Rachel searched in her head for any rule that Jennifer had set that wouldn’t allow an innocent chat. “Just keep them on the phone,” her trainer had advised. Hmm, a break from the dirty birdies to chat it up with Hottie McCoffeehouse? Um, yes please!
“No, there’s nothing wrong with that. But don’t you have someone to talk to for free?”
Joe chuckled. “Not lately. My family is out west, and the only person I’m interested in chatting with keeps shooting me down. And believe me, I could talk with you for an hour and still pay less than if I went to see a shrink.”
Rachel giggled and her heart melted at the same time. She stepped out of character long enough to feel like a jerk for turning him down twice. But Kirby wanted to know more.
She giggled and replied, “Touché, Joe. Tell me about this person. Who keeps shooting you down?”
“This girl,” he muttered, “I don’t even know her name, but somehow I’ve saved her from cracking her skull twice. And she’s gorgeous. I want to get to know her, but she won’t even have coffee with me.”
Rachel’s eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. He couldn’t possibly mean … ?
“What does she look like?”
“She’s a little thing.” He added with a chuckle, “Then again, everyone’s little to me.”
Rachel stifled a giggle and closed her eyes. “What do you look like, Joe?”
“Me? I’m six-five, two-eighty. Black hair, brown eyes — pretty standard, except for the height of course.”
Standard? Not the way I remember it. With her eyes closed, she was able to recall his warm chocolaty eyes with startling clarity. His facial hair, just growing in and ruggedly scruffy stood out, doing nothing to hide that heart-stopping smile.
“Kirby?”
“Huh,” she stammered, “Oh! I’m still here — just trying to picture you.”
“Well, I’m a giant. I wonder if that’s why she won’t go out with me.”
Rachel made a small empathetic sound. “I’m sure that’s not the case. Maybe she’s a little intimidated, though. You sound like a lot.”
Joe chuckled deeply. “Oh yeah? A lot of what?”
Rachel paused, letting a soft, quick laugh escape her lips. “A lot of man.”
Joe laughed heartily, as if it were the funniest thing he ever heard. The rest of the conversation flowed easily after that, and Kirby learned more about him in one night than Rachel ever could. As Kirby she was brave and could ask those questions. Then again, Joe would never see Kirby, so she had nothing to lose.
• • •
Rachel was not only exhausted the next day, but highly distracted. She couldn’t stop hearing Joe’s voice in her head, and pictured him so often that she found herself closing her eyes for more than just resting them. Rachel couldn’t stop imagining herself in his arms again, this time of her own free will instead of because of the forces of gravity. Her subconscious had also somehow stored his scent in the back of her mind, and Rachel began to recall that scent — it nearly drove her mad.
She remembered his impressive hands, and wondered how easily they would cover parts of her body. Rachel imagined those hands being skilled at everything, and sparks ignited in the pit of her belly for the umpteenth time that day. Her phone ringing interrupted her mid-morning fantasy, and she dashed to pick it up, feeling guilty for having slacked off for far too long.
“Hi, it’s Rachel.”
The boss’s voice was even and friendly. “Rachel, it’s Lucy. Can you come to my office, please?”
“Sure thing,” Rachel answered quickly before hanging up the phone.
Rachel made her way to Lucy’s office, walking the long way in an attempt to avoid Michelle’s watchful glare. She chastised herself for going out of her way to keep Michelle from starting trouble — she was allowed to talk to Lucy, wasn’t she? After all, Lucy was watching her progress carefully. It would just be strange if she didn’t follow up with her now and again. Rachel knocked on the editor-in-chief’s door.
Lucy’s voice called out pleasantly, “Come on in!”
Rachel was greeted with a smile as Lucy gestured to the chair in front of her desk.
“Please sit down. Amy brought us coffee. I thought we could have a little chat about how you’ve been.”
