at his arm. “I’m going to see you tomorrow, right?”
She gave him an odd look. “Of course. You’re the one fake coughing, not me.”
He belatedly realized he’d asked the question awkwardly, as if he was talking to a regular date he wanted to see again. Of course he was going to see Rachel at the office. What he’d really wanted to know was if he’d see her after the office.
But he could see the exhaustion on her face, so he shelved that to worry about tomorrow. Leaning close, he gave her a slow, thorough kiss. “Good night, Rachel.”
She gave him a sleepy smile. “Good night, Adrian.”
Her yawns had been contagious, so once he was back in his SUV, he turned off the heater and turned up the radio. Once he saw her close her door, he pulled away from her curb. Singing along loudly, but badly, to an old hair band power ballad, he headed for home.
* * *
Rachel wasn’t a person who complained about Mondays. While it wasn’t her favorite day of the week by any means, she felt it set the tone for the entire work week, so she always tried to keep it positive.
But on this Monday, her bus was late, the coffee shop put hazelnut flavoring in the coffee she didn’t taste until it was too late to go back, and when she walked into Adrian’s office, he looked up at her and said good morning before pulling up the schedule on his phone.
Just like he did every Monday morning. But it wasn’t just any Monday morning. It was the day after he’d kissed her good-night and left her with promises shining in his eyes.
But, in her nervousness about the situation, she took her cues from him. “Good morning, Mr. Blackstone.”
“Rick Bouchard called,” he said, shuffling through some papers. “Alex must have done a hell of a job with the presentation because Bouchard’s chomping at the bit to talk to me. Unfortunately, he’s the kind who likes to look you in the eye while you talk, so I need a flight ASAP to Vail, Colorado. Tomorrow morning, preferably.”
“That’s good news.” And it was. If Rick Bouchard was so eager to talk to Adrian he wanted the conversation to take place before Christmas, his signing with BHR to handle his villa’s renovation was as good as done. “Will I be traveling with you?”
Another resort. Another winter wonderland with the possibility of being snowed in. She felt a flutter of excitement in her stomach.
“Not this time. It’s going to be very casual because he’s not supposed to be working during the family vacation. And I need you to keep the staff focused on actual work until their vacations officially start. Plus the Christmas party’s coming up and that keeps you pretty busy.”
He seemed to have quite the list of reasons for her not to go to Colorado with him, and the flutters in her belly died. Even if it was a valid list, he could have prefaced it with something like “I’d really love to take you with me, but...”
“I’ll book your flight as soon as we’re done here. Would you prefer a car service or a rental in Colorado?”
“I won’t have time to sightsee, so probably a car service.”
It should have been comforting, this return to professional normality, but it made Rachel feel hollow. He wasn’t even looking at her, so it was hard to see if there was any special warmth in his eyes for her, at least.
“I’ll get right on that,” she said, and then she turned on her heel and walked out of his office.
When she got to her smaller office, she left the door open as she always did. The staff would pop their heads in and out throughout the day, and it kept communication open. She found if she closed the door, they were reluctant to bother her.
She fired up her computer, sipping the nasty hazelnut coffee. There was a coffeemaker in the office, but she’d paid a lot for the one she had and there was habit to consider. She always brought her first cup of the day with her.
“Hey, Rachel, do you have the expense report from his trip to Philadelphia in
She gave him an odd look. “Of course. You’re the one fake coughing, not me.”
He belatedly realized he’d asked the question awkwardly, as if he was talking to a regular date he wanted to see again. Of course he was going to see Rachel at the office. What he’d really wanted to know was if he’d see her after the office.
But he could see the exhaustion on her face, so he shelved that to worry about tomorrow. Leaning close, he gave her a slow, thorough kiss. “Good night, Rachel.”
She gave him a sleepy smile. “Good night, Adrian.”
Her yawns had been contagious, so once he was back in his SUV, he turned off the heater and turned up the radio. Once he saw her close her door, he pulled away from her curb. Singing along loudly, but badly, to an old hair band power ballad, he headed for home.
* * *
Rachel wasn’t a person who complained about Mondays. While it wasn’t her favorite day of the week by any means, she felt it set the tone for the entire work week, so she always tried to keep it positive.
But on this Monday, her bus was late, the coffee shop put hazelnut flavoring in the coffee she didn’t taste until it was too late to go back, and when she walked into Adrian’s office, he looked up at her and said good morning before pulling up the schedule on his phone.
Just like he did every Monday morning. But it wasn’t just any Monday morning. It was the day after he’d kissed her good-night and left her with promises shining in his eyes.
But, in her nervousness about the situation, she took her cues from him. “Good morning, Mr. Blackstone.”
“Rick Bouchard called,” he said, shuffling through some papers. “Alex must have done a hell of a job with the presentation because Bouchard’s chomping at the bit to talk to me. Unfortunately, he’s the kind who likes to look you in the eye while you talk, so I need a flight ASAP to Vail, Colorado. Tomorrow morning, preferably.”
“That’s good news.” And it was. If Rick Bouchard was so eager to talk to Adrian he wanted the conversation to take place before Christmas, his signing with BHR to handle his villa’s renovation was as good as done. “Will I be traveling with you?”
Another resort. Another winter wonderland with the possibility of being snowed in. She felt a flutter of excitement in her stomach.
“Not this time. It’s going to be very casual because he’s not supposed to be working during the family vacation. And I need you to keep the staff focused on actual work until their vacations officially start. Plus the Christmas party’s coming up and that keeps you pretty busy.”
He seemed to have quite the list of reasons for her not to go to Colorado with him, and the flutters in her belly died. Even if it was a valid list, he could have prefaced it with something like “I’d really love to take you with me, but...”
“I’ll book your flight as soon as we’re done here. Would you prefer a car service or a rental in Colorado?”
“I won’t have time to sightsee, so probably a car service.”
It should have been comforting, this return to professional normality, but it made Rachel feel hollow. He wasn’t even looking at her, so it was hard to see if there was any special warmth in his eyes for her, at least.
“I’ll get right on that,” she said, and then she turned on her heel and walked out of his office.
When she got to her smaller office, she left the door open as she always did. The staff would pop their heads in and out throughout the day, and it kept communication open. She found if she closed the door, they were reluctant to bother her.
She fired up her computer, sipping the nasty hazelnut coffee. There was a coffeemaker in the office, but she’d paid a lot for the one she had and there was habit to consider. She always brought her first cup of the day with her.
“Hey, Rachel, do you have the expense report from his trip to Philadelphia in
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