by Beth Rinyu
The two men stood up at the sight of Rose, the younger one pissing me off big-time, not concealing the fact he was checking her out as he eyed her up and down.
“This is Rose,” I introduced. “She’s in charge of the online version of the magazine.”
“Rose, it’s such a pleasure to meet you. I’m Phillip York.” The older man gently shook her hand while his son stood behind him like a horny teenager, hoping to get laid for the first time.
“And you as well.” Rose smiled.
“Rose, do you mind heading into the conference room and starting the morning meeting for me?” My uncle hastily stood up, bordering on downright rude.
“Oh, yeah, sure.” Rose seemed to be taken just as off guard by his abrupt behavior as I was.
Rose started to make her exit when the son stopped her. “Oh, wait, Rose. I’m Collin York. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
How I wanted to wipe that slimy grin off his face with the meeting of my fist. I stiffened my posture, inching closer to Rose right before he went in for the attack.
“Oh, hello. Nice to meet you as well,” Rose replied, rather coolly.
His face dropped, and his arrogant demeanor faded away ever so slightly over her chilly reception.
“Here you go, Alex.” She handed me the mockup and gave me a knowing smile. “I’ll head in and start the meeting for you now, Mr. Andrews. It was really nice to have met you both.”
“Thank you, Rose,” my uncle muttered, barely able to look at her.
“I really need to get going as well,” I said.
“Please take my business card.” The older Mr. York said. “In case your uncle changes his mind. My cell number is on here. I’d love to chat about the possibilities.”
I reluctantly took the card from his hand, without any intentions of getting in touch with him. Giving them both a curt nod, I headed out of my uncle’s office.
“Rose!” I called just as she was about to head into the conference room.
“What’s up?” she asked.
I pulled her into the copy room when she came closer and pressed my lips against hers.
“What was that all about?” She laughed.
“Just in case you were getting any ideas about Mr. British in there.”
She laughed. “Now, Alex, you should know I don’t go after the ones with manners. I find the ones who act like a total dick to me when we first meet to be the sexiest.”
“Good to know.” I grinned and watched her walk away until she disappeared into the conference room. Jealously wasn’t normally my thing, but Rose brought out things inside of me I never knew existed, and the way that guy was eyeing her up in there made my blood boil in a way it never had before.
Chapter 41
___________________
Rose
THE MONDAY MORNING MEETING ended with no sign of Mr. Andrews. I was impressed with my ability in running it so smoothly, and I was happy Mr. Andrews had enough confidence in me to allow me to take the lead.
“Oh, hello, Rose,” the younger of the two men who were in Mr. Andrews’ office earlier greeted me as I walked out of the conference room.
“Oh, hey!” I forced a smile. He was so full of himself. I got that vibe from him right away. He was nice-looking and judging by his expensive suit, no doubt rich. Not to mention, his British accent was very suave, but there was something about him that didn’t sit right with me, and I wasn’t exactly sure what it was. Funny thing was, he was the exact type of guy I was trying to land before Alex came into my life and so much had changed—most of all, me.
“I was wondering if you wanted to grab a drink with me sometime.”
“Oh, umm…thanks for the offer, but I’m gonna have to pass.”
“Why’s that?”
Clearly, he wasn’t used to being rejected.
“Because I don’t think my boyfriend would appreciate it if I had a drink with another guy.” My boyfriend. I just referred to Alex as my boyfriend, and nothing about it seemed strange at all. Never before had I classified anyone with that title.
He nodded and cocked his eyebrow. “He’s a very lucky man.”
“Thanks, but I think I’m pretty lucky too.”
“Here’s my card, in case…things. Well, in case you change your mind.”
He placed his business card in my hand as I stood there dumbfounded and watched him walk away. He had an even higher opinion of himself than I originally thought.
“Who was that?” Marisa asked, breaking me from my state of shock over his presumptuous attitude.
“Oh, just some arrogant asshole.” I shoved his card in my pocket.
“Well, you better be careful.”
“Why?” I immediately became defensive, trying to decipher what she was implying.
“You have a thing for arrogant asses. Remember?”
We both broke out in laughter. “Alex was nothing like this guy.”
“Well, I never thought Alex was arrogant to begin with…that was all your opinion.”
We headed to my office and she filled me in on her Thanksgiving weekend. She had spent it with her family, who were anything but supportive of her and the baby. I felt awful as the tears welled in her eyes when she told me the topic around the dinner table was how the baby would be best put up for adoption instead of being raised alone by her.
“Marisa, you know that’s not true. You’re gonna be the best mom ever!”
“I know, but sometimes, I feel so alone. It would be nice to know my own mother backed me on this.”
“Hey, you’re not alone. You have me, Lamaze coach extraordinaire. I’m so into What to Expect When You’re Expecting. I could probably become an obstetrician.” I was happy to see her break out in a smile. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel alone in all of this. There was no doubt this was scary for her, but I knew once she saw the baby, all her doubts would fade away and she’d never feel alone again. I wasn’t sure what was getting into me, I didn’t have a maternal bone in my body. The thought of having kids myself scared me half to death, yet here I was feeling totally different when I saw it from Marisa’s viewpoint. Maybe it was from all the nights I had spent reading about the miraculous changes a woman’s body goes through with a new life growing inside of it that had me thinking in ways I had never dreamed of, or maybe it was because for the first time ever, I had someone in my life who someday, I would possibly want to experience that miracle with.
