Fallen

by Natasha Grace

  “I want Sam’s office,” Chris announced and leveled a stare at him. “You know that I deserve it.”

  “What’s wrong with yours?” He didn’t know the exact size, but it was possible Chris’s office was bigger than Sam’s.

  “It doesn’t have a view of Bryant Park.”

  Luke shook his head unbelievingly. The go–get–them attitude was a trait all their managers had, and while it made them good at their jobs, it could be downright annoying sometimes.

  “I’m going back to work, and I suggest you do the same.”

  Without waiting for the man to respond, Luke left the meeting room.

  As he sat behind his desk a minute later, Luke realized that Jason would’ve handled the situation differently. Jason would have still said no, but would’ve done so in that charming way of his that always left the other person smiling, feeling as if he’d won. Luke was just thinking about how he could’ve handled Chris’s request differently when his phone rang, interrupting his musings.

  He looked at the screen. Sam. He quickly swiped the phone’s screen and tried to ignore the frantic beating of his pulse. He knew that some of the employees still asked her questions sometimes, but he hadn’t heard from her personally since she’d left, and he’d missed her.

  Are you free for lunch on Saturday?

  Had she changed her mind about giving him a chance? Hope leaped inside of him.

  Yeah. Is everything okay?

  He wouldn’t get ahead of himself. After weeks of not seeing her, he’d realized that he wanted her in his life in any way that he could get. He wouldn’t ruin it by rushing her into something she wasn’t ready for. Even if it was just friendship, he’d force himself to accept that.

  Things are great. I just wanted to see if you were available for lunch.

  I am. I can pick you up at eleven.

  Awesome! See you soon!

  Smiling, he put away his phone. The more realistic side of him knew not to get his hopes up. She hadn’t been interested in a relationship a few weeks ago and it was unlikely that she’d changed her mind so soon. But at the same time, he couldn’t stop himself from hoping that she had and he knew that Saturday couldn’t come soon enough.

  * * *

  Is this inappropriate for a lunch date with a friend?

  Sam considered the sexy blue dress before rejecting it. It was too short. Definitely not appropriate. She put the dress back on the rack and groaned when she’d realized that she’d already rejected a third of her dresses. This was insane. She’d eaten with Luke before. Why was she suddenly so self–conscious about this lunch?

  Because they’d slept together. And he’d been constantly on her mind.

  Was he a friend, or something more? If she were completely honest with herself, she was attracted to Luke and wouldn’t mind exploring a relationship with him. But, at the same time, she knew that she still wasn’t in the best frame of mind for a relationship. Though she was feeling steadier and more like herself, the bitterness and hurt were still there and messed with her sometimes.

  And on the other side of her dilemma was the knowledge that she could really use a friend like Luke. After being surrounded by people who were only nice to her because they wanted something, it was freeing to be with someone who didn’t have a secret agenda, who was just genuinely nice.

  Damn. She hoped she hadn’t messed things up with him. She’d invited him to lunch to get a sense of where they were and to try to build on the burgeoning friendship between them.

  Because no matter what she’d always told herself about him, he really was one of the good guys. She’d never once seen him take advantage of the people and businesses who came to him for help and he donated for the simple reason of donating instead of trying to maximize his tax deductions or to boost his PR.

  Frustrated at her continued wardrobe debate and knowing that she was making something out of nothing, she took out the first pair of jeans she saw as well as the blouse closest to her. This was what happened when she didn’t work. She got fussy about the silliest things.

  She was just putting on lipstick a few minutes later when the doorbell rang. Despite the butterflies raging inside of her, she forced herself to calmly put the lipstick down and checked herself at the mirror one last time before making her way towards the living room.

  Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Luke on the small video screen by the door. He was so handsome. The memory of how his stubbled jaw felt against her skin sent shivers down her spine. She imagined touching it again, running her fingers along his…

  Get it together, Sam.

  Shaking away her lustful thoughts, she opened the door and was struck by how dark his eyes were. Her throat tightened. “Hey. Um… Let me just get my purse.”

  “I brought you some cookies,” he said as he handed her a bag. It was only then that she noticed the familiar brown bag he was holding. She’d been so focused on him that she hadn’t noticed anything else.

  “Oh. Thank you.” The bag was still warm and she couldn’t help but be touched. Not only had he remembered how much she loved the cookies from Nadine’s, he’d gone out of his way to get them.

  “Let me just set these down.”

  She let go of the door to put the cookies on the table by her couch. When she turned back, she saw that Luke had entered and was looking around her living room. She could just imagine how small it must seem to him. Though her apartment was spacious and definitely big by New York standards, it was a far cry from his grand apartment, whose living room alone was almost as big as her whole apartment.

  And sure, she could’ve gotten a place like his, but she hadn’t wanted to use up more of Jason’s money than she had to. At least on herself. She had no problem splurging on things for her family. Though she knew nothing could make up for the way she’d practically abandoned them during her marriage, she wanted to try.

  “Nice place you got here,” Luke finally said.

  Hearing the sincerity in his voice, she looked around the room she’d designed and smiled.

  “Thanks. I like it.”

