When my phone rings a third time, I growl in frustration. “Ruthie – who is that?” Hailey asks again.
“Mind your business, Hailey,” I bark as I yank the battery out of my phone. I rise to my feet. “Y’know what? I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you at home.”
Sergei’s no big deal. He’s nothing to get worked up about. He’s in my past. That’s what I tell myself as I grab my stuff and start the brief walk back to our apartment.
Chapter 7
“Ohmygod – that was the best parmesan chicken I’ve ever had,” I say, wiping the corners of my mouth with the linen napkin before resting it on my lap.
Michael grins at me. “I’m glad you liked it.” He stands and brings our plates to the sink before taking our wine goblets and heading into the living room. I follow him with a bowl of popcorn.
We settle on the couch and Michael turns on the movie – some romantic comedy or other. I cuddle close to him and he pulls a warm throw cover over me. Gosh – he smells so damn good.
He kisses me on the temple. “I thought about you last night,” he confesses softly.
I smile against his shoulder. “You should have called me, then,” I say elusively. The truth is I thought about him, too. I fell asleep imagining him next to me. I woke up wishing I was with him.
“I went to visit my father last night,” he says adjusting the volume with the remote control.
I shift so that I’m looking at him. “How is he doing? Is he getting any better?” Mr. Moretti hasn’t been back to the office since he suffered a stroke back in September.
Michael smiles. “He’s improving. Working hard in physiotherapy. His speech is clear now. He’s getting better.”
“I’m so happy to hear that,” I say quietly.
Silence settles over us and Michael appears to be focused on the movie until he says, “You should come with me to see him next time.”
I stare into his face. He must be joking. “Me? With you? To see your dad?”
“Yeah, you should come to my parents’ house with me for dinner next week.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m an intern at your father’s firm. I don’t think he’ll like that you’re sleeping with an intern.” Michaelo Moretti, Sr. is nothing if not formal and conservative. He would definitely find it inappropriate that his son is being intimate with one of his employees.
“I don’t need my family to approve of who I’m dating. But I do want them to be aware of you. To know that you’re special to me.”
I blush profusely.
He laughs. “Yes, Ruth – you’re special to me.” He kisses me softly and I melt a little bit.
“Speaking of your family – your sister looked completely shell-shocked when you showed up at my apartment the other day.” I laugh.
Michael waves his hand in the air dismissively. “Madison is harmless.”
“I really don’t think she likes me,” I wince.
Michael sighs. “I know she comes across as cold but people just don’t get her. She’d like you if she knew you better. You two should go out for coffee or something. Girl talk.” He pinches the tip of my nose playfully.
“We probably don’t have anything in common. We wouldn’t have anything to ‘girl talk’ about.” I pull air quotes around the words.
“Maddie is an awesome person. She’s just a bit standoffish. Y’know that she just got engaged?”
“Yeah – I’ve seen her ring. It’ beautiful.” I smile. Even though I don’t know Madison well, I can’t deny that she and Domenic Gattusso make an adorable couple and they seem totally smitten with each other every time they’re together at the office.
“And she opened a dance studio to teach little girls ballet on the weekends.”
“Oh – I didn’t know that.”
“And she just got a tattoo.”
“Really,” I laugh. It’s hard to imagine Michael’s prim and proper sister with a tattoo.
“Y’see – there’s a lot you don’t know about Maddie. I’d really like you to get to know her a bit. And our little sister, Mackenzie. And even Matt.”
“Matt? Now, you’re pushing it.” Matt has a reputation around the office for being quite the jerk.
Michael laughs. “Okay – maybe not Matt…yet.”
I laugh, too. And then, I kiss him. I love that he wants me to get to know his family and be a real part of his life.
The kiss intensifies quickly. He pulls me close and I push my fingers through his short, thick hair. His hands slip under my sweater and slide up my back. Goosebumps spread all over my skin. I groan as his tongue pushes into my mouth.
And just as I’m reaching to unzip his pants, I hear his front door slam shut.
“Michael!” Stiletto heels quickstep across his foyer, then stop dead when they reach the dark living room.
Michael pulls away from me. He’s flushed. His hair is a mess. His lips are juicy red. The look of arousal on his face is quickly replaced by irritation. “Liz!” he growls angrily as he jumps to his feet so fast that I fall backwards on the couch. “Why are you here?”
I glance up at her, embarrassed, as I tug my sweater down to cover my exposed midriff. “I didn’t know you – you were busy,” she says sheepishly.
“That’s why you need to call first. Before just showing up at my place.” He’s doing nothing to hide the irritation in his voice.
“I called. You didn’t answer. I – I thought we could hang out,” she says, tears brimming in her eyes. “I brought salsa and chips.” She gestures to the grocery bag in her hand.
He sighs, frustrated, before he walks over to her. “Excuse me for a second, Ruth,” he says without even looking at me. He gently rests his hand on Liz’s shoulder and steers her towards the door.
I strain to hear what they’re saying. I can’t. All I hear is hushed whispers and the sound of her crying. He’s comforting her. And for way too long. This is getting awkward.
