Blame it on the Champagne (Blame it on the Alcohol)

by Fiona Cole

  I sat back in my chair and let Domenic take the lead on discussing the ins and outs of the massive client he brought in. We’d already covered all our bases over our dinner meeting, so my attention easily shifted from him to Verana.

  Shocked that she actually accepted the job didn’t quite cover the way my body came to a complete halt watching her walk in today. She’d stormed out of the lobby, and I was sure I’d never see her again. Frankly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. She’d caught me in a rare moment of having an extra drink after lunch and considering skipping a number from my phone, and instead, using her. Xander’s reminder to get laid was the only excuse for why I came on so strong in my own office building.

  I wasn’t sure how much I trusted that the whole thing was an accident. Yes, I’d bumped into her, but maybe she saw me coming and orchestrated it all after she’d missed me in the interview.

  She wouldn’t be the first woman to use her body to get her way. Hell, the first woman I’d interviewed that same day had called twice to check on her interview in as many days. And when I informed her we’d decided to pass on hiring her, she inquired if there were any other services I was looking for.

  But after talking to Ryan and hearing him gush about Verana like she was the second coming of Christ, I gave in on offering her the job. Bottom line was that we needed help, and it was getting to the point of beggars can’t be choosers. If I dismissed the whole possibility of her wanting more from me than just a job, I had to admit her credentials on her resume impressed me. She deserved more than a simple APM position, but Ryan assured me she was interested in growth.

  Thankfully, I wouldn’t be in New York City much longer to be part of that. All the interviews had been conducted, and I needed to get back to Charleston to take care of my grandfather and the office there.

  She was a distraction I didn’t need right now. My goals were inching closer, and I needed to focus on my company. Not on the woman who sat forward, taking notes on every word out of Dom’s mouth. Not on the way, she rolled the pencil between her slim fingers. Not on the way, she slicked her tongue across her lips.

  Fuck, she oozed sex in such an innocent way. Her slim pants and button-up blouse with pearls begged me to rip it all away to find what laid beneath. Her dimples and the way the left was a little deeper than the right urged me to dip my tongue into the crease and find if she tasted as good as she looked.

  And I almost had. I’d been moments away from inhaling her right then in the lobby.

  I’d lost my damn mind.

  I’d had more to drink than I’d meant to, and we’d collided. My walls had been paper-thin at best, but when she’d turned to me with heated eyes and faded freckles, recognition brushed all barriers aside.

  I’d seen her and her bold friend at the restaurant. I hadn’t lied, she was hard to miss. Her friend had been dominating, but Vera’s sly smiles and demure manners pulled my attention her way, making me want to uncover everything underneath.

  I’d passed on approaching her then, but seeing her standing there in the lobby, I’d decided to flirt.

  Why not? What would it hurt? It’d been too long since I’d gotten laid, and her smile promised sin wrapped in heaven.

  Now, despite my doubts about her, my body remembered how ready it’d been to take, take, take, and I struggled to shut it off. I struggled to focus. She consumed my thoughts. The night after the restaurant, she’d come to me in my dreams, leaving me to wake up with an aching hard-on I’d been forced to relieve.

  I’d thought about her more than I wanted to and hadn’t even spoken to her.

  And it pissed me off. If her goal was to sway me with her body, it was fucking working, and the more it worked, the more I wanted to break it.

  “Mr. Rush?” Dom called like he’d said it more than once.

  Her eyes clashed with mine just before I gave my attention to Dom. “Yes?”

  “Do you have anything to add?”

  All eyes turned to me, and I clenched my jaw, frustration bubbling up. Clearing my throat, I took a second to aimlessly flip through my papers, buying time. “No. I think we covered it all.”

  “Great.” Dom smiled but narrowed his eyes. He knew me well enough to notice my distraction. “We’re all up to date and have our assignments. Let’s get to work, people.”

  With that, everyone gathered their belongings and piled out. I lingered behind, watching Verana, tensing when Domenic rested his hand on her shoulder, receiving her smile I couldn’t stop thinking about.

