Nightfall

by TK Lawyer

  Tamara giggled. “You’re just too much, Vee, but I love you.”

  Tamara hugged her friend again before sauntering back to her office to begin her workday.

  ***

  Tamara tried at several times throughout her day to stay focused on what she needed to accomplish but images of Josh kept popping up in her mind. She missed him. She sat back in her plush office chair and pictured his strong arms gripping her tightly and his soft, devilishly sinful lips atop hers. A noisy sigh of pleasure escaped her lips. She giggled, searching around for anyone who might’ve heard her.

  Thank goodness, no one did.

  “What’s he up to?” Tamara mused. If I text him, will he answer? Hmmm. She touched the messaging app and typed in:

  Hi, Sweetie. What are you up to?

  She didn’t have long to wait. Her cellphone chimed, and she looked at her screen.

  Hey, Veronica. I was just thinking of you.

  The phone fell out of her hands onto her desk. “What? Who’s Veronica?”

  She stared at the phone while shaking her head in disbelief. Who was Veronica? Was Josh dating others? Why didn’t Josh tell her about Veronica?

  Her lithe fingertips flew across the screen’s keyboard. She was ready to ask who Veronica was and why he was thinking about her. She prepared herself for any outcome. If Josh was seeing others…her heart dropped into her stomach. She’d have to let him go, though she had no clue how she would. He’d become an important part of her life.

  Got you going, didn’t I? LOL. Luv you, Tamara.

  She shouted. “Oh my god! That rascal.”

  She reread his message and texted him back. How could you scare me like that? I almost broke it off with you!

  His reply came after a few minutes. You’re not going anywhere.

  She stared at the screen in disbelief. How did he assume that? She teased him in her reply. How do you know?

  Her phone chimed again with his reply. I’ll never let you go.

  “Hmmm.”

  Her cellphone chimed again. She turned it over and read the screen. You know there’s no one else but you. I love you, Babe. See you later?

  She read the message again and sighed. She loved Josh and couldn’t remain miffed over a silly tease. She punched in letters.

  Yes. Love you too.

  His reply came several minutes later than expected.

  Looking forward to it. Later, my love.

  Crazy man.

  Her lips curved into a smile. Josh was amazing, and she couldn’t wait to see him again. Did she love him, or was she in love with him? Whichever, it didn’t matter. Josh was more than she ever hoped for, and he loved her.

  This time, her sigh was a happy one.

  ***

  At four-thirty, Tamara flew out the door and down the steps to her waiting car, making a mental list of the few things she had to do. Exercise, shower, figure out what to wear to the restaurant.

  Once she got home, Tamara jumped on her elliptical machine. Thirty-six minutes later and almost breathless, she stepped off the machine and marked her feat in black ink on her calendar. Thoughts of Josh accompanied her cool-down stretches.

  Somehow, he always appeared just as she was getting ready to work out. He pretended to be her personal trainer, assisting her in stretching out her muscles. The problem was his hands-on approach was too distracting. He’d wait until she bent forward to touch her toes, and then caress her from her ankles to her curvy bottom, thoroughly covering every inch while whispering provocative suggestions. His hands would then grip her hips, holding her against the rigid evidence of his strong desire for her.

  Tamara pretended to complain and yell at him, but she secretly enjoyed his attention. He made her feel wanted in a way no other man ever had.

  After her workout and the remembered feel of Josh behind her, she needed the quick shower she took before ransacking her closet for something to wear. She decided on a white short-sleeved blouse, black pants, and low heels. She kept her makeup light and put on a pair of long, dangling black pearl earrings, the matching necklace and ring, and her watch. Spritzing on some perfume, she grabbed her purse and made her way to her car.

  Before turning the key in the ignition, she texted Josh: On my way.

  Seconds later, she received a reply: Perfect. You hungry?

  In her haste to see Josh, she’d forgotten about eating. Wow, that was a first. Vee would laugh and give her one of her knowing looks.

  She texted her reply: Yes.

