by Jolie Day
It’s not your place, though, a niggling voice, different than before, said in her ear. It’s Joel’s. And he lives there, too.
The thought sent a shiver down Avery’s spine. That was right; Joel Harper and most of his family lived in this apartment building, which had been bought over a decade ago by his now ailing mother. She’d yet to see him in the elevator, but that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t—especially with her luck.
No, she decided, it was better just to wait out the six-month training period and then go looking for a date when she had her own place. It would make things potentially less awkward than getting caught saying goodbye to a faceless man as he did the Walk of Shame down to the lobby. Likewise, Avery wouldn’t want to get caught doing the walk back to her apartment at the break of dawn.
So she’d wait. She’d gone without sex for this long, hadn’t she? What was a few more months?
At the ache between her legs, Avery let out a long-suffering groan and fell back onto the bed. Maybe she would just buy herself a toy.
Chapter Nine
“Coffee!” Avery announced, placing the trays down on the break room table as her co-workers filed in after her. One by one, they grabbed the cups with their names on them and thanked her on their way out. Avery gave them each a polite smile as she sipped at her own mocha and grabbed Joel’s latte for him.
“Hey, Avery,” Todd, one of the company’s senior engineer greeted. He was nice; tall and handsome, with a pleasant smile and kind, brown eyes.
“Good morning, Todd,” Avery replied. “How are you?”
“I’m doing well,” he replied, then chuckled, happily. “Better than well, actually.” He leaned in, conspiratorially. “I asked Dana to marry me last night.”
Avery’s eyes widened as a smile stretched over her lips on its own accord. “You did?” she gasped. “Oh my god, what did she say?”
Todd’s smile widened and he slipped his phone out of his pocket, pressing the home button as he lifted it up to show Avery the screen. On it, Avery saw a tiny Asian woman with jade-colored eyes and a wide, toothy grin. Her eyes were filled with sparkling tears as she held out her left hand, showing off a glittering diamond perched on her ring finger. The other hand was cupped over her mouth, barely covering it with her slender fingers.
“She said yes!” Todd said, in case Avery hadn’t reached her own conclusion yet. Avery laughed and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his waist, careful not to drop her coffees.
“Congratulations!” she exclaimed. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks,” Todd chuckled. “We’re having an engagement party in a couple of weeks, if you’d like to come. Everybody in the office is invited.”
“I’d love to,” Avery said, touched. “Thank you so much and congrats again. I have to get Mr. Harper his coffee.”
“Yes, go do that,” Todd said, stepping aside and letting her by. “I’ll be emailing everybody with the details.”
“Alright. See you later.” Avery was smiling happily, even as something inside her ached.
She’d never had that kind of relationship before. Back home, her father had attempted to marry her off to nearly every young man she’d gone to school with and she’d had exactly zero interest in any of them, but she longed for something like what Todd and Dana seemed to have. For the last month, she’d watched the tiny woman come into the office, toting paper bags and the occasional tray of cupcakes (store bought), and dropping them off at her boyfriend’s desk, along with a kiss. They would giggle as they shared lunch at his desk, before Dana would hop off to her own office, blowing him a kiss from the elevator.
Every day, Avery watched and smiled as she ate her own lunch, alone, at her desk. She’d always thought that they were a cute couple; Dana would make Todd laugh so hard that he almost choked and he’d tell her stories and show her designs that he’d been working on, eliciting starry-eyed gazes and soft gasps as Dana looked over his shoulder. They were perfect together, honestly, and Avery had never felt anything but affection for the way they looked at each other and acted when the other was near.
Until now.
Because all she felt now, as she made her way to her boss’s office with his coffee warming her left hand, was regret. Regret that she hadn’t given any of the men in Greenfield a real chance at romance. She was only twenty-four years old, but she couldn’t help longing deep within for something like Dana and Todd had. Maybe someday…
“Is that Mr. Harper’s coffee?” Edith asked, breaking Avery from her thoughts.
