What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 7)

by Lexi Buchanan

  “Don’t you want to sit over here and go over some stuff while we eat?” Steve asked.

  Becky moved her stuff back over to his desk and sat down. Her phone buzzed a few more times while they ate. She ignored it and paid attention to what Steve was showing her. She didn’t want to sit at his desk, but figured if they worked while they ate, they could go home quicker. The phone buzzed again and Steve stopped and looked over at her.

  “They are persistent, aren’t they?” he asked.

  “Yes, they are,” she said. “I will talk to them when we are finished working.”

  “What happened with that marriage proposal in the flowers the other day?” he asked.

  “What?” she asked.

  “When you got the flowers,” he said. “You said they were a marriage proposal.”

  “They were from my ex,” she said. “I said no.”

  “Where did you live before you came here?” he asked.

  She wanted to get back on the work they were doing. Why was he getting personal? Maybe he did like her, she thought.

  “I lived in Michigan,” she said.

  “What made you come here?” he asked. “I don’t remember them bringing you in for an interview here. They walk all interviewers around to meet everyone. Maybe you were here when I was gone.”

  Damn, did he pay attention or what?

  “I moved here for a new start,” she said. “I did all my interviews over the phone.”

  “That’s cool. You just up and moved. Sounds exciting,” he said, with a smile.

  Becky asked him a question about something on his monitor to get back on track. When they were finished eating, she got up and walked to her desk.

  “I’m really tired,” she said. “I think I’m going to get home.”

  “There’s a bar around the corner,” he said. “Do you want to get a drink before you go home?”

  “I have a few things I have to get done,” she said. “Thanks for the offer. Maybe some other time.”

  She gathered her stuff and they walked out together. On her way home, she thought about Gavin. She felt bad for upsetting him. Steve had wanted to stay late to get stuff done, and she figured it was no big deal. She didn’t want Gavin to be upset, which is why she asked Steve about emailing him. If he didn’t want them to stay, he should have said no.

  When she got home, she took her phone out. Becky was not looking forward to the messages. She could tell he was not happy about them being in the building alone together. Why didn’t he just tell Steve no? She opened her messages. There were four of them.

  “Really funny Becky.”

  “What time are you guys going home?”

  “Are you going to answer me?”

  “He must be sitting up your ass again. I’m leaving for dinner. Have a good time.”

  Becky could not help but laugh. Gavin was such a tough guy and came off so confident. It made her feel good that he was checking on her. She wasn’t used to that. Her ex never really paid attention to what she was doing. Becky wasn’t sure how to reply. Should she try to be funny about it or should she act like it never happened. Deciding on being calm and friendly, she hit reply.

  “Are you back from dinner yet?” she sent.

  “Yes,” he replied. “Did you guys finish the project?”

  Since he was still being a baby, she decided to step it up.

  “Not yet,” she answered. “Who did you go to dinner with?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know,” he sent. “Steve better have that shit done Thursday morning after pulling what he did tonight.”

  “Why didn’t you tell him no when he emailed you?” she asked. “If I would have said no, I would have looked bad. I purposely told him to email you. I never thought you were going to say yes.”

  “He would have thought I was crazy if I would have said no you can’t work late for free. I thought for sure you would say you were busy or something,” he responded.

  “I’m new at your company. That would have looked really bad for me,” she sent. “He did show me a bunch of good stuff.”

  “Read that last line you just sent me,” he sent.

  “Business stuff, ass.” she replied.

  “You drive me crazy woman,” he replied. “Are you home or did you two go out?”

  “Who are you to say anything? You were out at dinner with whomever, and now you are in a hotel room. How do I know you’re alone? I told him I was tired. He asked me to go out for a drink, but I told him I had things to do, maybe next time,” she sent.

  “Maybe next time what? You should have said no. Out of all the women in the office, why did he pick you to be the first he hit on? I am alone in my room, just so you know,” he sent.

  “You don’t need to tell me that. I don’t own you. You hit on me didn’t you? Why is it so hard to believe someone else might?” she replied.

  “That was different,” he replied.

  What was that supposed to mean, she thought? Becky was so upset. She didn’t know if she should be hurt or furious. How was it different? Why was it so hard to believe Steve hit on her? What was so wrong with her? Did he think out of all the women in the office, she wasn’t the one he would have chosen to flirt with? What did he mean by that was different? How was it different? Tears ran from her eyes the more she thought about that one line of text. It stung in her chest as she thought about what he meant. After a few minutes her phone buzzed and pulled her from her thoughts.

  “You still there?” he sent.

  Her feelings were hurt. She thought Gavin might have felt for her what she felt for him, but she must have been wrong. Maybe it was seven days of fun and sex for him. She knew she intended on it being that way for her too, but it wasn’t. She felt nauseous. Becky decided it had to be all business from that moment on.

  “I get it,” she sent.

  Instantly her phone buzzed again.

  “I didn’t mean it the way you took it,” he sent.