  Tamara considered where to park the car. Since she was pretending to be one of the staff, she opted for the back of the restaurant. She rounded the corner, spotted Josh’s Jaguar, and smiled at the posted sign in front of his car. Reserved for Owner. That devil. He had hidden it the night of their date.

  After walking around the building, she pulled open one of the front double doors and found a short line of people waiting for a seat.

  “Hi there. How many?” the hostess asked when she finally made it through the line.

  Tamara shook her head. “Oh no, I’m not dining. I’m here to meet with Josh Carrigan.”

  “Is he expecting you?” the doe-eyed hostess asked.

  “Um, yes. Did he not mention me? My name’s Tamara. He should be expecting me.”

  “No, I’m sorry, he didn’t say. Have a seat, please, and I’ll call him to let him know.” The girl pointed to a row of benches along the front wall.

  She sat on the plush L-shaped bench and considered texting Josh but decided to let the hostess call him instead.

  Tamara scanned through the e-mails on her cell phone, glancing up as the hostess greeted several more patrons. The girl was thin, and Tamara figured her wide-eyed, innocent look beckoned men like sailors to a siren.

  She bit her lower lip. Was this one of the married ones Josh mentioned before, or was she the one who was engaged?

  The hostess turned to Tamara with a frown. “He’s not picking up. I’ll try him again in a little bit.”

  Tamara pulled her phone out of her purse and texted Josh: Hi. I’m up front waiting.

  The front doors opened and closed as a steady stream of diners placed their names on the waitlist and made themselves comfortable near Tamara. She perked up when she spotted Josh, handsome as ever in a grey blazer with a white, long-sleeved shirt, and grey dress pants. He crooked his finger and beckoned her with a smile as he spoke to the hostess.

  “Adrienne. Rebecca must not have told you that I was expecting a guest.” He gestured toward Tamara. “This is my girlfriend, Tamara. I’ll take her with me now.”

  Tamara’s heart fluttered. He’d called her his girlfriend. She supposed that’s what she was, but he never called her that before. Truly, he hadn’t had the opportunity to introduce her as anything to anyone, but still, she was happy to hear it.

  Adrienne apologized. “I’m sorry, Josh. I didn’t know.”

  He waved her comment off. “It’s okay. Just don’t let it happen again.”

  The hostess’ smile fell.

  “I’m kidding, by the way.”

  Taking ahold of Tamara’s elbow, he led her toward the back of the restaurant. Tamara looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye.

  “You called me your girlfriend.”

  He stopped and faced her. “That’s what you are, isn’t it?”

  “It’s just nice to hear, that’s all.”

  Josh looked into her eyes. He wove his fingers through her hair and smiled. “You know I want to kiss you, right? But I’m at work and I can’t, unfortunately.”

  “Maybe later.”

  He grinned. “Let’s visit the break room then. I’ve had the chef prepare a special meal for us. We’ll eat dinner first before we make our way through the restaurant. I like to greet my guests and then circle back to the kitchen to check up on things.”

  “Josh.”

  “Yes, Sweetheart?”

  He turned the doorknob to the employee break room and held the door open for her. A few employees
were inside watching TV on one of the two sofas while others were seated at tables, eating. All looked up and greeted Josh as he walked in.

  “Never mind,” Tamara replied, looking around the room.

  Josh led her to an adjoining door through the kitchen. “What is it?”

  With a short, shy smile, she replied, “It’s okay. We can talk about it later.”

  Speak to me, my dear. No one can hear us this way.

  Josh approached the head chef with instructions for their dinner and introduced Tamara before heading back toward the break room.

  Tamara continued her silent conversation with him.

  I just wondered about the hostess. Is she the one that’s engaged or married?

  She’s just an intern. I don’t consider her an employee.

  Tamara stopped in mid-pace, the bustle of the kitchen flowing around them. Employees juggling several dinner plates in their hands, weaved their way around them. She wasn’t aware Josh had women working in the restaurant who weren’t employees; it seemed like a convenient loophole considering their previous conversation. She questioned his logic for telling her there were only four women working there. She also questioned what other secrets he kept.

