Romeo for Hire

by Ali Parker

  “Who was eye-fucking you?” she demanded.

  “Just some guy,” I said, laughing it off. “Ryan something.”

  “Hot?” Leslie asked.

  I shrugged but realized she couldn’t see me. “Mildly.”

  My cheeks were flushed from the encounter, and for some reason, my feet felt lighter each time they hit the concrete. I could still hear Ryan’s laugh ringing in my ears.

  “Did you get his number?” Leslie asked with way too much excitement.

  “He asked for mine,” I said. “But I said no.”

  Leslie groaned. “Sometimes, you are just such a disappointment,” she told me.

  “Something for you and Mom to bond over.”

  “Wow.” Leslie pretended to be offended. “That’s a low blow.”

  “It was nothing, Les,” I said. “Just some cocky pretty boy wanting to get laid.”

  “So, he was pretty?” I could practically hear the grin in Leslie’s voice.

  Rolling my eyes, I pulled open the door to the Smart Cosmetics building.

  “I’m back at the office,” I said into the phone. “I need to stop in on the manufacturing department, so I’ll talk to you tonight, okay?”

  “Not so fast!”

  “Leslie.”

  “Just wait a second, will you?” Leslie paused. “Was the guy cute? Just tell me that.”

  “Fine.” I sighed. “Yes, he was cute.”

  “Then, why did you say no, Candice?”

  Leslie’s tone wasn’t harsh. It held no accusation, yet I felt like I’d been put on trial. Maybe it was my mother’s criticisms or just my own insecurities, but I never considered the fact that Ryan’s interest might have been genuine.

  “He was just screwing around,” I said. “If I had given him my number, he never would have used it.”

  “You don’t know that,” Leslie said kindly.

  “Well, it’s behind me now,” I snapped. “No point dwelling on it.”

  “Fair enough,” Leslie said. “Call me later. Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  I hung up and once again tucked my phone away. Stepping into the elevator, I tried to put Ryan out of my head, but as I reached the fifth floor, his face was still swimming at the back of my mind.

  “Miss Smart,” Hudson, my lead lab technician, said. “We weren’t expecting you today.”

  “That’s the beauty of being the boss,” I said with a smile. “Fill me in, Hudson. Where are we on the new rouge line?”

  Hudson and I walked through the halls, him talking my ear off the whole way. I did my best to listen, to slip smoothly back into my professional mode, but it was useless. I barely heard a word Hudson said.

  Each time Ryan’s laugh echoed in my memory, I had to force a smile off my face. I couldn’t help but hope that tomorrow I would see him waiting for me at the coffee shop, just like he promised.

  Chapter 7

  Ryan

  That can’t be her.

  Moving closer to the counter, I distinctly heard the barista call her Candice. I could only see part of her face, but it was enough. This woman was gorgeous.

  With curves that drew my eyes and long brown hair that caught the sunlight as it streamed through the windows, Candice was breathtaking. The second she turned around, I was certain some mistake had been made.

  How is she single?

  It didn’t make sense. Mrs. Smart sold her daughter as a workaholic, average-looking woman who desperately needed to be swept off her feet. But the woman I saw was far more than average. It was impossible for me to tear my eyes away from her.

  Do your job, I told myself. You aren’t here to ogle the woman. You’re here to get her attention.

  I ordered my coffee, watching Candice move out of the corner of my eye. With a deep breath, I walked in front of her, hoping to catch her eye.

  She took a step backward and kept talking on the phone as if she’d barely noticed me. Facing away from her, I tried to work up the nerve to speak.

  Just turn around. I took another breath and spun on my toe.

  Our eyes met, a deep frown slowly forming on her face. I smiled my best, most charming smile, but it felt wrong. Tight and awkward. Cocking my head to the side, I opened my mouth to speak, but she beat me to it.

  Speaking into her phone she said, “Hey Leslie. There’s a random guy eye-fucking me, so I’ll have to call you back in a second.”

  Eye-fucking?!