  I knew it meant nothing. Domenic was happily married. But did she know that? Did she care? Was she hoping to get further with him now that I was off the table?

  Irritation bubbled up at their easy laughter until I heard myself call his name before I knew what I was doing. “Domenic,” I barked.

  He blinked, turning to me with wide eyes. “Yes?”

  “Grab those extra files from your desk before heading to my office.”

  “But, they’re on the computer file I sent.”

  “A hard copy will be good, too,” I answered lamely.

  His head tipped to the side, but after only a moment, he shrugged. “Sure. I’ll meet you there in fifteen. Verana, I’m excited to have you on the team.”

  I clenched my fists at her easy smile. “Thank you. And please. Call me Vera.”

  “Vera. Will do.”

  And then it was only Vera and me in the empty meeting room.

  I stood there waiting for her to collect her papers, studying the way her dark hair fell to her shoulders, no matter how many times she tucked it behind her ears.

  “Can I help you with something?” she asked, standing upright, shoulders back and chin high. She looked like she should be running her own company.

  “You know he’s married.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Domenic. Happily so.” Her eyes widened. “Just in case you were hoping to flirt with another man in charge to get ahead.”

  “I wasn’t…”

  “Maybe don’t flirt with anyone here. We don’t have any particular rules for fraternization, but it’s best to not mix business and pleasure.”

  Her nostrils flared over pressed lips. “I wasn’t freaking flirting with anyone.”

  “Just like you didn’t run into me.”

  “That was an accident, and again, you ran into me. And if you think I’m such a threat to all the men at your company, why did you hire me?”

  “Because Ryan was determined to.”

  “Did you even look over my resume?” she sneered, looking at me like a bug on the bottom of her shoe.

  I didn’t want to admit how impressed I was with her resume, so I directed the subject back to my point.

  Stepping into her personal space, I looked down my nose at her. Maybe if I intimidated her enough, she’d give me a wide berth. “Did you stage the lobby because you saw me that night at the restaurant and wanted a second chance?”

  “Hardly. You are unbelievably arrogant,” she almost growled.

  My muscles tensed, fighting the need to step closer and feel the heat radiating off her directly against me. Maybe if I did, she’d cave and admit what she really wanted.

  “Trust me, I have a right to be arrogant,” I taunted.

  Instead of continuing our fight, she rolled her eyes and turned, going the long way around the table to avoid me.

  “Make sure to grab two black coffees for Dom and me,” I called before she could walk out.

  “Yes, sir,” she muttered over her shoulder.

  Whatever it was between us—whatever hold she had on me and my attention—I needed to break it.

  Nothing made that clearer than how much I loved hearing those words tumble from her supple mouth.

  I needed to end it, and I needed to do it soon.

  Six

  Vera

  Nova: How’s the boss?

  Pulling my work shirt off, I rolled my eyes. How was Nicholas Rush? A pain in my ass. A man on a mission to drive me insane. A ma
n making me question how much I wanted to stick it to my father and work on my own.

  A man that stole too much of my attention with how freaking alluring, dark, and cold he was when I remembered him as anything but for those few moments in the lobby.

  But he’d made an assumption and seemed as determined to stick to it as I did to continue working for him. Despite not being able to decide if I liked looking at him more because I fantasized about slapping that perpetual scowl off his face or kissing it.

  “Ugh.” I fell back on the bed and grabbed my phone to reply, keeping my response simple.

  Me: An asshole.

  Raelynn: A fun one? *wink wink*

  Nova: What’s a fun asshole?

  Raelynn: One that would spank you.

  Nova: Gross.

  Raelynn: Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it.

  Raelynn: So, does he talk down to you only to bend you over his desk later.

  Nova: Jesus.

  Me: Nope.

  Raelynn: That’s a shame. He was hot. It’s been a few weeks, and I can still remember that rugged square jaw. YUM!

