by Amelia Wilde
I’m going to go ahead and blame Lennon here for even putting unicorns in my head with that stupid van of hers. And Jesus, would he stop saying ‘cock’ already? It’s an aphrodisiac when it comes from his mouth and I’m doing my best to remember that I am no longer allowed to be attracted to this man.
I clench my teeth for a full minute and just stare at him and the shit-eating grin plastered on his face.
Before I can think of a scathing response Chase comes sauntering down the hallway toward the restrooms. “You guys look like you’re in the middle of an intense conversation,” he says.
I turn my gaze away from Cole and look to Chase and smile.
“Whitney was just telling me how fond she is of unicorns,” Cole says with a straight face.
My cheeks burn, but I don’t take the bait.
“Have you seen Lennon’s van lately?” Chase asks me. “You should take a ride in that thing if you’re a fan of unicorns.” He laughs.
“Have you ridden a unicorn before, Whit?” Cole asks. If I weren’t so irritated with the man right now I’d almost call his smile playful, but since I am irritated I’m going to go ahead and describe it as provoking.
With a saccharine smile, I respond. “I think I have. Hard to say really. It must not have been as memorable as you’d expect.”
And with that comment I head off down the hall with an exaggerated sway to my hips, because if I still want Cole Webber after everything he did to me all those years ago, and everything I know about him, I’m going to make doubly sure he feels the same.
Misery does love company, after all.
8
I didn’t spend any more time talking to Cole at the engagement party, though I felt his gaze on me more than once. I did, however, spend a lot of time thinking about Cole after the party. Which is really frustrating since all I wanted to do was to get him out of my mind.
It’s probably just because he’s so damn infuriating.
You know how sometimes all your best comebacks come to you after you’ve had a fight with someone? I couldn’t stop thinking of what I should have said and one-line zingers that would have really pissed him off.
Mature, I know.
Tahlia called earlier and invited me to dinner with her and Chase tonight. All day I’ve been worried that they caught wind of something between Cole and me. I’m not sure what to say if they confront me about it. Somehow, “Yes, we might have slept together, I’m not really sure, but I still want his body, I just hate the person he is” doesn’t seem to cut it.
The moment of truth is upon me as I park my grandma’s car (since she let me borrow it) and walk into the restaurant.
Of course, we’re at one of the Webber-owned restaurants. After making a fortune in land deals around the city on the backs of the less fortunate, they’ve expanded their holdings to include several restaurants in the Bay area.
Sapphron has an easy, relaxed feel to it with tone-on-tone cream and beige decor, a wide-open main room that looks into the kitchen, and large comfortable-looking chairs at the tables. The sign outside says their specialty is California cuisine, as fitting as it is unoriginal.
My tummy is in knots as I try to come up with all the reasons I might have been summoned here tonight. Tahl wouldn’t give me any info on the phone so I’m going in blind. She seemed a little cagey when I asked what was up, but she just said we’d discuss it at dinner.
“Can I help you, miss?” the maître d’ asks.
“Yes, I’m meeting Chase Webber and his fiancée.”
He nods. “Very well. The happy couple are already seated. Follow me, please.”
I follow as he leads the way through the tables of happy diners and smile when Tahlia waves to me from a table near the back of the room. It’s overlooking the city and you can see the lights from the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance, a view that never fails to take my breath away.
I’m not quite sure what happens next. One minute I’m glancing at the view outside and the next I’m sailing through the air and the floor is rapidly approaching my face. In an attempt to save myself from a broken nose I reach for the first thing I see, which happens to be the table next to me. Instead of grabbing onto a solid surface though, I clutch a thin piece of material and it follows me down to the ground.
Somehow, I manage to get my hands out in front of me to brace myself and I land with a thud on the ground, followed by what feels like every dish that was on the table landing on my back, covering me with what I can only guess is someone’s dinner and drinks.
The room lets out a collective gasp at my misfortune.
“Whit!” Tahlia shrieks and I hear her push her chair back.
“Miss, are you okay?” I look up into the horrified eyes of the maître d’, who seems unsure as to whether he should help me out by removing the plates off my back.
“Oh, my God!” Tahlia stands behind him and looks ready to push past to help when a low voice from behind me has me wanting to sink into the earth below.
“Jonah, please grab the bus boy to clean up this mess and grab these nice people whatever they were having on the house. I’ll help Miss Knight up.”
You have got to be kidding me. What is Cole doing here? He’s like a bad fucking zit, always popping up when you least want him to.
Cole removes the few remaining dishes from my back. “Here,” he says as he helps me to my feet. I can feel some type of warm liquid dripping off the back of my skirt and onto my leg.
“Jeez, Whit. Are you all right?” Tahlia asks.
“I’m fine. The only thing hurt is my pride.” I spin to look at Cole for the first time and it’s all I can do to keep my breath in my body.
He’s wearing a black dress shirt with the top couple of buttons undone. The sleeves are rolled up to reveal his muscled forearms. Dark slacks hug his hips and his hair is a little messy, but somehow manages to look like he meant for it to be that way.
After clearing my throat, I manage to get out my question. “Is there somewhere I can clean up?”