  Give him the benefit of the doubt, Tamara, she chastised herself. Yet, hard as she tried she couldn’t push aside the notion that he was acting like her ex’s with his sneaky behavior.

  He eyed her as he spoke. Tamara, this is part of the restaurant business. I am always going to be around women. You’ll have to get used to that.

  Her first instinct was to flee. It was always that way any time someone confronted her or called her out on anything. She struggled to stay put instead, concentrating on reasons why Josh would’ve deliberately manipulated his words to her.

  He led her through the break room door, where they sat at a table toward the back of the room, close to the adjoining kitchen. A waiter brought their meals with silverware folded into a cloth napkin. He asked each of them what they wanted to drink and slipped back into the kitchen to retrieve their beverages.

  Josh motioned to the filet, vegetable medley, and Caesar salad the waiter had placed in front of them. “Well, what do you think?”

  Her heart fell as she looked at the gourmet feast. Tonight was supposed to be a nice time, yet he still hadn’t answered her. “It looks delicious.”

  A long silence followed as Tamara focused on cutting her thick filet mignon into perfect, bite-sized pieces, using it as an excuse to avoid all eye contact with Josh. However, it didn’t stop her brain and heart from warring against each other. One offered to give him a chance; Josh didn’t mean to lie to her. The other chimed in, stating he was like all the other men in her past, and she should’ve known better. She wanted to cry. The other part of her wanted to run.

  He whispered her name, but she ignored him, steadily carving into the over-sliced meat.

  What’s wrong?

  Instead of replying, she looked up at him with an overwhelming feeling of sadness welling up around her heart.

  He reached across the table and held her hand. “Darling, what is it?” A row of crease lines marked his forehead.

  She replied through telepathy. I love you so much, Josh. But I just don’t know if you’re telling me the entire truth sometimes. Several of my past relationships failed because the men were hiding secrets, and I don’t want that kind of relationship ever again. I just can’t handle it.

  “Darling, I’m not that way. I’ve always been honest with you. If it ever crossed my mind to lie to you, I’d know there was a problem with our relationship, and I’d tackle that head-on.”

  She bit her lower lip, debating whether or not to say anything. But she had to have it out with him. Otherwise, how would she ever learn to trust him?

  “What about the intern?”

  He sat back in surprise. “Adrienne? What about her?”

  “You told me four women were working here, and they were all married or engaged. Then I find her here, and she’s not either married or engaged. She’s young and thin and-”

  She stopped suddenly, swallowing back a dry lump in her throat.

  Josh had narrowed his eyes, and his gaze locked to hers. “This is her first night on the floor, Tamara.”

  Her gaze fell as she digested what he’d just said. He hadn’t lied. When they’d had the conversation about his employees, Adrienne wasn’t even working here. Tamara felt her cheeks heating up. She felt stupid.

  Josh curled his fingers under and lifted her chin, catching her gaze and holding it so she couldn’t look away.

  “I want to share everything with you, Tamara. If you have questions, just ask me.” He caressed the side of her cheek, then reached across the table and took her hand. “I want us to always be open and honest with each other. I mean it. No secrets. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Are we all right now?”

  “Yes, thank you. I trust you, Josh. At least I want to.”

  “As you should, my mate.” He speared a lettuce leaf and lifted it to his lips, and then stopped. “Tamara,” he said with a deeper timbre to his voice.

  “Yes?” She looked at him across the table.

  “Please don’t compare me to your past boyfriends. I’m nothing like them.”

  Tamara averted her eyes in embarrassment. Josh was right. It wasn’t fair comparing him to her past boyfriends. Besides, none of them were shifters. And none of them made her incredibly hot and lustful—only Josh. “I’m sorry. You’re right. They were nothing like you.”

  He winked and returned his attention to his salad. “You remember that.”

