I drink my coffee. It’s cold. Fuck. I’ve been here for two hours because I couldn’t sleep. I got a ton of work done instead. I close my laptop just as Miss Shaw walks in.
She’s wearing a powder blue dress. It’s fitting, showcasing her curves. Fuck me, but she’s gorgeous. I manage to get my eyes up to her face and jump to my feet. She looks like hell. “Miss Shaw…are you okay?”
Her eyes are bloodshot. There are dark smudges below them. They even look a little puffy. I think she might have been crying. She looks exhausted.
“No…I’m not okay.” Her voice sounds choked.
I want to ask her what’s wrong, but I know what’s wrong. I know exactly. That kiss. That fucking kiss.
“I’m so sorry.” Her voice breaks. Thank fuck she doesn’t cry. She swallows thickly, taking a few seconds to compose herself. “That…it…yesterday…last night…” She breathes in. “I should never have mauled you like that. It was wrong of me. Very wrong. You have women throwing themselves at you left, right, and center. You asked me to help you with that and I…I…I maul you. I apologize profusely, and…here…” She sniffs, handing me an envelope.
“What’s this?”
“Open it.” Her eyes sparkle with unshed tears, but she blinks a few times and sniffs again instead of crying.
I take the envelope. I don’t like where this is going. I open it and pull out the single sheet of white paper. “You’re resigning?”
She nods. “I apologize for letting you down like this. I’ll help out today…if you even want me to, that is. Here…” She takes out a stack of papers. It’s the agenda. They’re printed on pale green paper. The B&H logo is on the top right-hand corner. Zeus Group on the left.
“These are great,” I say. They are great. She did an amazing job, I’m not just saying it.
“Don’t try to flatter me. I don’t deserve it.”
“Miss Shaw…stop.” I hold up the stack. “These are great. You didn’t maul me last night.” If anyone did the mauling, it was me.
“I did.” She nods her head, sniffing. “I absolutely mauled you.”
“You had a couple of glasses of wine and the—”
“Thanks for the reminder. I drank too much and then mauled you, and all on my first day of work. I’m mortified.” She covers her face with her hand, closing her eyes. It’s like she’s hoping she’ll disappear. That if she can’t see me, I can’t see her. She’s fucking adorable. I can’t let her leave. I won’t.
“These things happen sometimes. We both had a few drinks, and it happened…” I shrug. “It’s not a big deal. I kissed you back, Miss Shaw. It takes two.”
She opens her eyes. “I mauled you, and you reacted.”
“Stop saying ‘mauled’. You did not maul me.” I remember kissing her first. “Let’s please forget it ever happened. Look at you right now…” I try to give her a sympathetic look. I’ve never given anyone a sympathetic look before. “Based on your reaction, I can safely say that it’s definitely not going to happen again.” It so is, and more than once! “It’s a good thing it’s behind us.” So not! It’s only just beginning. “It was an innocent kiss. We both kissed each other. No one mauled anyone.” I can’t wait to maul her good and proper. “Don’t resign. I think it’s sweet that you felt you needed to, but it’s unnecessary. You need this job, Miss Shaw. I urge you to reconsider.” I hand her the letter, and she takes it.
“Are you sure?” She looks shocked.
“I’m very sure.” I push out a breath.
She widens her eyes. “You’re not sure at all, I can see it. You’re just trying to be nice.”
“I’m not trying to be anything. I’m not nice! I’m very sure I still want you on board, it’s just that you can’t mention this to anyone. Not your friends or your family. No one can know what happened.”
Her cheeks redden. My eyes narrow, and my muscles tighten. “You haven’t told anyone yet, have you?”
Miss Shaw shakes her head. She was planning to, I can see it written all over her face.
“You can’t tell anyone any of my personal information. Who I kiss falls under that bracket, even if that person happens to be you. You signed a legal document.” That NDA is broad. Fact of the matter is, I kissed her. That’s a fuck up! There are more than likely several loopholes a good lawyer could use if I tried to sue her, which I won’t do, but she can’t know that.