She would have been lying to herself if she didn’t confess to being a little surprised. Lucy was in rare form today; while she normally behaved professionally and pleasantly, Rachel had never seen her exuberantly friendly before. A voice in the back of Rachel’s head told her something was up.
“Is this my one-month evaluation?”
Lucy took a sip of coffee and nodded. “Right you are, Rachel. I thought we’d do something a little less formal. I’ve been asking around the office about you, and I’ve been extremely pleased with what I’m hearing. We’ll go over that first, and then you can ask me any questions you like. Sound good?”
“Okay,” Rachel replied casually, grabbing the cup that Lucy had pushed at her.
“Sounds perfect. How am I doing?”
“Well, Miss Sirianni, I hear around the office that you’ve got a great eye for a promising story. I hear that your writing skills are impeccable and that you’ve developed a great rapport with all of our authors. I also hear that you’re especially talented when working with the writers whose manuscripts have been rejected.”
Rachel sighed. “I hope you don’t think I’m weak.”
“Never,” Lucy answered quickly. “We don’t destroy dreams. We don’t want writers to think that they’ll never be published again. The fact is what we might turn down now could potentially be something we need later. Equinox Publishing doesn’t burn bridges.”
A pang of guilt surged through Rachel. Lucy spoke of her company proudly, and yet one of her junior editors sat in an office just a few feet away, bluntly rejecting everything in sight. How had Michelle gotten away with it for so long?
“I’m glad you said that because it’s the reason I wanted to work here. I do believe in giving the unpublished writer a shot that the larger houses aren’t willing to provide.”
Lucy smiled. “You’re doing well, Rachel. Keep up the good work — I may have a junior editor spot for you in a few months. It’s still up in the air right now, but I’ll be promoting someone to executive editor of the office I want to open in London, and moving one of our junior editors here to a senior editor spot. I think you’d be perfect for our editorial team, Rachel. Promise me you won’t stop making me proud.”
Rachel couldn’t help but return the smile. “I appreciate that, Lucy, more than you know. Can I speak frankly?”
Lucy leaned forward with interest. “Please do.”
Rachel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Well, there’s this manuscript that Michelle passed over, and I think she made a mistake.”
“Michelle is the best junior editor on my staff. Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I know, and I’m not trying to question Michelle’s judgment at all. Generally, I follow her lead and treat everything she turns away as a learning experience. I just think this particular manuscript deserves a second look.”
Lucy raised an eyebrow. “Have you spoken to Michelle about this?”
“She stands by her decision to reject it,” Rachel answered, “and I respect that decision, but I can’t help but wonder if you share the same opinion that she does.”
“You feel that strongly about it?”
Rachel nodded. “I do. I usually familiarize myself with the manuscripts by doing a quick read through before I draft a rejection letter, so that I can give honest and specific criticism. But when I picked up this packet, I couldn’t put it down. I’m sorry that Michelle didn’t feel the same, and I really didn’t want to go over her head, but I felt that I had to bring this particular story to you
r attention.”
Her face burned scarlet as Lucy silently considered her. Lucy folded her hands on the desk in front of her, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow before she finally spoke.
“It took a lot for you to tell me this, didn’t it?”
“I don’t want to start trouble, Lucy. But if we’re really the company we say we are, then I have to stand up for this manuscript.”
A small smile tugged at the corner of Lucy’s mouth. “Very well, Rachel. I’ll be here late tonight, so bring it to me before you leave and I’ll give it a look. But I can’t guarantee anything. Some stories strike people differently than others.”
“I understand,” Rachel responded, her voice brightening, “but I think you’re going to love it.”
“I can tell you do,” Lucy answered with a smirk. “Go ahead back to your desk and we’ll chat more tonight.”
Rachel stood with a wide smile. She nodded and turned toward the door, walking with a spring in her step.
“And Rachel?”
She turned to look and Lucy continued, “Thanks for being on my team.”
Rachel responded with a smile. She couldn’t help but wonder if she imagined the emphasis that Lucy had put on the word my.