  “I didn’t take it anyway. I’m tired. I need to be up early tomorrow,” she sent.

  “Becky, talk to me,” he sent.

  “I’m good. See you Thursday, Mr. Lucas,” she sent.

  A few seconds later her phone rang. She looked over at it and hit decline call. Her phone buzzed again, but she didn’t look at it. She took a shower and went to bed. Her phone buzzed again. She turned the sound off on it and left it in the living room. All business she told herself as she drifted off to sleep.

  Shit, Gavin thought to himself. Why the fuck did he send that? He didn’t mean anything mean by it. After he sent it, he realized how it sounded. How was he going to fix it?

  He called her and she sent him to voice mail. Text after text, she ignored him. Not wanting to look crazy, he quit texting her. He was so far away and could do nothing to explain himself. She shut down on him. He would still be gone another whole day. Crap, what was he going to do?

  When he went on that cruise and met her, he expected it to be a week of fun and sex. That’s what it was supposed to be. He couldn’t stand not being with her and missed her so much. When he saw her at his office, he was so happy. Then when they spent the weekend together, he knew for sure she was special and he wanted to be with her.

  He didn’t mean to be mean or hurtful to her. When he found out she was staying late with Steve, he was pissed. He had already told her that he didn’t want her to do that. When he got the email from Steve, he couldn’t believe it. After he had some time to think about it, he realized why she didn’t tell Steve no. She wanted to show value on the project and saying no would make her look unwilling to help on the team.

  He had to get some sleep so he could be up for the conference in the morning. His speaking part of the conference was at nine o’clock. A million thoughts ran through his mind as she drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Becky woke up late. She hurried to get dressed and grabbed something eat on the way out the door. She didn’t want to be late for work. Quickly she got o
ut of her car and ran into the building, as she made it to her desk just in time. Steve looked up from his screen and laughed.

  “Just in time,” he said.

  “Shut up. It’s not funny,” she said.

  She flipped on her laptop as quickly as she could, hoping her manager would not say anything. Her email came up on her screen.

  Steve got up and walked over to Becky’s desk. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

  “They are super laid back here. One of the only things he is picky about is being on time and making sure you are here each day. Other than that, he won’t say a word. You were here on time. Jennifer didn’t even notice. It’s all good.”

  He stood back up and walked away.

  She felt a little more relaxed. What was he going to do fire her? Maybe, she thought. She went through her emails, put her head phones on, and started working. Her phone was on her desk and she saw it light up. She picked it up and realized she forgot to turn the sound back on. That was why she missed her second alarm going off. That made sense. She should have realized that when she turned it down in the first place. Snap out of it, she told herself. All business from now on.

  Opening her messages, she deleted the ones from Gavin without reading them.

  She got back to work and into her flow on the project she had to finish. If he wanted it Thursday, he would get it Thursday. Becky turned around and leaned over the cube to Steve.

  “Do you think we can finish this today?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure. If everything goes smoothly we might be able to,” he said. “Are you trying to be a super star?”

  “No. It’s my first project I’m working on here, and I want to prove that I can kick ass,” she said.

  Steve laughed.

  “If you want, we can stay tonight and finish it. I doubt we would even have to stay that late. It’s up to you. I don’t have any plans,” he said.

  “I want to get it done,” she said.

  “Okay,” he said.

  Becky turned back to her computer and started working again. She felt her phone buzz on the desk next to her laptop. She picked it up and saw a message from Gavin.

  “Good morning.”

  “I can’t talk right now. I am at work and don’t want to be accused of screwing around on company time. There’s a project I have to be finished with before my boss gets back, so I don’t get fired,” she sent.

  She was surprised that he didn’t message her back after what she had said. It made her feel bad for saying that to him, but she was upset that he did not trust her. The comment he made about hitting on her being different was the last straw of that evening.

  Becky decided to work through her lunch. She knew that there was no way Gavin thought her and Steve would finish that project, and she wanted to prove him wrong so badly. She was diligently working when someone put something down on her desk, and she jumped. She looked up to see Gavin’s secretary.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” the woman said. “These flowers were delivered for you. You are so lucky. I have never gotten flowers here, and you have already gotten them twice.”

  “Thank you,” Becky said, as she laughed.

  They were probably from her ex. She had quit answering his messages and calls. He was probably making another attempt to talk to her. The flowers were beautiful and huge. It was a large vase, and there were all different types and colors of pretty flowers. It was bright. She loved them. There was a card inside. She pulled it out and opened it.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it the way you took it. Please forgive me.”

  Becky’s mouth dropped open in shock.

  “You okay over there?” Steve asked. “You look like you just saw a ghost. Are they from your ex?”

  “Uh…Yes,” she answered.

  “That guy must have it bad,” Steve said. “Those must have cost a fortune. I wonder how big the next delivery will be.”