“Okay. I understand. I won’t say a thing to anyone.”
“Good. I’m glad that’s behind us.” I pick up the stack of papers. “I can handle this meeting, Miss Shaw. Why don’t you go to the hotel spa for the morning? You—”
Her eyes widen. “I couldn’t possibly—”
“You can. Sign it to your room. It’ll be on the company. Be ready for the meeting with the recruitment agent this afternoon at two. I need you there for that.”
“This isn’t right. I can’t just skip out for the day.”
“For the morning. You can, if I say you can. Now go. I’ll see you later.”
“You’re too nice.” Her eyes well with tears again. “I cannot believe how I lucked out with a boss like you. Thank you.”
“Enjoy.”
Saying the word makes her smile wider. I’m not sure why. I watch her leave.
Me…nice? Not fucking hardly.
Lucked out? Huh!
I’m the opposite of nice. I’m the biggest jerk alive. Miss Shaw has no idea yet. There is a part of me that wants to stop this, but I can’t. It’s like a boulder has started to roll down a steep hill. It doesn’t have much momentum yet, but there is also no stopping it anymore. I must have her.
She’s mine!
Then I have to leave her. It is how it is! She’s going to hate me when I present her with that contract. It’s probably for the best that she does. Just as long as she accepts. Hate fucks are the best kind of fucks there are, and it’ll make the walking away part easier.
16
Two days later…
Ashley
I walk inside, swallowing thickly. Guilt causes my stomach to ball up. I shouldn’t be here. It’s wrong.
Know your competition intimately.
Bolt is right. I need to do this. There are big windows at the front of the store, which is light and airy. The decor is modern and welcoming. Green plants line the whole far wall. It’s a very fresh approach to art…using plants instead of pictures. I hate that I love it as much as I do. It’s cozy and inviting and happy, all at once.
I smell coffee and the sweet scent of baked goods. There are twelve tables inside and three more on the pavement outside. Holy moly, but it has a big front-of-house section. At least triple the size of ours.
There is a small plant on each of the tables. I notice that there are no tables available, either inside or out. I recognize a couple of the patrons. What? Is that Mrs. Thomas? Come to think of it, she never did arrive for her eclair the other day. That’s a half-eaten eclair on her plate right now. My mouth drops open for a moment. I feel like I’ve been cheated on. Buns just lost another customer. My heart is sinking rapidly. I want to run out. I need to face up to reality. I must!
What else? Keep asking yourself that question until you have all the answers.
Bolt’s advice was accurate. I can do this! I pull my hat more firmly over my forehead, hoping to hide my face. I’m thankful for the big glasses. I’m undercover, so I leave them on despite being indoors. It’s really sunny in here, so I’ll get away with it. No one seems to take note of me, but you can’t be too careful. There’s a small queue at the counter. Three ladies buzz around, taking and making orders. At Buns, we’re down to one…my mom. We no longer have part timers helping out on the weekends. We’re not busy enough. This place is hopping.
There are fresh loaves lining the back shelves. Not just the regular kind, either. I see sourdough, ciabatta, seed loaf, French loaf, rye, as well as the ones we stock. A couple of the shelves are empty. Sold out, perhaps? I’ve been trying to get my father to expand our
offering, but he won’t budge.
I see a whole array of pastries and cupcakes. They offer a larger selection of those too. I’m impressed. I don’t want to admit it, even to myself, but I’m hugely impressed. Everything looks fantastic. We assumed that the quality would be greatly compromised, but I think we may have been wrong.
Then I see them. I feel this pang inside. Already prepared sandwiches and croissants. They look amazing. There are various fillings, from pastrami to tuna. I’m getting hungry just looking at them…looking at everything. My heart is sinking like a rock. Bolt was right. It’s a good thing I’m here. On the other hand, I’m feeling disheartened.
