I nodded with fear. Not just for the company or myself, but the people I loved. The people I cared about. I needed to do everything I could to protect them.
It wasn’t about some low life from our past anymore; this was something that could get us killed.
“Hello, Mr. Mimir.”
I turned my head to see Grace standing there with a coffee in her hand. Her large dark eyes bouncing between me and Mr. Marks.
“Hi, Grace. I didn’t know you drank coffee. Thought you were a tea gal.” I grinned at her and eased back. My mind was working double time with everything I needed to do to warn people and protect them, but I didn’t want Grace to believe anything was wrong.
“I thought Mr. Payne might like some. The coffee pot is broken in the office and I know Ms. Drake is busy doing other things, so I thought I would lend a hand.”
Henrik wouldn’t like that. Poor Grace. She really had her heart set on him. When he found out Grace was playing around on his phone in his office a few weeks ago, he threw it away and got a new one. He was sure she uploaded some spy app that filmed him.
I tried to explain that there was no such thing available to the public, but he refused to listen.
“How nice of you, Grace. Tell him that you made it just for him. I think he likes the extra attention.” I added a wink at the end.
She blushed because they all do. Well, all but Evaleen.
She nodded slowly and her eyes sparkled. “Good idea, Mr. Mimir. Bye.” She walked away, carefully cradling the cup.
“Who was that?” Mr. Marks asked just before popping the last crouton into his mouth.
“Oh, just the receptionist at the company. She has a slightly unhealthy crush on Henrik.”
His eyes widened. “The Goof? I guess it’s his sense of humor. Ladies do love a man with a sense of humor.”
He hadn’t seen Henrik since we graduated Northwestern. I was closer to Mr. Marks and Kingston than Henrik was.
“Yeah. Actually, Henrik has changed a bit since then.”
He nodded, picking at the bits left over in his salad with his fingers.
My phone buzzed and I lifted it from the table to see who it was. A text from Evaleen.
Urgent. Need to speak to you IMMEDIATELY.
My heart dropped to the floor as I feared what she wanted. Had Damien tried to go after Evaleen or her mom? Maybe the cops contacted her and they found Ashton’s body.
A million terrifying thoughts took over my brain as I scooted out of the booth. “Hey, Mr. Marks—”
“I told you so many times, Edgar, it’s Bob. Just call me Bob.”
“Maybe another time, but I have to get back to work. An emergency. Thanks for the update.”
“Safe travels and remember what I said.” He waved and I nodded to let him know I did very much remember every word he told me.
Once I got off the elevator on the twenty-eighth floor, I raced to Evaleen’s office. She was hunched over her desk with her head in her hands.
She was crying.
I pushed open her door and stumbled into her office. “What happened?” I rushed out, my words marred by my panting.
Evaleen raised her head. Her mouth wide in a smile and eyes wrinkled with happiness. She wasn’t crying, she was laughing.
“Oh, Edgar, there you are. I was looking everywhere for you.”
“Okay, I’m here now. What was so urgent?”
She held up a finger and reached into her desk. Pulling out a large three-ring binder she flipped it open.
“Now it states in the Mimir Employee Manual that if the hiring of persons is done abroad, we will have to fill out a request with the proper government agencies at the time of hire, for example, the U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services.”
She raised her head and stared at me.
“Okay. That was urgent?”
“Yes, Edgar. Please, sit down so we can discuss this.” Evaleen waved her hand at the chair on the other side of her desk.
I shut the door and took a seat.
Evaleen clasped her hands in front of her and leaned on her elbows. “Now, we need to discuss what will happen if we find a candidate in London. Will they be temporary, or do we plan to request for a permanent visa?”
Her tongue snuck out, wetting her bottom lip which caused my heart to pick back up. Was she torturing me? Payback for the other day?
The only thing I did to her was make her sweat a bit. She not only had me running scared all the way here, she was seducing me. Maybe not actually seducing, but she had to know licking her lips would cause me to stare at them.