• • •
Camille raised a glass to her best friend; their weekly dinner at Five Napkin Restaurant had become a mini-celebration. “To Rachel, for growing the biggest set of balls I’ve ever seen and finally approaching her editor — and to Kirby, for planting the seed with her naughty girl fingers!”
Rachel released a nervous laugh. “Will you stop it? Don’t use that name out loud! What if someone recognizes it?”
Camille snickered. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Do you think any of your callers are in this restaurant right now? Oh my God, can you imagine?”
Rachel’s eyes widened and she smirked before draining her wine glass. “No, and I don’t want to imagine. The last thing I need is some guy coming up to me asking me to autograph his penis pump!”
“Shut up,” Camille giggled, her voice jumping an entire octave, “You have no idea how that would make my night!”
“You’re so ridiculous,” Rachel laughed with a shake of her head.
Camille ruffled her hair and grinned. “It’s all part of my charm, darling!”
“Is that what you’re calling it now,” Rachel teased, hailing their waiter for a refill.
Camille gave her a wink and casually emptied her glass. She smacked her lips gently. “Speaking of charm, get yours on. Your blind date is on Friday.”
Chapter Four
Rachel ran up the steps in Camille’s building, taking on two at a time as a bag with their lunch swung so hard at her side that it kept hitting the banister. Cami rented a studio in a fourth-floor walkup for work purposes, and it was there that they had agreed to meet for lunch. In all the excitement of her stepping up at Equinox, she’d neglected to tell her best friend the other major news. Rachel burst through the door at exactly one o’clock, and Camille gasped. Rachel exuberantly began to unpack the sandwiches, stopping and starting as she took steps first to the left, then the right.
“Rachel what is it?” Camille looked concerned. “You look like a chicken with its head cut off!”
Rachel finally paused, looking to her best friend. “I was just in a rush, I’m sorry. Frankly, I can’t believe I forgot to tell you this at dinner. Guess who called at Orchid last night?”
Camille raised an eyebrow. “I’ll bite. Who called?”
“Hottie McCoffeehouse.”
“No way!” Camille cried out with laughter. “Joe called in?”
Rachel nodded with an ear-to-ear grin. “Kirby talked to him in great detail last night!”
“Oh, man — this is so good, it has to be fattening! You’ve gotta tell me everything. What’s his poison? Spanking? Bondage? Both?”
“Easy, easy,” Rachel laughed loudly. “We didn’t actually have phone sex.”
Camille sucked her teeth. “Why do you keep doing this to me? Just when I think you’re turning into this aggressive sex kitten, you let me down!”
“He talked about me, Cami! About Rachel, the girl he can’t get out of his head.”
“Oh, that is interesting,” Camille replied with a slow nod. “He’s sprung on you, huh? What did he say?”
“He mentioned that he was new in town, and that he’s been here for about a month and has never met anyone like the girl that keeps landing in front of him. He’s actually upset that he hasn’t … um, run into her recently.
“Tell me you broke character and told him!”
“I’ll get fired, are you kidding me? I can’t do that! But maybe I advised him to try hitting up the same places to see if he can get her to fall for him again.”
Camille giggled mischievously. “Rach, that’s sneaky — wait a minute! You’re sprung on him too, admit it!”
Rachel shrugged her shoulders, eyes widened. “Of course I am! How can I not love the fact that his arms are solid, warm, and soft all at the same time? How can I not go weak at the knees when he stares at me like I’m the most gorgeous girl he’s ever seen? Do I love the attention? Yes. Do I want to get to know him? Absolutely.”
“Do you partially want to watch him strip and shove dollars down his pants? Perhaps!”
Rachel blushed and let out a laugh as Camille danced around her, “Joe and Rachel, sitting in a tree … wait! What about the blind date?”
“What about it?”
“It’s tomorrow night! You can’t just stand up my brother’s client!”
Rachel looked stunned. “Really, Cami? You’re going to hold me to this blind date? What if I see Joe again?”