The younger woman blinked at her for a moment, before nodding. “Um, yeah,” she said. “Yeah. Yeah, this is his.” She held up the coffee in her right hand and Edith nodded, waving her towards the office.
“Go on in,” she said. “He wants to talk to you, anyway. When you come back out, I have some designs you should probably study.” Avery nodded, but her brows were furrowed in confusion. What did Joel need to speak to her about?
Only one way to find out.
The door to his office was cracked open and Avery pushed gently against it with her hip, peeking her head in around the door, checking to see that her boss wasn’t on the phone or something, before pushing the door a bit further and stepping fully inside the room. Joel was typing something on his laptop; he didn’t even glance up until Avery cleared her throat.
“Coffee,” she said, holding up the cup in her right hand. Joel gave her a charming grin, motioned her in with one large hand, and then pushed up the glasses that were perched at the edge of his nose, saying nothing as he went right back to his typing. His tie was already loosened and his suit coat was folded over the arm of one of the seats opposite him at the desk. Avery quickly crossed the length of the room and placed the coffee down in front of him, then patiently waited for a response as he reached for it.
Joel was silent for a long moment, eyeing whatever had his attention on the screen as he took a long sip. Suddenly, his eyes widened and his blue eyes tore from the laptop to look down at the cup in his hand. He grinned and settled his gaze on Avery; she, in turn, attempted to ignore the flutter in her chest as she placed the cup in her hand to her lips and took a sip of her own. Then her own brows furrowed as she pulled it away.
“Oh,” she said. “Sorry, wrong cup.” She held out Joel’s latte and he traded it for her mocha. Their fingers brushed around the cups and she suppressed another shiver, soon pulling away. She cleared her throat. “Um, Edith said you wished to speak to me,” she said, “about something?” It wasn’t meant to be a question, but that’s how it came out. Joel smiled and motioned for her to sit, before his eyes went right back to the screen. The fingers on his free hand resumed their typing for a moment longer as she forced herself to get comfortable. When she took a sip of the right drink this time, she felt a tingle in her lips and she saw a flash of her earlier dream behind her eyes, unbidden. She pressed her lips together as she waited for him to speak, looking down at the rim of her cup, which his lips had touched…
“Avery?” She whipped her head up at the sound of his voice, found him smiling at her, his head tilted slightly as his glasses slid back down his nose. Avery cleared her throat and straightened her back, letting him know that she was listening to whatever it was he had to say, good or bad (though she didn’t know what could possibly be wrong right now, with him smiling at her like that). “You can relax,” he said, as if reading her mind. “It’s nothing bad, per se…not unless you really hate parties.”
Avery frowned in confusion. “Parties?” she asked. Why would he have called her into his office to talk about parties, she wondered. “Um, no, I don’t. W-why?”
Joel pushed back slightly from his desk and Avery ignored (almost) the way his muscles bunched under his shirt as he reached for one of his drawers and tugged it open with dexterous fingers, which she also ignored (almost). Reaching in with one hand while his other tipped the coffee cup into his mouth, taking another long sip (and Avery couldn’t ev
en fool herself into believing that she wasn’t completely enamored by the way his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat, making her swallow thickly in reaction), as he pulled out a small envelope, then slid it across the desk to her.
“What’s this?” Avery asked, placing her drink to the side as she reached for the envelope, which was silvery and delicate-looking. The deep red wax seal had been broken already and the flap was bent, revealing a card of off-white paper inside. Avery slid it from its pocket as she looked up, eyeing Joel.
“Just read it,” he said, taking another sip of his latte as he watched her.
Avery’s gaze returned to the card and the elegant calligraphy on the front. The script was so thin and fancy, it was almost difficult for her to read, but she could make out the word “Gala” first and then the other words began to register in her mind. A date, a time, and a name…
“This invitation is addressed to you,” she informed him, looking back up to meet his piercing blue gaze, which was still settled on her, over the rim of those dark glasses.