It’s finally my turn. “Good morning, Ma’am. Welcome to Sweet Things, what can I get you today?”
“What do you recommend, Angel? Is your name really Angel?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” She beams. “My mama is a serious Christian, and she said that when she looked at my little face after I was born, I made her think of an angel. The name stuck.”
“I like it.”
“Thank you!” More beaming. “What do you feel like this morning? Something sweet or savory?”
“Both. I think I’ll go with a pastrami sandwich on seed loaf. Um…which of your pastries sells the most?”
“It’s not a pastry, per se, but our pies sell really well. The Key Lime is a big favorite. Chocolate follows a close second. I like them both.”
“Okay, I’ll have a slice of the Key Lime, one of the giant chocolate chip cookies, and maybe a cupcake.”
“Hungry?” she laughs.
“Yes, I’ll take some home for later. It’s my cheat day.” I feel bad lying. “Although, every day is a cheat day when it comes to me.” More along the lines of the truth.
She laughs some more. I like her so much. She makes me want to come back. Argh!! “Let me know which of the cupcakes catches your eye,” she says to me. I watch her pack everything up while I peruse the cupcake display. They have two flavors we don’t have, namely Pink Lemonade and Cinnamon Toast. I ask for the first one. I think our selection is better, but not by much. We also put more frosting on ours. That makes me think of Bolt and the whole ‘shirt ruining’ incident, which still makes me blush. I can’t help it.
The rest of the day went well yesterday. I went for a full body massage but fell asleep on the table. I woke up with drool all over my face. I did feel much better afterward. Bolt and I didn’t talk much. I was there for the afternoon meeting. I took notes. He gave me more typing for the flight home. He was so busy that he waved Lilian away when she tried to offer him an early dinner. I ate. Of course I did. I’m not one for turning down good food, and it was delicious. I also drank plenty of water. Couldn’t get enough of the stuff. I wonder why. Again, my face feels hot at the thought.
Overall, Bolt seemed fine, but…he didn’t seem the same as before. A lot colder. I don’t blame him. He’s probably afraid I’ll jump him again. I can be thankful that I have such an amazing boss. I would have fired me. I need to be on my best behavior from here on out. I can’t get overly familiar, or assume he’s flirting with me when he’s really not.
“Anything else I can get for you?” Angel asks me, drawing me back from my thoughts.
“I’ll also take a coffee.” They have one of those big fancy machines. It must have cost a small fortune.
“No problem, you can make your choice from the board behind me.”
Mother-of-freaking-pearl, they have a ton of options. Tall or regular. Skinny, chai, iced, double, single, frozen…the list goes on. “I’ll have a tall cappuccino with hazelnut syrup.”
“To go?”
“Yes, please.” I glance behind me and see that the patrons sitting at the tables have glassware and cutlery. They run a tight ship here. I think it’s lovely. I thought a franchise unit would be cold and unwelcoming.
“Your name please?” She lifts her brows.
“My name?” I panic. Yes, apparently, I panic often. At least, lately I do. I can’t give them my real name.
“Yes, for your coffee, so you know when it’s ready.” She has a sharpie in her hand.
“Of course.” I snort-laugh, glancing to my left. The lady next to me is clutching a Chanel bag. “Chanel,” I almost yell.
“Okie dokes,” she says while she writes. “That’ll just be a few minutes.” She rings up my order. I pay and thank her. I move over to the side to wait. More people are in the queue. My food is neatly packed in a bag, which I put on the floor next to me. Then I look at my receipt and almost fall over.
Fudge.
Double fudge.
Fudgey fudge.
I really want to swear right now, for real, and loudly. Their prices are higher than ours. Higher! I bite down on my lip. This can’t be right! It’s the one thing we were so certain about. The one reason we had to explain why they were taking our business…and it isn’t true. I wonder if it’s the same for the corporate clients we’ve lost.