“What is this, Evaleen?”
“Like you said, we will be spending a lot of time together. This is one of those times.”
“I am sure we can figure this out after we interview candidates. It’s not necessary to discuss this before.” I began to get up, ready to make my way to her door.
“Oh, Edgar, before you go. Jacob came to visit me earlier and asked me why I was scheduled to go on the trip since I was HR.”
I stopped with my hand on the door knob. My decreasing heart rate steadily rose again. “Oh?”
“Don’t worry though, I didn’t tell him how you lied to me about what he said.”
Fuck.
“But, since the tickets are bought and travel is arranged, I had said that you were interested in a few people over in London for the job. So, maybe next time we meet we’re honest with each other.”
I should never have lied.
TWENTY
Evaleen
“I always wanted to travel.” Tiffany gazed dreamily off into the musty distance of the bar.
“It’s for work, so I won’t be doing a lot of sightseeing.” I leaned back against the black leather booth and tipped back a bit of my drink. The cool, wet glass a sharp contrast to the dry burn of the gin.
Just one for me tonight since I leave for London tomorrow. It’s Saturday, and Morgana was having dinner with her parents. Aria, Tiffany, and I were having a makeup SWIM Meet since Morgana and I won’t be here next week.
“But you will find some London men to go out with?” Aria leaned forward on the wobbly cheap wooden table and appeared as serious as I had ever seen her.
“No. I will be working. And when I am not working, hopefully, I will be sleeping.”
“How much do they expect you to work over there? Fourteen hours? Come on, Evaleen, live a little. We want to live through you and Morgana for the next week.” Aria wrapped her arm around Tiffany’s shoulder causing Tiffany to spill the beer she was sipping down her chin.
“Aria is right. It’s not often you get to travel overseas. Do you know I haven’t even been to Canada?” Tiffany gazed at us as if a trip to Canada was on everyone’s bucket list.
“Winnipeg is only a thirteen-hour drive. We should all go on a road trip there. Just the ladies. It would be fun. I love road trips.” Aria clapped her hands.
“Now that David is getting stronger maybe I can take a few days off for some me time.” Tiffany nodded, and the ladies bounced up and down excited over a non-existent trip to Winnipeg.
“Well, now that we got that out of the way, can I be honest with you ladies?”
Their heads snapped at me in unison. The way they reacted you would have thought I just told them I was President Abraham Lincoln back from the dead.
“Yes, Evaleen. You can tell us anything, you know that, right?” Tiffany scooted closer to me, rubbing my back in comfort. It felt good. I hated that I shied away from affection from my friends. It wasn’t that I didn’t like to be touched or that it didn’t feel good, it just always felt awkward. That if I reached out to them, they would think I was being a nuisance and they would feel put upon.
I never wanted to be a burden to my friends or anyone I cared about.
“There is this guy—”
“You fucked him and now he wants to date you?” Aria said.
I shook my head. “No.”
“You fucked him and now he wants to introd
uce you to his mother?” Aria tried again.
“No, Aria.”
“You fucked him and now—”
“Aria, I haven’t fucked anyone ever, okay,” I said a bit too loud.
Not only did everyone at the table stare at me, but so did half the bar. It seemed like the dim lights brightened and shown a spotlight on me. I glanced around at all the twenty and thirty somethings sitting at small square tables and could feel their focus on me, even if I couldn’t see their eyes.
I dropped my head into my hands and groaned. Even Tiffany’s soothing touch halted. It’s not as if she was a virgin.
“But, I don’t . . . wait a minute. I can’t understand . . . what is . . . Evaleen, are you a virgin?” Aria’s face twisted into a cross between shock and pity.
I knew that would happen. That’s why I didn’t tell anyone. Even my mom believed I lost my V-card at some point. The one thing I have kept from her.
Aria got out of the booth and came to the other side to sit beside me. Tiffany rubbed my back and Aria gave me hugs.
“You act like being a virgin is some terrible disease.” I threw my hands up.