  It wasn’t fancy, but everything from the couch to the dining room table was all her. She’d even assembled the bookshelf by herself.

  “Any suggestions on where to eat?” Luke asked.

  Because he hadn’t turned his nose down at her apartment or said that he had a designer he could recommend, as Jason surely would’ve, impulse took her. “I’m not sure if you know about it, but there’s this restaurant in the Village called Flanigan’s.”

  “I know it.”

  “Really?” It was a restaurant known for its cheap food. She couldn’t imagine Luke eating in a place like that.

  He shrugged. “It was one of the few places I could actually afford in college.”

  “Me, too. I forgot that we went to the same college.” And apparently had had the same money problems. She took her coat from the coat rack. “I haven’t been there in ages. I know I’m probably imagining the food’s better than it really is, but I still want to go.”

  “I know what you mean. I used to love their sandwiches.”

  “I tried bringing it to the house once,” she said as she locked her door. There were times she was just so fed up with having to wonder if something was organic, free range, or whole–wheat. Sometimes, she just wanted something delicious even if it was bad for her. “But it just isn’t the same as when it’s hot.”

  He laughed as they made their way towards the elevator. “I’m sure Jason would’ve loved that.”

  “I did it while he was away,” she admitted. “I thought I was so smart. Since Jason didn’t want me eating there anymore, I went when he was out with a client.”

  Luke frowned. “He dictated where you ate?”

  “Yeah. He didn’t want his wife to be seen at what’s basically a dive.” She’d been angry at him but had tried to look at it from his point of view. He was courting clients that were worth millions of dollars and his wife was going to a bar for dinner? Th
ough she still hadn’t completely agreed with it, she’d eventually given in. And without her noticing, her acquiescence had gradually spread to other things. Eventually, she’d stopped going to any restaurant or place that didn’t fit his criteria. It had been the same way with her clothes and friends.

  “It doesn’t surprise me,” Luke said. “He had me get a new wardrobe, so that I would look presentable enough when we met prospective clients.”

  Her eyebrows rose as they continued walking. “I can’t imagine anyone—even Jason—telling you what to do.”

  “In a way, I wanted it. I wanted to fit in with the rich crowd. After being poor for most of my life, it was like a dream come true. It’d felt as if I’d finally made it.” He shrugged. “But it got old pretty fast and I doubled down on the investing side of things.”

  “How did you get interested in investing?” she asked as they arrived at the elevators and she pressed the down button. She knew all about how he and Jason had met at Brown and Hale, and had started the fund, but she barely knew anything about Luke’s life beforehand.

  “Growing up, I’d always heard about the stock market on the news, but I never really thought about it until a food manufacturer opened up a factory nearby when I was a sophomore in high school. They were moving there from a smaller location across town and I realized that business must be improving for them to get a bigger space. I had a little money saved from working at an auto shop after school and bought some of the company’s stocks.” He grinned at her as they entered the elevator. “I was very simplistic back then. I didn’t make any calls or even open up an annual report.”

  She laughed. “And I thought my sister and I were enterprising for our age when we graded papers for concert money.”

  “You were. I can’t imagine how many teenagers would do that.” He gave her an admiring look. “How about you? How did you get interested in accounting?”

  “My story isn’t anywhere as interesting as yours,” she said and began telling him about how she’d gravitated towards it simply because she’d been good at math and horrible at just about every other subject.

  Their conversation eased the worst of her fears. For a man who didn’t make small talk, Luke was chatting easily with her. Surely that meant she hadn’t screwed up too much by sleeping with him, didn’t it?

  * * *

  Sam walked into the familiar restaurant and blinked when she saw the faded leather booths and the suspiciously dark walls. Had it always been this dark in here?

  No. It couldn’t have been. Flanigan’s had been one of her favorite haunts to do her homework when she’d been in college. She wouldn’t have chosen it if it had been this dark, no matter how good their beef sandwiches were. How would she have even seen her homework?

  It was probably just because they’d come during the day that made things seem different. Since she’d had classes and work during the day, she’d always come here at night. The difference in time would also explain why the place wasn’t wall–to–wall packed the way it could be some nights, though it was still crowded enough. Knowing that it was useless, she scanned the place for an empty table—or even, an empty chair.

  “Sorry,” she said when her search came out dry. “I wasn’t expecting it to be so full at this time of day. Do you just want to order and eat outside?”

  “Sure.”

  As they made their way through the crowd, Sam couldn’t help but notice the glances that came their way. Or, to be precise, Luke’s way. She had to admit that even if they didn’t know who he was, he was still a sight to behold. Whether he was in a suit or khakis, there was just something about him that was innately sexy. Knowing that she didn’t even want to go there, she forced the thought out of her head and joined the end of the line.

  She guessed this was another example of how Luke was different than Jason. He was willing to line up. Jason, on the other hand, usually just passed the line and went straight towards the front desk. He didn’t even have to have a reservation. He’d be given a table the moment the maître d’ saw him. Sam had used to chide Jason for not bothering to make reservations, but after he’d made and missed a couple, she’d let the issue go. Knowing how tacky Jason would find the menu attached on the wall, she smiled. Her smile grew even larger when she realized that it hadn’t changed.