  Candice tucked her phone into her back pocket and fixed her deep brown eyes on my face. She didn’t blink or blush. She simply stared.

  Our conversation quickly became a blur in my memory. We flirted. I laughed. She cracked a couple of weak smiles but gave me so little to work with that I couldn’t help but be intrigued. For a split second, I forgot all about my job.

  Asking for Candice’s number was unplanned. The question fell from my lips without my permission, and before I knew what was happening, I’d gone completely off script.

  My plan had been to set the groundwork on day one. Say hello. Offer my name. Then, get the hell out of there. A couple of days later, I would show up again. Slowly, Candice and I would become familiar. Maybe even friendly. Then and only then would I ask for her number and suggest a dinner date.

  One look in her eyes, though, and I was a fumbling mess. My plan became a distant memory. My hormones took control. All I wanted was more time with this woman, as much time as she would give me.

  It wasn’t until I left the coffee shop that I finally came back down to earth. In the distance, I could see Candice disappearing down the street. Her nude high-heels passed gracefully over the concrete, her pale-yellow work dress blowing in the breeze behind her.

  I watched her hips sway from side to side, those same curves pulling me in like before. Then, before I was ready, she was gone. Shaking myself, I came crashing back to reality with an unpleasant jolt.

  “What the hell is wrong with me?” I said out loud. A couple of people glanced at me nervously as they walked past.

  Before I had a chance to humiliate myself further, I darted across the street and hurried to the nearest subway station.

  Candice stayed on my mind all the way across town, and when I met Kason at my favorite burger joint, I still couldn’t stop thinking about her. Only now, I had my head screwed on straight, and I knew I’d fucked up.

  “What’s with you?” Kason asked as we sat down to eat.

  “Started with that new client today,” I told him.

  Kason raised his eyebrows and popped a French fry in his mouth. “Oh?” he asked. “That bad, huh?”

  “The opposite, actually,” I groaned. “She’s hot, man. Really fucking hot. Like, so hot, I can’t believe this woman is single.”

  Laughing, Kason shook his head and picked up his burger. He took a huge bite. I tried to follow his lead, but my stomach was tied up in knots over my encounter with Candice.

  “I totally fucked it up,” I said. “I was supposed to introduce myself today, you know? Just say hello and then slip away. Leave her wondering about me and then surprise her by showing up again in a few days.”

  “But?”

  “But I jumped like ten spaces in one move.” I shoved a fry in my mouth just for something to do. “God, Kase, I have no idea what got into me. One second, I was fine. Totally ready for this job.”

  “So, what happened?” Kason asked.

  “I saw her.”

  Kason sighed and dusted his fingers over his plate. He took a long sip of his drink and leaned back. Considering me carefully, Kason sighed again and cleared his throat.

  “Look,” he said. “I’ve been there.”

  “You have?” I frowned.

  Kason nodded. “It was my first year on the job,” he said. “Her name was Yolanda, and dear god, man, she was a knockout. Hispanic and exotic. Curves in all the right places. These deep eyes that could just drown me.”

  Everything Kason said sounded horribly familiar. Candice’s brown eyes floated
through my mind, and my stomach tightened.

  “I was obsessed with Yolanda,” Kason continued. “I was really pathetic about it, you know? I couldn’t get enough of her. When I wasn’t with her, I wanted to be. And when I was, I could barely form coherent sentences, let alone do my job.”

  “What did you do?” I asked, afraid to hear the answer.

  Kason shrugged. “I fucked her. Got it out of my system.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No, man.” Kason shook his head like it was nothing. “You gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. I couldn’t work. I couldn’t think. But after one night with her, I was cured.”

  “Just like that?” I asked doubtfully.

  “Just like that.”

  Kason’s confidence was disarming. Not only was he freely admitting to having sex with a client, but he seemed totally unfazed by it. Maybe B was right about him after all.

  “I thought you didn’t sleep with clients,” I accused. “Isn’t that rule number one of being a Romeo?”

  “Like I said, I did what I had to.”

  “Well, thanks. But that doesn’t help me.”