“Of course. Follow me.”
“I can take her,” Tahlia offers.
Cole shakes his head. “I’ve got it covered. Why don’t you and Chase order us some appetizers?”
She nods, though a little apprehensively. “Yeah, okay.”
My gaze flicks back to Chase who’s watching us, but is still seated at the table. Really? He couldn’t even be bothered to get up?
And wait… I’m just realizing that the way Cole said that made it sound as if he’d be joining us.
“Follow me.”
I do as Cole says and make my way through the dining area, careful not to make eye contact with any of the patrons. I don’t need to see them to know that they’re either looking at me with pity or distaste.
Cole leads me through a swinging door and into a bustling kitchen. I get a few strange looks from the employees, but no one says anything as we make our way down a hall and into a small office.
“Stay here,” Cole orders and turns and leaves me there.
I make a face behind his back after he’s gone. Who is he to boss me around?
I look around the office and recognize Cole’s scrawl on some of the papers on the corner of the desk. The room isn’t large and it’s overflowing with paper and restaurant supplies. A chair sits behind the desk, but it’s the only one in the small office.
After a few minutes, he returns with a bowl of water and a white towel, a white dress shirt slung over his shoulder.
“Take your shirt off,” he says as he sets the bowl down on the desk.
As much as his command sends a thrill through me, I’m not about to admit it to him. I cock a hip and cross my arms over my chest. “Excuse me?” I tried to use my most offended voice, but I’m afraid it may have come out a little too breathy to pull it off.
“You heard me. Take it off and I’ll wipe your back down.”
“You think I’m just going to take off my shirt in front of you?”
“It’s
nothing I haven’t seen before, Whit.” He arches a brow and turns to close the office door behind him. It doesn’t escape my notice that he locked it, too.
Embarrassment turns my face hot. “Whitney. You haven’t earned the privilege of calling me Whit.”
“Whatever, Whitney.” He exaggerates saying my name. “Let’s go. I want to get this dinner over with. I have things to do after.”
“I think you mean people, not things,” I grumble as I turn my back to him. Inhaling a deep breath, I reach for my hem and pull the light sweater I’m wearing up over my head. The fabric is still wet and I try my best not to transfer any of whatever it is into my hair. “There.”
I can’t see it, but I’m sure Cole is rolling his eyes at me behind my back.
“Is it on my skirt at all?”
“A little, but I should be able to wipe most of it off. Since it’s black you’ll hardly notice after.”
I hear the water in the bowl trickle as he wrings out the cloth and without any further warning his hands are on me. Well, the cloth is, but that’s only leaving his hands millimeters from my skin so that’s almost the same thing.
My spine stiffens and my heart races while I stand there as straight and stiff as a two-by-four. He wipes my back and rinses the cloth again. When he uses one hand to lift my bra strap and wipe underneath it I suck in a breath. A cloudy memory comes to mind of the two of us kissing and his hand slipping under the elastic of my bra strap.
I shake my head in an attempt to push the memory from my mind. I’d prefer to continue to remember nothing from that night.
When Cole is done he pats my back dry with a towel in such a gentle way you’d think he had a sensitive bone in his body.
He doesn’t fool me for a second.
“I always keep a clean dress shirt here in case I need to be in the front of the house when I come to check in on things. You can put this on if you want.”
He’s still standing behind me and I’m able to feel his body heat seeping into me, making me warm inside. Cole’s fingertips lightly run across my shoulder and tingles follow in their wake, electrifying me and my libido.
“Thanks,” I say in a soft voice. I turn slightly and reach for the shirt and shrug it on. I don’t turn back around to face him until I’ve done up most of the buttons. The shirt is way too big for me, so I tie the bottom in a knot, hoping it will look purposeful and maybe even a little fashionable. “I didn’t realize you were joining us for dinner.” I try to keep the animosity from my voice because he did just help me out, but I’m not sure I succeeded entirely.
“Chase said he wanted to go over some wedding stuff with me.” He shrugs. “I wasn’t expecting you either.”
I scoff and try to roll up one of the sleeves, but it’s hard with just one hand.
“Here, let me.”
Begrudgingly I hold my arm out and Cole slowly folds up the sleeve, his gaze darting between what he’s doing with his hands and my face. I somehow manage to keep an impassive expression.
I’m surrounded by his scent and catch myself inhaling deeper to bask in it. His gaze darts to my lips a few times and I resist the urge to lean in and kiss him. Because damn it. Why would I want this man to kiss me after everything that happened in my life because of him?
He finishes up and takes a step back from me, his hands on his hips. “You do naughty secretary well.”
I roll my eyes and grab my purse off the desk. “Can we go now?”
His face hardens instantly. “What is your problem? Seriously?”
“My only problem right now is that I want out of here and you’re standing in front of the door.”
He shakes his head. “That doesn’t explain why your mood soured so much when you found out I was Chase’s brother. And don’t tell me it has anything to do with me not being just a bartender. Most girls would be happy to find out I wasn’t just a working Joe.”
“Well, I’m not that girl, I suppose.” I move to take a step forward and he raises a hand to stop me.