  She laughed and forked a bite of her filet mignon as their conversation turned lively.

  ***

  “Wow, what a nice, large office you have,” Tamara exclaimed. She ran her fingers across the elongated cherry oak desk that dominated the massive room. An adjacent sleek computer desk held his laptop. The framed pictured hanging behind the huge desk made her pivot toward him with a surprised smile. “You have wolves in the painting.”

  “Well, yes, they’re not dogs,” he teased.

  She chuckled and lightly punched him in the arm.

  He held onto his bicep, feigning pain “Hey! I have to work with that arm, you know.”

  She giggled and skittered away to avoid being swatted on her bottom. “You big baby.”

  Tamara rounded the corner of his desk and gasped. In front of her was a familiar face staring back from a beautifully decorated frame. It was her, the night of their date, wearing the Moroccan print dress. The serene, awe-inspiring lake she’d looked out at most of the night was behind her in the picture.

  She pointed at the frame. “You have the picture of me taken here a few days ago?”

  He picked up the frame and looked at it, his brow creased as if puzzled. “Really? Huh. Would you look at that? It’s on my desk and framed, as well.”

  She tried to slap his arm, playfully, but his reflexes were quicker. He moved away before she could reach him. Her glance shifted over to the plush couch in his office and to visions of them together on it while his hands slipped around her waist.

  He hugged her and looked at her picture. Josh’s intimate hot breath swept under her earlobe. “See, I told you, you looked beautiful.”

  A jolt of pleasure rocked through Tamara. Her lips were mere inches from his. She parted them, closed her eyes to kiss him when she heard a shuffling of feet and startled words.

  “Oh. I’m so sorry. I’ll come back.”

  Josh released Tamara and cleared his throat. “No, it’s okay,” he called out after the departing form.

  A young female server approached Josh. They exchanged words, and the server soon departed. Josh massaged the back of his neck. He turned to Tamara with a perplexed look. “Well, I think my employees will be talking about us.”

  He chuckled and reached for Tamara’s hand.

  Tamara widened her eyes and batted her eyelashes, mimicking the girlish look Josh mention
ed drove him wild. “I hope you don’t get into too much trouble.”

  Josh drew in a deep breath. “Then let’s make it worth their while.”

  He pulled her onto his lap and held her tight, tasting and exploring her mouth, planting kisses across her jawline and down one side of her neck across her shoulder. His gravelly voice whispered her name, and his grip tightened around her waist. “How much more do you think we can get away with?” He murmured into her ear before he nibbled the edges. He slipped a hand under her shirt and caressed her all the way up over her bra.

  “Josh. Oh god, we probably shouldn’t-”

  He silenced her mouth with another, more passionate kiss.

  “That was definitely worth the gossip.” He ran his fingers through her hair and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “I love you, Tamara. Don’t ever forget that.”

  She smiled with a happy sigh.

  “Now, let’s spread some more gossip. Here, put this name tag on.”

  The plastic badge announced her name in bold, black letters. She glanced at the title below it.

  “Assistant to the Owner. You were serious about the name badge?” Tamara giggled. “But Josh, look at the title you gave me. People will definitely talk now.” She tilted her head to the side in amusement. “You know I can’t wear this.”

  “Oh, yes, you can, and you will. I created that specifically for you and…” His forehead met hers. “You will wear it for me tonight, okay?”

  She smiled. “Oooh, you really are asking for trouble, aren’t you?” She pinned the name badge to the left side of her blouse. He kissed her one more time and sighed.

  “We’d better get out of here before we can’t. I have other ideas on how to entertain you, but I have to remember where I am.”

  She feigned surprise but gave him a wicked grin. “Maybe later?”

  He lifted his eyebrows, and his grin resembled hers. “Promise? I’m holding you to it.”

  She winked. He kissed her one more time before interlocking their fingers and leading her, proudly, back into the restaurant.

  They spent the rest of the night handing out coupons to random patrons amid questions and comments regarding Tamara’s job title and if there were any perks involved.