  Me: He’s more of a make me do demeaning jobs and just talk down to me. Everything I do is treated as if I’m trying to sleep my way to the top.

  Raelynn: Ew. What a dick.

  Me: Last week, we did a video conference call, and he asked to talk to me afterward and reprimanded me for what I wore.

  He’d traveled back to the main office in Charleston for a week but still managed to be a pain in my ass. I’d thought it’d be a reprieve from the last month, but even through a little screen, he’d been able to pull my attention into fantasies that leaned more toward kissing over slapping. Maybe more so. I didn’t know if it was just me, but he looked more relaxed there than he did here. His top buttons had been undone, his jaw a little less tight, covered in more scruff than usual.

  Once, his mouth had even tipped into a smile, stretching his full lips I still dreamed about.

  Again, I decided to keep that from the girls.

  Nova: Men are assholes.

  Raelynn: Except for the dreamy lead singer of the band you love so much. *heart eyes*

  Nova: Shut up.

  Me: How was the concert you went to last week?

  Raelynn: Did you stalk him after?

  Nova: OMG! Stop!

  Raelynn: Did you sneak into his trailer and make him notice you.

  Raelynn: With your mouth.

  Raelynn: On his cock?

  Raelynn: Please say yes!

  Nova: *eye roll*

  Me: As much as I’m enjoying this, I have to get going.

  Me: Before I go, though, I have pics of two tops. Tell me your favorite.

  Nova: What are you getting all dressed up for?

  Me: I have a date.

  Raelynn: A DATE? And you didn’t tell us until now. With who? Are you going to bang them before being sold to the highest bidder? Please say yes. Make me the happiest woman ever and tell me you took my advice.

  Me: Unfortunately, it’s with Camden.

  Nova: Ew.

  Raelynn: So gross.

  Nova: Do you have a parka to wear instead of either of those tops?

  Raelynn: Maybe a habit from a nunnery.

  Me: Unfortunately, no.

  Raelynn: Damn.

  Raelynn: Don’t wear either of those. Go with the black fitted dress. It covers a lot but makes you look like a boss bitch while being sexy. Also, black like you’re going to your own funeral. Perfect for Camden.

  Nova: It says, “look at what you can’t have, and I’d rather die than give it to you.”

  Raelynn: Exactly. *high five*

  Nova: *high five back*

  Me: Done. I’ll let you know how it goes. Love you.

  Nova: Love you too.

  Raelynn: Love you, bitches.

  I peeled myself off the bed and shoved the two tops back into the closet, opting instead for the black dress Raelynn suggested.

  I did love the dress. It hugged my modest curves, covering me from my neck to my knees. Slipping on a pair of black pumps had me feeling strong and confident like I was channeling my inner Raelynn, daring some man to challenge me—to own me.

  Yeah right.

  With a Mona Lisa smile on my lips, I ordered a car and headed to meet Camden. I refused to let him drive me because I didn’t want to be on his time, and I knew I’d need a drink or two to get through this meal.

  I hoped it wouldn’t always be like this.

  Raelynn and Nova had scoffed and laughed when I’d told them about how I’d always known I’d most likely have an arranged marriage. Unless, by some miracle, I found a man on my own they approved of.

  But it had always been my life. I’d always known. They’d asked why I would let that happen, and I guessed I could always turn my back on my father, but I didn’t want to. I loved him. I trusted him. Yes, he had old-fashioned views, but it’d been how I’d been raised.

  I remembered all the times my mother had tucked me in, and I’d asked her why this path was my future. She’d laughed softly and told me about how her marriage had been chosen by her parents and how she’d hated my father. He’d been arrogant and closed off. She’d rolled her eyes and shook her head.

  “Then why did you marry him? Couldn’t you have told your parents, no?”

  “Mia bambina.” She brushed my hair back softly and smiled down at me like she usually did when I asked silly questions. “At that time, no. Grandpapa needed me to marry your father for the company, and so I did. It was my duty. An honor to do something for our family. Family means everything.”

