping mouth and pissed off radiating out of every over-astringented pore. I stepped into my own slice and Len entered the one behind me. I concentrated on the many greasy fingerprints on the glass and not on the irate man left behind.
    Len’s mate stepped onto the sidewalk, and Grayson burst through the handicapped exit. In a desperate attempt to stop her, he knocked her briefcase out of her hand. Paper fell to the ground, pens rolled, personal effects flew. Her hands gestured wildly in the air before bending over and grabbing her belongings.
    Grayson knelt down next to her and captured the pages that tried to take flight. “I’m so sorry…” He lifted up the paper, scanning it quickly before he handed it back. “Lauren?”
    She took the paper from his hand. “Yes, Lauren. And it’s okay, accidents happen.”
    A stray piece of paper floated over to where Len and I stood, and settled between his loafers. He picked it up, walked over, and handed it to her. My heart stopped when their fingers brushed. I watched their arrows, holding my breath tight.
    The newly named Lauren’s arrow, flickered, faded, and almost disappeared, but Len’s arrow didn’t falter.
    I cleared my throat. Len broke contact and her arrow popped back, bright as a halogen bulb.
    Crisis averted. Fate stepped in, proving love to be stronger than Cupid’s arrow.
    “Let’s go to dinner.” I wrapped my hand around his, pulling him far away from Grayson, Lauren, and Cupid’s reach. “There’s this fantastic Thai restaurant around the corner.”
    Len didn’t say a word on our walk to dinner. He didn’t hold my hand, or bridge the three-foot gap between us. Something stunk in Denmark.
    We entered the restaurant, found a table tucked back in the corner behind a large red pillar, and took our seats. A tiny Asian girl placed two glasses of water on the plastic tablecloth and left us menus. Len flipped his menu open and held it in front of his face, still silent.
    “Are you mad about something?” I stuck my spoon in my glass and swirled the water.
    He grabbed the spoon from my hand and put it on the table between us. “Stop. That drives me crazy.”
    My lips turned down and I tried to control the toddler pout in my voice. “Sorry.” I tucked my hands between my thighs to stop from grabbing the spoon and swirling away my nervousness.
    “Not mad, frustrated.” He placed his menu on the table and leaned back in his chair. “Two days in a row I’ve found you with Grayson. A name I might never have heard if that couple hadn’t mentioned him at dinner the other night.”
    A stray piece of hair fell into my face and I tucked it back. “I should’ve told you Grayson and I had a work thing today.”
    Len blew out a sigh that messed up the front of his hair. “It feels like you’re keeping secrets from me.” The waitress came and Len ordered for both of us. She left and Len continued, “I don’t like secrets or games