“No, it’s not,” Tiffany announced just as Aria said, “Yes, it is.”
I glared at Aria. “I was just kidding.” She held up her hands in surrender before she winked at Tiffany and mouthed the words, “Yes, it is.”
“I’m not going to explain why I am a virgin; I just am, okay? Maybe I’m a romantic?”
Laughter erupted at the table. Even Tiffany couldn’t hold it back.
“Oh my God. Morgana is missing so much tonight.” Aria shook her head causing her light blonde hair to flutter around in the air.
“Come on. I’m being serious. Maybe I’m such a romantic that I am a bestselling romance author.”
The laughter grew louder before I heard Aria wheeze and held up her hand.
“Stop. Just stop. Need to catch my breath.” That was Tiffany.
It took a minute but the laughter finally died down.
“Evaleen, I get that you are a virgin. But romance? You are the opposite of romantic. There’s nothing wrong with that. A lot of men like that. They don’t want to have to worry about, uh, what do men do when they are trying to romance a woman?” Aria glanced over at Tiffany.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I met my husband at a keg party. The most romantic thing he did was make mac and cheese on his hot plate in his dorm for me.”
“Wow, we really are pathetic when it comes to men. We should create a self-help group for women who don’t know how to date,” Aria mused.
We all stared off for a moment.
“Don’t look now, Evaleen, but here is your chance to no longer be a virgin. Hottie at three o’clock is giving you the ‘hey girl’ eye,” Aria said out of the side of her mouth.
“Tiffany is at my three o’clock.”
Aria moaned, “I don’t know how that works. He’s over there.” She pointed out to the golden colored bar. Three men and a woman stood there. Most of them with their backs to me, facing the big mirrored wall with a waterfall of liquor bottles appearing to burst through its middle.
But one pair of eyes fell on me. A very familiar pair of gray eyes.
Edgar.
The first thing that popped into my head when I saw him was how long had he been there and did he hear me yell I was a virgin?
Edgar pushed himself off the bar and started to walk toward the booth.
“Oh my God, Evaleen; he’s coming over here.” Tiffany quickly lifted her bottle to her lips and smacked her mouth with it. “I’m okay.” She held up a hand while sucking on her upper lip.
“Hello, Evaleen.” Edgar relaxed into his usual seductive pose. The one that had every lady in this bar turning to stare at him.
His usual uniform of a perfectly tailored suit, replaced with a fitted gray cashmere sweater and a pair of dark jeans that seemed to be made for his ass. Not that I was looking at his ass. Okay, actually, I was staring at his butt, but only a little bit.
“Edgar. What are you doing here?”
He didn’t answer, instead, he reached out his hand to Aria. “Hi, I’m Edgar. I work with Evaleen.”
“Wow, is everyone who works with Evaleen super-hot?”
He went into Edgar “the lady killer” mode. His smile relaxed just enough to display his dimples. The ones that had caused many ovaries to explode.
Tiffany waved at Edgar. “Hi, Edgar. It’s nice to see you again.”
Due to how nice Tiffany was, I forgot she was good friends with Henrik and therefore, knew Edgar.
“Tiffany. How is David?”
“Stronger. He has taken a few steps.”
“Yeah, Henrik told me. Before you know it, he will be chasing all the girls.” He winked at Tiffany, who shook her head.
“I just got him to walk, let’s not go down that road just yet.”
“Of course. When he’s ready, maybe I can come over and give him a few pointers,” Edgar said.
“No,” All the ladies, including myself, said at the same time.
Even Aria could see exactly what Edgar was: a player.
“You never answered me, Edgar. What are you doing here?”
“Oh, will you look at the time. I think I need to get back to David.” Tiffany began to scoot out of the booth.
“It is late. I should be going too. Remember, Evaleen, London men will help you with your problem.” Aria pointed to my crotch as she turned to walk away with Tiffany.
“Goodbye, ladies.” Edgar waved.
“You can stop flirting, they’re gone.”