  “What are you getting?” Luke asked as he leaned towards her.

  “The tri–tip,” she responded as she looked up to meet his eyes. “You?”

  “The brisket.”

  Mmm. The brisket here was good, too. Luke laughed when he saw her face. “Do you want to split the sandwiches?”

  “No, thanks.” It was going to be hard enough not getting sauce on their clothes while they ate on a bench. She didn’t even want to think about how much harder it would be to cut the sandwiches without the sauce exploding everywhere. Those babies were wrapped tight.

  “Too bad. I was looking forward to the tri–tip.”

  And she really wanted the brisket. “We’d probably get sauce all over our clothes,” she warned.

  “I don’t mind.”

  She beamed. Jason would’ve never have allowed a single spot to mar his clothes if he could prevent it and she found that she liked the idea of getting a little messy with Luke. In more ways than one. “Okay then, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  After they’d reached the front of the line and placed their order, Sam opened her bag to grab her wallet.

  “Let me,” Luke said as he got his own wallet out.

  Sam frowned as she handed her credit card to the cashier. “I was the one who invited.”

  “It’s a guy thing. Humor me, okay?”

  “That’s insane. I even got to pick the restaurant.” When the cashier still didn’t take her card, she turned towards him, silently imploring him with her eyes. After what seemed like forever, he made a move towards her before he stopped and looked at Luke, who was holding out a card as well. She inwardly groaned. If Luke gave him that hard stare of his, there was no way the man would take her card. Hell. Even she hated to be at the receiving end of that stare.

  “Are we really arguing about who’s going to pay for an eight–dollar sandwich?” Luke asked.

  The absurdity of the question made her laugh out loud. Feeling the cashier’s gaze on her, she quickly covered her laugh with a cough. Nope. It definitely wasn’t the time to suddenly grow a conscience about who paid for meals.

  But she’d wanted to feel like her own person. Having her own apartment and doing things herself these past few weeks had been unbelievably freeing, and she hadn’t wanted to stop. But she knew when to pick her battles.

  “Fine.” She put the card back in her bag. “Thank you.”

  Luke shook his head, murmuring something about crazy women and she figured he was right. It wasn’t unusual for their meals to be over a thousand dollars when the three of them had gone out to eat and she was fighting over a sixteen dollar one?

  “I haven’t done this in a while,” she admitted as they stepped to the side to wait for their order.

  “What? Go on a date?”

  Her heart stopped at the thought of this being a real date. She’d often wondered what would’ve happened if she hadn’t rejected his offer to explore a relationship with him. Sure, it wouldn’t have lasted for very long, but it would have been thrilling for however long it did. She glanced at him and quickly cursed herself when she saw his questioning stare. Of course, he didn’t mean it in that way. He just meant date in the going out sort of way.

  “No. I meant to go out and eat with a friend,” she clarified. Things were always so busy at the office, and Jason had always had a full schedule. “I’ve forgotten how this works. Nina and I always take turns and most of those meals with Jason were billed to the company unless it was a special occasion.” Her lips quirked. “Is it really eight dollars?”

  “Beats me.”

  She laughed. “When’s the last time you looked at the prices on a menu?”

  “La
st week.”

  Her eyebrows rose and he shrugged.

  “Adam was taking too long to decide on what to order. I thought it would be rude to take out my phone.”

  She’d never seen him take out his phone those times they’d gone to eat, and she suddenly realized how strange that was. He was always on top of things business–wise and it would’ve made sense for someone like him to be glued to his phone when he wasn’t physically at the office. But he wasn’t like that. He always gave people his full attention.

  “I haven’t looked at the prices on a menu in a long time,” she admitted. It was crazy. Growing up, she’d always had to look at prices to make sure that she could afford whatever it was that she wanted. There were even times she hadn’t been able to go to certain restaurants because she hadn’t been able to afford them. Now she could go anywhere she wanted, anytime she wanted.

  It was insane. She poured through financials, looking for even the slightest discrepancies, almost to the penny, and she couldn’t even be bothered to check the price of the meal she was getting?

  “It’s not always about the price,” Luke pointed out. “I doubt you’d stop buying the chocolate at Gerard if they increased their prices tenfold.”

  “How did you know I like Gerard?” He’d known that she liked the cookies at Nadine’s as well.

  “You forget that we’ve worked together. There were times I’d walk by your office and see you eating a chocolate from a familiar silver–colored box.”

  “I like to reward myself with chocolate.”

  Dark eyebrows rose. “At eight in the morning?”

  She shrugged. “It’s a reward for waking up early.” He laughed, and she continued, “You don’t know what it’s like with the commute. Sometimes, I just wanted to ask Charles to turn the car around.” Even being spoiled with a private driver didn’t change the frustration when you were stuck in traffic.

  She poked him after he gave her a knowing smile. “Just wait. One day, you’ll be the one living in the suburbs and you’ll understand how it feels.” Though why the thought of him with another woman made her stomach turn, she didn’t want to examine too closely.