“I’m aware,” he said. “But if you’ll direct your attention to the fine print below my name…”
“‘This invitation is extended to one guest of your own choosing’,” Avery read, her eyes widening slightly. “You want me to be your Plus-One?”
“Ideally, no,” Joel admitted, with a shrug, and Avery tried not to let the disappointment show on her face. “Ideally,” he continued, “you’d have your own invitation.” She gave him another look of confusion. “We reserved our spots for the entire office months ago,” he explained. “Usually, somebody informs me by this time that they’re unable to make it or something comes up last minute—a death in the family, illness, etc.—but this year…nothing. Everybody who’d reserved a spot still plans to be there, which means we have a bit of a dilemma.”
“So you want me to be your Plus-One?” Avery asked again.
“That’s the only way I can really see you getting into the party,” Joel admitted. “Unless, you don’t want to go at all—which is also fine. It’s just one gala, after all. There will be plenty more in the next couple of months. Charities, as well. And office parties. This is just one of many that you’ll be invited to, so it’s not really all that serious if you miss it. Except…”
“Except?” Avery asked, feeling the familiar fluttering in her stomach.
“Well, there’s bound to be plenty of other bigwigs from my competitors there,” Joel informed her. “You could make some really important connections there. Or you could do a little company espionage.”
“Espionage?” Avery chuckled. Joel echoed her.
“Sort of,” he said. “You could cozy up to some of the stuffy businessmen, maybe get them to accidentally reveal a little info about their upcoming products—their patents. No pressure, though,” he added as Avery’s eyes bulged. “You could just go for some dancing and a couple drinks, if you want. Parties are supposed to be fun, after all. You don’t have to make a decision right now, obviously. Go ahead and think about it. You have a couple weeks until you have to be fitted for your gown; Edith always books the best designers, if that helps to sway your decision. But, like I said, no pressure. It’s completely up to you.” But the look in his eyes told Avery that he already knew what she was going to say before she even opened her mouth.
She did not disappoint.
“I’ll go,” Avery said, standing up, forcing her spine to remain straight, fighting against the flush that spread across her cheeks. “Of course I’ll go. Just, um, let me know when the fittings are and what accommodations I’ll need to make for travel.”
“Oh,” Joel replied, standing as well. He straightened his tie as he settled his gaze on her and pushed his glasses back up his nose. “I’ll of course be picking you up at your apartment. After all, we do live in the same building, so it seems only natural, doesn’t it?” Avery nodded in agreement, but her tongue seemed to be stuck in her throat, keeping her from responding verbally. “Especially since, technically, you’ll be my date for the evening.” She made a slight choking sound despite her best efforts and Joel chuckled. “Don’t worry,” he said, crossing his arms over his broad chest, “I’ll be the perfect gentleman.”
Of that, Avery had no doubt.
She’d caught sight of him at the café on Sunday mornings, his arm slung around a different woman’s waist each time. He’d never touched them inappropriately or made any move that seemed untoward. In fact, they were often laughing at something he said, enamored with his dimpled grin and boyish charm. He bought each of them a coffee and insisted that they eat at least one scone, before taking their hand and walking them out of the shop. Avery watched, every time, from the corner seat, hiding herself behind a book, and studied the genuine lift of his lips as he listened to each woman talk. She often found herself wondering why she never saw the same one twice.
But at least he’d treated each of them with respect. She had no doubt that he’d do the same with her.
Well, she thought, flushing as her dream once again flashed behind her eyes, maybe not exactly the same. They were professionals, after all. And he was her boss.
“Of course, Mr. Harper,” she said, offering him a forced smile. “I would expect nothing less.” With that, she turned and quickly made her way out of the office. She didn’t even wait to hear the response that was surely on the tip of his tongue.
Less than a minute after Avery slumped in her desk chair, Edith was there beside her, dropping a pile of blueprints on her desk. “Look over these, will ya?” she said. “And send me your measurements when you get a chance, so I can send them off to Lila.”