_______________
By the time the day had ended, I was doing my best to finish up some bits of work while battling with a massive headache and inferno blazing in my throat. My eyes were tearing up, and I wasn’t sure if it was from looking at my computer screen for so long or because of the congestion building up in my head.
“Hey, did you want to get something for dinner?” I looked up from my computer, happy to see Alex standing in front of me after being out of the office in meetings all day.
I placed my hands on my temples, trying to stop the beating going on inside my head. “I really don’t have much of an appetite. I’m feeling kind of awful right now.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Let’s see, my throat is on fire, my head is pounding like a drum, my entire body aches, and I feel like I’m gonna puke at any moment.”
“Why are you still here?” The concern in his voice was endearing and unsettling at the same time. It was so sweet of him to care about my well-being, but at the same time, I wasn’t used to this type of attention when I was sick from any other guy but my dad.
He moved closer and placed the palm of his hand on my forehead. “Rose, you’re burning up with a fever. You need to be in bed.”
Feeling too weak to argue, I didn’t put up a fight when he closed my laptop and helped me up.
Alex took me back to my aunt’s place and refused to leave me there alone when we discovered she’d gone out for the evening.
“Alex, really I’m fine. You can go. You don’t need to be getting sick too.” I kn
ew he had a crazy busy week ahead, and the last thing he needed was to get sick, although after the close proximity we were in earlier that morning in his office, chances were, I probably already infected him.
“I don’t get sick,” he replied, sitting on the edge of the bed, pressing his lips against my forehead.
“Don’t be so—” The words weren’t even out of my mouth before the churning in my stomach rose to my throat. I sprang from the bed and darted into the bathroom, thankful I was able to make it on time. Alex followed behind and pulled back my hair as I continued to hurl. Every muscle in my body ached, and I was wishing I could just curl up on the bathroom floor and die. Not exactly my most attractive moment, but it wasn’t the first time he’d witnessed me puking my guts up.
He knelt beside me and rubbed my back as my entire body trembled. “Are you okay?” he whispered.
I nodded and stood up on wobbly legs. He grabbed my arm and guided me to the sink as I rinsed my mouth out with water. We made it back to my bedroom, and I eased into bed, feeling like every last bit of energy was sucked out of me. “Alex, really, please go. I don’t want you catching this.”
Ignoring my feeble plea, he sat up in the bed next to me. I lay down and moved my head on his lap. I closed my eyes, feeling so at ease as his fingers raked through my hair, and it wasn’t long before I was fast asleep.
I awoke the next morning to the serenade of the garbage truck outside and the bright sunlight shining through my window. I lifted my head from the pillow, feeling like I had moved from the hell I was in last night to purgatory.
“Come in,” I managed to get out through my laryngitis when I heard the knock on my bedroom door.
“How are you feeling?” My aunt took a step inside the bedroom with a breakfast tray in her hands.
“A little better.”
“You sound awful.” She placed the tray on the nightstand and took a seat on my bed. “You’re still running a temperature,” she said, placing her hand over my forehead. “Try to eat something.”
“I’m not really—”
She stuck a piece of toast under my nose and left me no other option but to take a bite just to appease her. It was like sandpaper going down my irritated throat. I grabbed the cup of tea from the tray and took a sip to try and alleviate the burn.
“After you eat that, you need to take some more Tylenol to get the fever down.”
“Geez, you’re a bossy nurse.”
She chuckled and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Was Alex still here when you got home last night?”
“He was. He didn’t want to leave you alone.”
“He took such good care of me last night, Aunt Kate.”
“I know. You’ve got a good guy there.” She picked up the cup of tea and forced me to take another sip.
“But what if…”
“What if what, Rose?”
“It’s just, I’ve never had this before, and what if it doesn’t last?” I was inexplicably crying.
“Oh, Rose.” Aunt Kate moved next to me and wrapped her arms around me. “Stop. Stop thinking of what could happen and enjoy what is.”
I rested my head on her shoulder and she held my hand until I calmed down.
“Everything is going to be okay, my beautiful girl.”
Her words were calm and soothing. “Aunt Kate?”
“Yeah?”
“You would’ve been a great mom, you know that?” I lifted my head from her shoulder and now it was her who was crying.
She kissed the top of my head and pulled me closer. I wasn’t sure of her circumstances and why she never had children, but judging by her reaction, I could only assume she was unable to. I was angry at myself for getting her so upset, and since I couldn’t take back my words, I was more than willing to be her shoulder to cry on instead.
Chapter 42
___________________
Alex
“WELL, LOOK AT YOU, good as new.” I smiled at Rose as she stood in the doorway of my apartment after being knocked on her ass with the flu for almost a week.