  Grabbing my burger, I bit off a bite and let my eyes wander. The burger joint was practically empty. Only Kason and I enjoyed having lunch at three o’clock in the afternoon.

  Kason watched me as I ate, his eyes narrowed and his forehead creased with concern.

  “Don’t fall in love with her,” he finally said.

  I blinked, swallowing hard. “What?”

  “Whatever you do,” he said slowly, “don’t fall in love with her.”

  “You’re cracked.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m not falling in love with her. I just think she’s hot. I’m surprised she’s single, that’s all.”

  “Something must be wrong with her,” Kason said firmly. “Hot girls aren’t just single for no reason. She’s probably batshit crazy.”

  “Probably.”

  Even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t true. Candice didn’t strike me as crazy. If anything, she was a little too sane, too down to earth.

  “I’m telling you, man,” Kason said. “One good fuck and you’ll be just fine.”

  “Her mother will fire me,” I said simply.

  Kason grinned. “Only if she finds out.”

  “You know I can’t risk it,” I said. “Not with Paisley to take care of.”

  Holding up his hands, Kason surrendered and returned to his food. He ate the rest of his burger while I only took a few bites of mine. Glancing down at my phone, I saw that I only had a few minutes to pick up Paisley from pre-K.

  “I gotta run,” I said, getting to my feet. “Paisley will be waiting for me.”

  I tossed a twenty on the table and turned to leave. Kason called me back before I made it two steps.

  “Hey!” he said. “Wait up. I’ll come with you.”

  Kason downed the last of his soda and then threw some money down before following me outside. We stepped onto the sidewalk and turned toward the subway station.

  “How is Paisley doing?” Kason asked. “I haven’t seen her lately.”

  “She’s great.” I smiled. “Four years old now and perfect. A little weird but hey, that’s what makes life fun, right?”

  “Is she still into trains?” Kason asked.

  With a nod, I said, “Yeah, but mostly snakes now. Her pre-K teacher has a boa that Paisley’s head over heels for.”

  “Buy her one.” Kason shrugged. “With the money from this job, you’ll have more than enough to spoil Paisley a little bit.”

  “Not with a damn snake.” I laughed. “And definitely not in my tiny ass house.”

  Laughing, Kason led the way down to the subway track. “Hook this girl, and all your problems will disappear, man.”

  “Nice to know someone is confident,” I said.

  “I heard B talking,” Kason said. “She said she’d move you up the rotation if you nailed the Smart girl.”

  I froze. “She did?”

  “Yup.” Kason nodded.

  We stepped through the turnstile and quickly jumped on the train. Kason watched me closely as the news sunk in.

  I wanted to be excited. The idea of getting even more work sounded amazing. Money could solve just about every problem I had. And yet, Kason’s news didn’t fill me with excitement. If anything, it filled me with dread.

  “Say something.” Kason laughed. “This is fucking huge.”

  “It is.” I nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

  “Then, what the hell is your problem?”

  Shaking myself, I forced a smile on my face. “Nothing,” I said. “Not a damn thing, man. You’re right. This is awesome. I’ll get Candice to fall for me. It won’t take much. Like you said, if she’s still single, then something’s wrong with her. And girls with issues … Well, we know how easy they are.”

  Kason slapped my shoulder and nodded his approval. We were silent until we reached my stop, my mind wandering a thousand miles away.

  “See you tomorrow,” I called out as I stepped onto the platform.

  “Hey.” Kason pointed his index finger at me. “Remember what I said. Don’t fall in love. That is the first rule of being a Romeo.”

  The doors to the subway slid shut, and the train shot off, leaving me alone on the platform with nothing to distract me from my confusion.

  As I climbed back up to street level, the sun washing over my face, I tried to take Kason’s advice to heart, but I knew there was no use.

  Candice was gorgeous, the kind of pretty that could keep you up at night, but love? That was something I’d taken off the table years ago. There was only one girl in my life who I could ever love, and she was waiting for me outside her pre-K classroom.