“And what if you don’t? As happy as I am that you’re crushing on someone, what are the odds that he’s going to take the advice of a phone sex girl?”
Rachel made a disgusted sound. “That’s harsh.”
“I’m just being realistic,” Camille explained, grabbing Rachel’s hand and leading her to the conference table. “Just go on the date. Besides, it’s never a good idea to be strung out on one guy so early in the game.”
Now it was Rachel’s turn to suck her teeth. “I’m not strung out.”
“Based on what you’re telling me, it doesn’t seem that far off!”
• • •
Rachel waited in Times Square, in front of the Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Museum, still reeling from Camille’s comments the day before. Being strung out on a guy was not a good look for anybody, especially her. Rachel had spent the last few years making sure she didn’t need a boyfriend. She’d finally gotten to a point with men where she could take them or leave them. The problem with Joe was that she really, really wanted to take him. Take him in her kitchen, on her desk at work, in a cab headed home … there go the vapors again! Running a hand through her soft dark curls, she made herself stop. Focus on the date, she thought, get your mind out of the gutter!
Rachel checked herself out in the mirror that stood across the lobby. Cami’s brother, Mike, had suggested casual dress. She wore black leather boots that extended to her knees, paired with dark blue denim skinny jeans that complimented her dangerous hips perfectly. Her top was also black, hugging her curvaceous form from the waist up to the shoulders, where the collar was loose enough to hang off of her shoulder blades. She wore a red fabric scarf loosely around her neck; this was the accent that she’d provided for her date to recognize.
Her curls fell in waves down her back, and she looked every bit as cute as she did casual. The good news was that she felt it too. She stood patiently, leaning her weight to one side as she fiddled with her phone. Rachel had already established rule number one back at the house. Don’t look for him; it makes you look desperate. Suddenly, she heard someone call her name — and it was a voice she recogn
ized.
“Rachel?”
Her heart stopped and flew into her throat. Joe? She looked up, unable to hide the initial excitement. “Joe? What are you — ?”
Joe gave her a crooked grin. “Red scarf.”
Her eyes widened. “Red scarf?”
“You’re Mike’s friend aren’t you? Blind date?” He raised an eyebrow, and she inwardly swooned. Rachel hadn’t seen those dimples before.
She blinked. “You’re Mike’s friend? My best friend’s brother, Mike?”
Joe let out a throaty chuckle as he stepped closer. “Is it just me or has the world gotten smaller?”
Her heart jump-started and dropped into her stomach. “Oh, it’s not just you. I uh … never thought I’d see you again.”
“I knew I’d see you again.” Joe smiled down at her.
His voice reminded Rachel of caramel; smooth, silken. Looking up at him, she let out an involuntary sigh. Joe seemed satisfied with that reaction, briefly licking his lips before dropping his head shyly and running a hand through his hair.
“So,” his voice trailed deliciously, “Rachel.”
She blushed, averting her gaze. “Joe.”
They faced each other silently, pure electricity passing between them. Rachel thought she was losing her mind, chastising herself for wanting to jump in his arms and kiss him. Well, someone’s gotta get the ball rolling, Rachel said to herself.
“So, what do you think we should do first?” she asked. “Dinner? A movie? Maybe we can walk around?”
“Let’s have dinner,” Joe suggested, seeming thankful that she had broken the ice. “But you might want to walk in front of me since, you know, you seem to lose your balance when I’m around.”
Joe’s nervous joke relaxed Rachel, making her toss her head back flirtatiously and let out an amused chuckle. “Oh, look who has jokes! Let’s go, buddy — I know a place.”
• • •
Rachel held Joe’s gaze as they took the first few steps away from Times Square, and she flashed him a smile that made his insides melt. He was surprised at how she made him feel only minutes into their first date. She led the conversation away from careers by asking him how he liked being in the city. Joe was a little taken aback at first, but remembered that his buddy Mike had probably told her that he was new to the area.
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