  Becky sat there thinking about Gavin. Was he crazy? What if someone found out they were from him? He didn’t sign the card. That was a good thing. It made her feel good to see him apologize, but she still couldn’t get past what he had said.

  Why was it different that Steve hit on her? The only thing she could think of, was that Steve was doing it in everyday life. Did that mean that if Gavin had met her in his normal life, she wouldn’t have been good enough for him? He did think he would be rid of her after one week. Maybe what she saw in his eyes the first time he saw her at work wasn’t happiness. Maybe it was more like Oh shit, what am I going to do to get rid of her? They did spend the weekend together. Why would he have done that? It could have been just that he had a few drinks and got caught up in the moment. She realized that she had been sitting still for a long time, she snapped herself out of her thoughts. Get back to work. Prove to his ass that you rock what you do.

  Steve sent an email to Gavin and Becky letting him know that they would be staying late again. Oh man, she thought. What was Gavin going to say about that? Who cares, she thought. At least Steve isn’t embarrassed about flirting with her. Why did Gavin care if they worked late anyway?

  A few moments later, her phone buzzed. She didn’t pick it up to look at it. If she did, she would most likely say something sarcastic back to him. It had to be him. She continued working. Her work phone rang and she could see that it was Gavin’s secretary. Didn’t these people know she had work to do? She reached for her phone.

  “Hello,” she said.

  “Hi Becky,” the woman said. “I have a call for you from Mr. Lucas. I am putting him through.”

  Are you freaking kidding me, she asked herself? He was crazy, she thought. Becky just sat still. She didn’t even say hello.

  “Becky?” he asked, as he waited for her to say something.

  “Yes sir,” she answered.

  “Why aren’t you answering my text? You know I can’t email you,” he said, with an aggravated tone.

  “I am working on that project right now,” she answered.

  “Are you seriously working late with him tonight?” he asked.

  “Yes sir,” she answered.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “We want to get it done as soon as possible,” she answered.

  “You don’t have to have it done in the morning. I was just upset. There is no way you guys can finish that tonight,” he said.

  “Oh really,” she said.

  “Becky,” he said, his tone softened.

  “Yes sir,” she answered.

  “Nothing,” he replied. “I really didn’t mean it.”

  “Why is it different?” she whispered. “There are only so many ways to take that. I guess I was mistaken.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “See you tomorrow, Mr. Lucas,” she said. “Have a safe trip.”

  She didn’t even let Gavin answer before she hung up the phone. Becky looked back at Steve to make sure he didn’t hear what she had said. Steve would wonder why Gavin had called her and not him. She didn’t care how late she had to work, that project was getting done. Gavin needed to know that she was very capable of kicking ass and that she could do it no matter where she was at. She didn’t need his job. Anyone would be happy to have her on their team. She put on her headphones and got back to her work. Becky was a woman on a mission.

  Gavin sat at a table as he ate. Why was she so stubborn? On the cruise, that was something he really liked about her. The way she blew him off or put him in his place, but that was when he thought he would never see her again. That quality was not as much fun as he tried to build a relationship with her.

  He didn’t mean it when he said Steve hitting on her was different from him doing it. Steve never flirted with anyone in the office. Most people had a hard time working with him. For some reason, Steve treated Becky different than everyone else. He didn’t keep information from her. Everything she asked him, he answered honestly. He even took the time to show her things she didn’t ask about. That was not like h
im. Usually, he kept important information to himself. He was very good at his job and Gavin needed him on their team. It just bothered Gavin that he wasn’t always as about the team and was more about making himself look good. The true test would be, if he took all the credit on the project they were working on, or if he gave credit to Becky as well. It Steve took all the credit, he would be sorry. There was no way Becky would just take it. She would tear him apart.

  Gavin did not intend on letting Steve go if the project wasn’t finished when he got back from the conference. He was frustrated with Becky when he told her that. He should have known she would consider that a challenge. She was so frustrating to him. He knew he couldn’t tell Steve no to staying late. That was not like him. He replied to the email.

  “Okay. Don’t stay in the building late. Let me know if you need anything. Email me to let me know when you leave.”

  Gavin had to go back for the last block of the conference. His flight back home wasn’t until late. He wanted to see Becky before work the next day, but she would be asleep by the time he got home.

  The rest of his day crept by. He wanted to be home so badly. He sat in the airport patiently waiting to leave. His phone rang. He hurried to answer it, thinking it was Becky. He was disappointed when his sister started rattling on as soon as he said hello. He loved his younger sister, but would have rather it was Becky on the phone.

  His sister Julie was six years younger than him. They had a pretty good relationship. She called him every few days to talk to him. Neither of them lived at home anymore, so they didn’t see each other as much as they used to. She was more laid back and relaxed than he was. While he went out with his friends, she liked to stay home and read. She did well for herself and had her own home. It was more important for her to have time to herself than it was for her to make a huge amount of money. She was very happy with her life. They talked for a half an hour or so, and he was more relaxed by the time he hung up his phone.