  My little brow scrunched in confusion. “What if I hate who Papa chooses for me to marry?”

  “He will choose a good man for you to marry. I didn’t love your father—he didn’t love me much either.” She laughed. “But it took time. It took work. Any marriage does. And your father is a good man who worked for my love.”

  She closed her eyes with a dreamy smile, and I remembered earlier in the night, hearing her giggles before coming into the kitchen to find Papa twirling her in his arms to the music playing on the stereo.

  “I hope I fall in love with a boy like Aladdin, and Papa will be happy. I want a Prince Charming like all the princesses,” I said with a giddy excitement only a girl could have.

  “Mia bambina.” She laughed again, stroking my cheek again. “If you wait for the perfect fairy tale, you will never find happiness. Sometimes Prince Charming is everything you need when you didn’t know you needed it.”

  I’d had so many reminders over the years that an arranged marriage could work. My parents had been happy and in love, just like my grandparents.

  I may not love Camden now, but my father wouldn’t pick a bad man for me to marry. I had to have confidence in my mother’s conviction behind those words.

  I really had to have conviction behind those words when thirty minutes into dinner already had me wanting to run toward the door.

  “Maybe you can wear a fitted wedding dress, too. Looks good on you,” he said, his eyes glued to my chest. “You don’t have many curves, but that tight dress really shows off what you do have. Maybe something a little more revealing up top.”

  My fists clenched under the table as he gestured toward my boobs with his hand holding his scotch, the amber liquid sloshing dangerously close to the edge.

  With a clenched jaw, I forced a smile and the words, “I’ll take it into consideration.” I cleared my throat and opened and closed my fingers, trying to relax, and moved on to a safer topic. “How’s work going? Are you fitting in at Mariano Shipping okay? I know father runs a tight ship.”

  Camden barked an embarrassingly loud laugh that had me flicking my eyes left and right to take in how much attention he drew. A familiar face had every muscle in my body tightening in dread. Heat flooded my cheeks, and I quickly looked away, letting my hair fall like a curtain to hide behind. Maybe he wouldn’t know it was me.

  But when I brushed my hair as
ide and snuck a glance back in his direction, the dark eyes of Nicholas Rush met mine. They flicked toward Camden and quickly back to me before narrowing to judgmental slits. His tight lips curled in a disgusted snarl. But even beyond his obvious distaste of me and the situation—even beyond the space between us—I could feel the heat in his eyes stroke across my skin as if I sat completely bare.

  I focused back on Camden and tried to shove down the heat flooding my veins.

  “So, I take it work is going well?” I asked after clearing my throat.

  Camden’s blond hair fell from its perfect swoop when he tipped his head to the side and smiled like he saw a puppy he thought was adorable. “Of course, it is. But don’t you worry your pretty little head about work. I’m good at everything I do, and your father and Mariano Shipping are no match for my talent.” By some miracle, I held back my eye roll when he winked. “And Verana, I do mean I’m good at everything.”

  Ew.

  His smile grew, and I realized he took my shocked silence as awe rather than speechless disgust. As if in slow motion, his hand moved across the table, and I jerked my own into my lap, knocking my fork off my plate. The chime of it hitting the china sounded like the warning bell clanging in my head to get the fuck away from that table.

  I pulled my lips back into a smile I was sure looked more like a grimace, but it wasn’t getting any better than that. “Excuse me,” I said, scooting my chair back. “I need to use the restroom.”

  It took everything I had to continue to the back and not bolt for the doors and the freedom I desperately wanted from this night. Hiding away in the stall, I took several deep breaths, wondering how long it was acceptable to hide in the restroom before it started to look like I had stomach issues.

  Knowing I’d reached my limit, I begrudgingly left the stall and ran cold water over my wrists, looking for any reason to not return to the table.

  Mama always said it took time to fall in love, and that father was arrogant too, but tonight I’d reached my limit. And Camden wasn’t even the only issue waiting for me. Freaking Nicholas Rush.