I take my phone out of my purse, and before I can think too much about it, I type a text to Bolt. It ends up being very long, but I send it anyway. I’m completely flustered. And afraid. I’m so scared Buns is headed down a one-way street.
Me: I’m sorry to bug you on the weekend, but I had to let you know that you were right! Your advice was spot on. Sweet Things is fantastic. I’m surprised Buns has any customers left at all. I still have to taste their products, but I’m sure they’ll be delicious – I insert two crying faces. Worst of all, their prices are higher than ours. At this point, I feel my eyes well and my throat clogs up. It’s going to take much more than I thought to turn things around. I’m ashamed to say, I insert a couple more crying faces. I think Bolt will understand.
I stand there, blinking like mad behind my sunglasses, trying hard not to cry when my phone vibrates.
Bolt: Of course I was right. It’s what I do for a living. Sorry to hear. Make sure you have a plan. What do you need to change at Buns in order to remain, not only competitive, but also to take the advantage?
It’s excellent advice, but such a pity that any plan I come up with won’t be actionable. Forget about it! We would need to have, as a bare minimum, the same offerings as they do, at similar prices. How? We’d need to rebuild or move premises. We’d need a complete overhaul, along with the extra equipment. Not to mention the fancy coffee machine, and those cost more than my car did.
Me: I would need to rob a bank.
Bolt: Maybe you can get a loan.
Me: Doubtful
Bolt: It’ll all work out. You’ll see.
Me: Thanks again. Enjoy your weekend – smiley face
Bolt: You too! Oh and BTW, your advice about my mom was spot on too. I’m going to her house later to oversee the roof contractors. Guess what? She’s quite happy to let them fix the leak with me there. I’ll stay for dinner afterward – eye-roll emoji. I have so much work to do!
Me: Time off with loved ones is important.
Bolt: You’re right – smiley face
I smile for a moment because he smiley-faced me, and then I frown. I’m already assuming things when I told myself I wouldn’t do that. Stop it, Ashley! I’m happy things are going better with his mom. I’m happy my advice worked. Then I reread his previous text about Buns.
It’ll all work out. You’ll see.
“Yeah, right!” I grumble. I can’t see how. I have a feeling that new industrial kitchen equipment shouldn’t be at the top of the list anymore. We need to renovate our premises. I’m talking ‘break down walls’ stuff. We need a coffee machine. We need new furniture… The more I think about it, the more despondent I become. We need a whole lot of changes, which means a whole lot of money.
Someone touches the side of my arm. I lift my gaze. It’s Angel. She’s smiling. “Your coffee is ready, Chanel. I’ve been calling and calling.”
“I’m sorry…I…I was distracted.” All true.
“I hope it’s nothing serious.” She frowns over her smile.
I try to smile back
at her. “It’ll be okay.” I try to believe my words, but I can’t.
Angel hands me my coffee. “I’m sure all of your goodies will make you feel better.”
I nod once. I doubt that very much. “Thank you,” I mumble. I have a feeling I’m going to feel infinitely worse when I discover that everything in this bag tastes really good. I take a deep breath. I’m going to put that plan together. I’ll figure something out. I have to.
17
Bolt
My golf bag is slung over my back. I put my thumb against the pad, and my front door opens. I walk inside. Trident follows. “I still can’t believe you agreed to a game,” he says, sounding amused.
“Why not?”
“Um…maybe because you haven’t done much of anything for months. I’ve asked you to hang – many times – and this is the first time you actually agreed. I nearly fell over.”
I put the bag down. “Golf is one thing. Clubbing, and all that other shit you do, is another entirely. I can’t be seen messing around right now.”
“Have you ever heard of VIP, bro? You wouldn’t have to mingle with the general public. I own The Lagoon. I can sneak you in and sneak you out. VIP all the way.”
“It just takes half a second and someone snapping a picture, and I’m made out to be this bad boy player who sleeps with anything in a skirt.”
Lord of Rain (The Dragon Demigods Book 5) Page 13