“Lila?” Avery asked, gathering up the blueprints. “Like…Lila Lord?”
“So you’ve heard of her?” Edith asked. “That makes one of us.”
“She’s one of the most prolific fashion designers in the country,” Avery informed her.
“Doll, my clothes are from the Gap. Macy’s, if I wanna treat myself a little. I never know these fancy designers that Mr. Harper sends me to. Who has the time? Or money?” She scoffed. “Just send your measurements, okay?”
Avery nodded, watching as Edith returned to her own desk, just a few feet away. She turned her gaze down to the blueprints on the desk in front of her, but she found it hard to focus on the designs and words on the page as one thought played on repeat in her mind.
I’m going on a date with Joel Harper.
Chapter Ten
“Ouch!”
“Well hold still!”
Avery frowned at her tailor’s reflection in the mirror. Bethany was young and impatient and obviously had it out for her. Every couple seconds, she poked Avery with a needle, Avery jumped, and Bethany yelled at her, despite the fact that it was so not her fault.
“Are you almost done?” Avery sighed, looking back at her reflection in the mirror. The dress she was wearing was a deep emerald green that was edged in lace and fell to the floor in a pool of silk. It was still a little loose around the chest and tight around her stomach and thighs, but it was still the most magnificent dress she’d ever worn. Lila Lord really had a gift. “Ouch!” she hissed, jumping slightly.
“Yeah, I’m done,” Bethany sighed. “Go and change into the red one for me, okay? It should fit you a lot better than this one.” Avery nodded and hobbled toward the small changing area, where several glamorous ball gowns hung behind a folding divider. She ran her fingers over them with one hand while the other tugged down her zipper in the back. She felt a bit of relief as the dress gave way and she gently peeled it away from her skin, making sure not to displace any of the pins. The lace left imprints on her skin that looked like ivy climbing up her arms and collarbones. Avery was mesmerized by them for only a moment, before her thoughts were interrupted by Bethany’s sigh of impatience.
It wasn’t the first time she’d made the passive-aggressive sound.
Avery rolled her eyes, placing the dress back on the rack, next to the y
ellow one she’d tried on earlier. Now, there were just two left. Avery grabbed the red one and pressed it to her body. Like the green dress, this gown was composed mostly of silky material that felt soft to the touch and looked very expensive. Hearing another sigh, she quickly slipped her body into the dress and reached back for the zip, only to clutch at ribbons instead.
“There’s no zipper for that one,” Bethany informed her, poking her head over the top of the divider. “Just come out and I’ll lace you up.” Avery did as told, fixing the heart-shaped bodice around her chest and smoothing down the front of the dress. She didn’t think that it was too tight, but it wrinkled around her waist, which meant that it might have been too loose in that area.
Looking in the mirror, however, her breath was taken away at the sight of herself.
The dress had a sort of Jessica Rabbit look to it, going only down to her knees, with a slit up the side that reached straight to her left hip and nearly revealed part of the thong she was wearing. Without any sleeves, the top of the gown held loosely to Avery’s chest—then more tightly as Bethany pulled the laces at the small of her back, forcing some of the air to leave Avery’s lungs.
“Hmm,” she heard Bethany say from behind her. “Fits nicely, but the middle could use some work. Turn around.”
Avery grimaced. “You’re not gonna prick me in the stomach, are you?” she asked.
“Not if you just stand still,” Bethany retorted. “Now, come on; spin.” She grabbed Avery boldly by the hips and turned her around. For her small stature, Bethany was surprisingly strong. Her blonde curls were piled high upon her head and her green eyes were enlarged by a pair of thick, cat-eye glasses. There was a pencil nestled behind her ear and a tape measure around her shoulders. She pulled at the latter and wrapped it around Avery’s waist, for the third time, as if the circumference of her waist might have changed in the last five minutes.
Then, she almost immediately stuck Avery with a surprise needle.