“I’m still not feeling one hundred percent—”
I grabbed her face and kissed her before she could even finish. I missed her so much these past few days. Even at work, it seemed so strange to not have her there with her normal bubbly personality that always put a smile on everyone’s face.
“It amazes me that you didn’t catch this.” She looped her arms around my neck and stared up at me when our kiss ended.
“Told ya, I don’t get sick!” I took her hand and we sat down on the couch.
“Thank you for taking such good care of me that night. I’m pretty sure I looked like death because I felt like it for sure.”
“You looked beautiful.”
“Oh, yeah, right! Hanging over the toilet bowl and puking is so glamourous!” She laughed. “So, I was wondering…can I take you out to dinner as a thank you?”
“I would love to go out to dinner with you, but I want to take you out.”
“But—”
I held up my hand to stop her. “Either I take you out or no date.”
“Hmm…fine. But I’m sure I can find some other guy who’ll allow me to treat him to dinner.” She smirked.
“Oh, yeah, and who would that be?” I chuckled.
“Mr. British accent.”
Suddenly, I didn’t find it amusing anymore. I had only met the guy once, but something about him irked me to no end. “Don’t even joke around about him.”
The smile on her face disappeared. “Oh my God, I was just teasing! Besides, I already told him where he stands.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He asked me out for a drink, and—”
“When?” I snapped.
“Geez, Alex, calm down.”
“When, Rose?”
“That same day he and his father were in your uncle’s office. I was coming out of the meeting and he stopped me.” She grabbed the sides of my face and pressed her forehead to mine. “But I told him I didn’t think…” She pulled in her bottom lip and paused for a moment.
“You didn’t think what?”
“I didn’t think my boyfriend would appreciate me going out for drinks with another guy.” She studied my face, no doubt trying to gauge my reaction.
“Who’s your boyfriend?” I couldn’t hold back my laughter any longer over the look on her face. She playfully smacked me on the shoulder, and I pushed her down on the couch, trailing my lips down her neck. “You can tell him if your boyfriend catches him near you again, he’s gonna kick his ass.”
“Oh, wow, are you gonna meet behind the cafeteria after school?” she teased.
She squirmed uncontrollably when my fingers worked into her sides and tickled her. “Hard to believe, but I missed your smart-ass comments these past few days.”
Catching her breath from her laughter, she remarked, “I missed you too, and more than just your smart-ass comments back.”
“Then I think we need to take care of that.”
“Sounds good to me!” She lifted my shirt over my head, and my lips pressed against hers. As her warm, gentle hands moved up my body and her emotion-filled eyes stared up at me with such desire, I realized what we had was really something special. She was able to make me feel a whole gamut of emotions all in a matter of seconds, from happiness, to anger, to laughter, and now pure longing just for her. She undid the button on my jeans, and any thoughts of that arrogant prick completely vanished. The only thing on my mind was the beautiful woman lying underneath me as we prepared to make up for lost time in the best kind of way possible.
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After making up for more than lost time, Rose was too tired to go out to dinner, so instead, we opted to order Chinese food and hang out at my place, watching TV. It was the perfect way to spend Saturday night, and I couldn’t think of anyone else I wanted to be spending it with.
“Oh, let me see?” Rose said after I cracked open my f
ortune cookie.
She grabbed the slip of paper from my hand and read it aloud, “Big plans lie ahead.” She cast a questioning gaze upon me. “Hmm...wonder what adventure awaits you?”
“I don’t know, maybe the answer is in your cookie.” I smirked.
“Laugh, but I once knew a girl whose fortune cookie told her she’d be meeting the love of her life at any moment. Did you know she met the man she married that same exact day?”
“Oh my God! No way!” I teased.
She stuck out her tongue and cracked open her cookie. “The guy sitting next to you thinks he’s funny, but he’s not.”
“Well, there you go, now you know they’re not accurate.”
“That’s a matter of opinion!” She sneered. “Soon, you will receive the biggest shock of your life.”
“Oh no! Maybe you’re gonna find out one of your expensive purses is really a fake.”
She playfully smacked me on my arm and was unable to hold back her laughter.
“See, you do think I’m funny.”
“Truthfully, I already had the biggest shock of my life.”
“Oh, yeah, and what would that be?” I asked.
“You and me…I mean, who would’ve ever believed we’d…”
I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to elaborate. It was so hard for her to come out and say we were in a relationship. Even though I knew she wanted to, it was as if she was scared to admit it to herself. “That we’d what?”
“Well, you know.”
“No, I don’t.” Her eyes shifted in every direction, except on me. “Why can’t you say it?”
“Say what?” Her defense was up.
“That we’re together in a committed relationship.”
“I can say it…I said you were my boyfriend, didn’t I?”
“I don’t know. Did you mean it or was that just an excuse you used to blow off some asshole?”
“What?” she exclaimed. “How could you even think that?”
I looked away and didn’t respond. I knew I shouldn’t have been pushing her for something she wasn’t ready to say or even feel for that matter, but it had been almost three months since we’d been together, and I felt like it was time we finally acknowledged that.