He faced me and waved his hand to sit at the booth. I nodded, granting him permission.
“I wasn’t flirting. I was just being myself.”
I went to fold my arms but the table was in the way, so I crossed them on the table. “So, all the winking is just a tic?” Edgar furrowed his brow. “Do I wink a lot?”
I nodded. “And don’t get me started on your sex dimples.”
He chuckled. “Sex dimples? Which cheeks hold my sex dimples?”
The heat began rising up my neck. “On your face. Where else would you have dimples?”
His eyes widened as he reared back his head. “You can have ass cheek dimples.”
“Oh.” I nodded while frowning.
He leaned toward me across the table and lowered his voice. “I don’t, you know.”
“You don’t what?”
“Have those dimples. Do you, Evaleen?”
I tried to straighten but only sunk lower in the booth. Even when I attempted to glare at him, I couldn’t quite bring my eyes up to meet his.
Shaking my head, I whispered, “I don’t know.”
What I wanted to say was “none of your business,” but Edgar had the power to melt my usual snark. Instead, he left me raw and open.
An image kept coming up in my mind, his ass. I pictured him naked with his hands braced against the wall, his head slightly turned to peer back as if anticipating being touched.
It was hot and had me sweating. I tugged at my collar trying to cool down and breathe. Then I did something I’d never do, unless extremely ill. I unbuttoned the top two buttons on my blouse.
When I could breathe again, I gazed up at Edgar. His eyes on me, his breathing rapid and his eyes glazed.
“I need to show you,” he said.
TWENTY-ONE
Edgar
I came here tonight to warn Evaleen, to talk to her about Damien. Now, it seemed, I didn’t just want to talk to her but also take her home to bed.
In my life, I had seen women in the most revealing clothes that told me what they wanted and gave me a good idea of how they looked underneath. But Evaleen unbuttoning those two little buttons on that conservative peach blouse had to be the most suggestive thing a woman has ever done in front of me. I wanted to watch her tease me with more buttons. Perhaps tug enough at the silk that a beaded nipple burst out, desperate to be relieved of its tension with my mouth.
I was so hard right now. Thankfully the table blocked that from anyone’s view, especially Evaleen’s.
“Show me your ass?” Her voice fainter.
She pulled at her blouse, trying to fan herself and in that movement, I saw a hint of the dark lace underneath. I groaned and realized this had to stop. We were in the middle of a bar on a Saturday night. Sure, people got drunk in bars and did stuff to each other that crossed the line of public decency, but that usually happened much later. Not at eight at night.
“No, I, uh, mean what I found on Ashton. What I tried to show you last week.”
That softened my cock a bit. Like an ice-cold breeze of dick repellent, thinking about a man who put the company and our lives in jeopardy.
“Yeah, of course,” Evaleen said getting up from the table.
Women had it so easy. As long as they wore dresses, they could be ready to orgasm and no one would be the wiser. As for me, I implemented the technique men learned as boys—the cock adjust. As I moved out of my seat, I tucked him safely behind my waistband.
I threw some money on the table as we made our way outside. Waving down a cab wasn’t hard in front of a bar in downtown Chicago on a Friday night.
We were quiet during the ride. I tried to focus on softening my dick but when I thought I had him under control, an image of Evaleen in dark lace popped into my head.
Once we got to my place and I paid the driver, I guided her up the stone steps and into my Greystone townhouse.
It was one of the historic homes from the early twentieth century, so it was a little smaller than the other townhomes on the block but I liked that it had character.
“Wow, your place is beautiful, Edgar.”
Evaleen’s head gazed up at the ceiling once we were inside before glancing into my dining room and down the hall. I took her coat and bag, placing them in the closet.
“Oh, and you have an entryway closet. And it’s big. We just have a coat rack.”
I nodded and tried to hold back my chuckle. She was cute when she was in awe. I wonder if she would be that adorable while being in awe of my cock.
The Attraction File (Cake Love Book 2) Page 10