  When I arrived, Paisley’s smile was enough to wipe away the day. She ran forward, throwing her arms around my waist and making me forget all about Kason and Candice.

  Bending down, I kissed her forehead and reached for her hand. On the way home, she told me all about her day and how excited she was for their field trip next week.

  “That sounds like so much fun,” I told her.

  “It’s going to be awesome!” Paisley jumped up and down. “We’re going to the zoo!”

  “I know.” I smiled and ruffled her dark hair. “I’m glad you’re excited, Pea.”

  “So excited!”

  That night, Paisley and I made dinner together. As we sat down to eat, I knew I was doing the right thing. The only girl in my life was Paisley, and my love for her was what drove me forward. It was my sole motivation, the one thing that made everything worth it, even deceiving a woman like Candice.

  Chapter 8

  Candice

  I watched the clock on my phone tick down the minutes until two o’clock. Ryan’s promise was still fresh in my mind as I left my office and hurried to the elevator. The coffee shop was two blocks from my building. Only two blocks and yet, it felt like fifty as my heels clanked heavily against the concrete sidewalk.

  He’s not going to be there, I told myself. He was just screwing around. He didn’t really mean it.

  No matter how many times I thought it, I never once believed it to be true. When I finally reached the coffee shop, I wasn’t at all surprised to see Ryan sitting right out front with his feet propped up on an empty chair and his green eyes alive with energy.

  He didn’t see me at first. He was staring off into the distance, his finger tracing mindless circles over his cup of coffee.

  Glancing down at the table, I saw that his coffee was not alone. Beside it sat another cup. Looking closer, I saw my name scrawled in black and everything changed.

  My excitement disappeared. In its place was a mind-numbing fear that I couldn’t shake.

  This is what you wanted, I reminded myself silently. You’ve been looking forward to seeing him all day. Just go over there. He’s obviously waiting for you.

  Still, I didn’t move.

  My heart pounded heavily against my ribcage. I couldn’t tear my eyes aw
ay from that coffee cup. Every time I tried, it would pull me back with some bizarre gravitational force.

  Finally, I knew I had to get out of there. My usually confident nature was trashed. I was a trembling mess of anxiety as I spun on my heel and took two hurried steps down the sidewalk.

  “Candice!”

  I froze. “Shit,” I muttered under my breath.

  “Hey!” Turning around slowly, I saw Ryan stand up. He held up the two cups of coffee and grinned, raising his eyebrows with an unspoken question.

  “You’re actually here,” I said when I reached him.

  “Of course.” Ryan’s smile grew. “I told you I would be, and I am a man of my word.”

  “That’s great.” Looking around, I tried to map out an escape route.

  Ryan noticed my drifting gaze and quickly pulled my attention back to him. He waved the second cup of coffee under my nose playfully.

  “Hazelnut cappuccino, right?” he asked.

  Surprised, I nodded and took the drink without thinking.

  “Want to sit?” he asked, gesturing toward the table.

  “Um.” I hesitated. Clearing my throat, I pushed forward. “No, thank you. I should really get back to work.”

  “Oh, come on.” Ryan laughed. “When a man remembers your coffee order, the least you can do is sit with him for five minutes.”

  My eyes dropped to the waiting chair. Every cell in my body screamed at me to sit down. Ryan was clearly a nice guy. Sweet and funny. Flirtatious and built like a damn Greek god. There was no reason for me to reject him. But I did.

  “Thank you for the coffee, Ryan.” I took a step back. “But I have a meeting in just a few minutes that I really can’t miss.”

  “Okay.” Ryan nodded immediately. “Totally understand. Maybe next time.”

  “Um,” I said weakly. “Yeah. Maybe.”

  Without another word, I turned and darted down the street. I could feel Ryan’s questioning eyes on me the whole way back, even though I knew he couldn’t see me anymore.

  It wasn’t until I was safely back inside my office that I let my guard down. Breathing out a long sigh of relief, I sank onto my chair and closed my eyes. The cappuccino warmed my palms as I held it tightly in both hands and tried to make sense of what I’d just done.