“Suit yourself. But if you’re not going to tell me, at least drop the bitch act. It doesn’t suit you.” He spins on his heel and swings the door open forcibly.
I raise my chin and follow behind him, trying to stitch together the small part of my dignity that’s left as I walk with fake confidence back through the dining room. I need this night to be over. Sitting across from Cole all evening pretending he doesn’t affect me is going to take its toll. I just want it over and done with.
“Are you okay?” Tahlia looks so concerned as I take the seat across from her. Cole holds the chair out for me and pushes it in after I’ve sat down.
“Thank you,” I mutter then direct my attention back to Tahl. “I’m fine. Apparently utter mortification can’t actually kill you.” I give her a small smile.
She reaches across the table to squeeze my hand. “I can’t believe that happened.” She looks like she wants to laugh so I let her off the hook and smile a genuine smile at her. Sure enough a small giggle escapes.
Chase interrupts us a moment later. “All right, let’s start dinner. I have to swing back by the office.”
Tahlia shoots him a look and straightens in her chair then motions the waiter over to us.
Later on, the waiter has just cleared the table of our appetizers when an awkward silence descends.
Cole leans back in his chair and it’s hard not to notice how that action stretches the fabric over his muscled chest. He catches me admiring him and I immediately glance away, not interested in seeing the satisfied grin I’m sure is spreading across his face.
“So, why exactly have you two summoned us here tonight? I have to assume it has something to do with the wedding?” Cole asks.
“We didn’t summon you,” Chase says with no small amount of irritation in his voice.
Cole scoffs. “You asked me to join you, I told you I had somewhere I needed to be, and you insisted that I be here anyway. What would you call it?” Cole stares at his younger brother, his mouth in a straight line.
“Well, we want to thank you both for being here,” Tahlia says, ever the good hostess and peacemaker.
“Of course,” I say, meaning it. Even though being around Cole is the last thing I want, Tahlia is one of my best friends and I’d do anything for her.
“We’ve set a date for the wedding,” Chase says.
“That’s amazing!” I glance over at my friend and she’s beaming. “When is it?”
“Well… that’s the thing.” She’s playing with her wine glass on the table, spinning the base around and around, and it makes me think she’s nervous. “You know how I’ve always wanted to have my reception at the Julia Morgan Ballroom, right?”
I nod my head. Tahlia, or maybe her mother more accurately, has been planning her wedding since she was a young girl and she’s never wavered in her desire to have her reception at San Francisco’s most exclusive special events venue.
“Well, we inquired about a date and it turns out they’re completely booked up on spring and summer weekends for the next few years. But… they did have a couple recently cancel. The only problem is that it’s about nine months away. May to be exact.”
“That’s quick,” Cole says.
“That’s where you guys come in,” Chase responds.
“We don’t want to have to wait three years to get married and so, as maid of honor and best man, we’re hoping we can count on you guys for help.”
Wait, Cole is the best man? This is the first I’ve heard of this little nugget of information.
“What do you need?” I ask.
“We’re hoping that we can pass along some of the smaller jobs to you two. We’re both so busy at work, it’s going to be hard to run around the city and get everything done in time.”
I ignore the pang in my chest over her work comment because I know she doesn’t mean I have all the time in the world because I don’t have a job. I’m just being ultra-sensitive.
“I thought your mom would’ve h
ired the best wedding planner in the city.” I pick up my glass of wine and take a small sip.
“She tried, but this lady doesn’t know her ass from a hole in the ground. I’m not comfortable leaving everything in her hands.”
Tahlia confessed once that what she really wanted to be if she hadn’t felt pressured to join the family business was an event planner, so I’m guessing Tahl is a tough customer to please.
“Can we count on you?” I think Chase is directing that question to both of us, but he’s looking at his brother with a pointed stare.
“Of course you can. Whit and I are more than happy to help out the happy couple. Aren’t we?” Cole’s hand clamps down on my shoulder and I inhale a quick breath as the warmth seeps into my skin. What Tahl and Chase can’t see, but I can feel, is the way Cole is rubbing his thumb back and forth over my skin.
I glance over at him and he’s wearing a shit-eating grin and I know it’s because he’s aware of how his touch is affecting me.
Since I can’t get into it with him in front of Tahl and Chase, I merely give him a small smile and say, “Of course.”
“Great.” Tahlia claps her hands together in front of her. “I knew we could count on you guys.”
“We’ll do whatever it takes.”
As the words leave my mouth I know I mean them, but at the same time I can’t help the feeling that I both dread and look forward to exactly what that will entail.
9
I plop face first onto my bed as soon as I get home, letting out a groan that probably makes it sound as if I’m in pain.
I’m not. Not really. Truth is I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to spend so much time around Cole without ripping either his head or his clothes off. The guy is an arrogant ass and I refuse to be his plaything for however long I interest him, only to be tossed aside when he’s had his fill.
A scratching on the other side of the door has me pushing up off the mattress and walking to the other side of the room to see what the hell that sound is.
Sparky.
I forgot about that little guy.
He comes right on in as if he’s been invited. Which, he most certainly has not.