I gather my purse and slip into my jacket. I run my fingers through my hair before tying my scarf around my neck.
He’s holding her. As I approach the door…he’s fucking holding her. And she’s crying against his chest. He looks up at me, startled. He steps out of her embrace so fast that she stumbles.
“I’m leaving,” I announce. I’m trying to act nonchalant about it, but I can’t. I’m pissed. I’m falling for this guy, but there’s obviously something going on between him and the mousy brunette.
“Don’t go.” His eyes plead softly as he grabs me gently by the arm. Is he freaking serious? Three’s definitely a crowd. I’m not sticking around. Period.
I move out of his grasp and reach for the doorknob. “It’s okay, Michael…I’ll see you around.”
Before he can protest, I disappear out the door.
Chapter 8
“I don’t get why you’re mad,” Amber says sticking a forkful of syrupy French toast into her mouth.
“You don’t get why I’m mad?” I set my glass of milk down on the table with a thud and shoot an incredulous look in her direction.
“I mean – he’s obviously not into Liz,” Nadia says dismissively her attention trained fully on the chocolate-banana waffle panini that the waitress has just set down in front of her. “Yes, she’s hanging on to him, but he’s not interested...Can you pass me the maple syrup, Luke?”
“Exactly,” Amber chimes in as she adjusts the waistband of her yoga pants for the umpteenth time. Her growing baby bump seems to make all clothing uncomfortable for her. “It’s not his fault that this woman is throwing herself at him.”
“He’s encouraging her behavior,” I argue. “If he really wanted her to back off, he wouldn’t be standing there snuggling with her while I’m hot and bothered in the other room.” My voice carries a little louder than desired in this crowded Sunday morning restaurant.
“She’s manipulating him,” Nadia says between sips of coffee. “She’s playing the pity card. Personally, I think the woman’s pathetic.”
&n
bsp; “He’s letting her manipulate him and I won’t be a part of it.” I wave my fork around victoriously. I’m confident that I’ve made my point.
“C’mon, Luke – give us a man’s opinion on the situation,” Amber prods, poking him in the ribs with her elbow.
He looks up at her from his bacon frittata. “This is all too complicated for me. I think the simple solution to this problem is for Ruth to give up on that loser and run away with me.”
We all erupt into laughter. “Very helpful, Luke,” I say tossing my napkin across the table at him.
“What’s so funny over here?” The deep growl runs right through me and something explodes at my core. He’s standing right behind me. I can’t see his face, but I can feel my body pulling towards his like a rusty nail towards a magnet.
“Michael!” Amber exclaims looking just past me. I kick her under the table. She’s never officially met him. She isn’t supposed to know his name.
“Good morning, ladies,” he says resting his hand on my shoulder. Electricity flows through my body. “Luke.”
Luke nods at him in acknowledgement.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I can see Nadia twisting in her chair beside me to look up at him, grinning widely. “Hi, Michael,” she purrs dreamily.
I can’t turn around. I can’t look at him now. I know that if I look at him, I’ll try to play it cool but my eyes will betray me, revealing how deeply I still want him. And besides, I’m barefaced and my hair is a mess after my early morning workout with my friends.
He moves around the table until he’s looking straight at me. “Beautiful morning. Isn’t it?” He’s wearing a simple black polo shirt and dark jeans. His hair is brushed off of his face. He has a touch more stubble than usual drawing attention to his plump red lips. Jeeze – I’d love to suck on those lips right now.
“Gorgeous,” Nadia says in a breathy voice.
“Yes – perfect morning for Sunday brunch. I’m here with my siblings,” Michael says gesturing to his sisters and Matt being seated by the hostess at a table near the window. Gosh – they’re all so darn good-looking. It must be nice. “Anyway, it’s my first time here. What would you recommend? How’s your cinnamon roll, Ruth?”
I swallow hard. “Fine,” I say simply. My throat is parched. Why does he have to smell so fucking good all the time? I get a sudden flashback to how gorgeous he looked when I woke up in his bed last Sunday morning. How I couldn’t keep my hands off of him until he’d pushed me into three back-to-back orgasms…Merda!
His eyes are peeled to mine. “Just fine? It looks pretty delicious to me. Sweet and sticky. Gooey.” The words roll out of his mouth in a hypnotically seductive tone. His tongue darts across his bottom lip.
“Yes,” I say. I’m breathing heavy now. Staring at his mouth. Remembering how those lips felt on my skin.
“I think I’ll have a cinnamon roll, too,” he says before finally tearing his eyes away from me. “Anyway, I’ll let you all get back to your breakfast.”
“Bye Michael,” Amber calls after him in a sing-song voice as he walks away. She leans over the table and whispers loudly to me. “Hot damn. That man wants you like a fat kid wants candy.”
“Tell me about it,” Nadia says fanning herself dramatically. “I would wrestle an 800-pound grizzly bear to the ground to get a piece of a man like that.”
“Well, I’m engaged and knocked up, but if I wasn’t, you’d be wrestling me to the ground to get at him.” They both laugh and give each other high-fives.
I roll my eyes at them. “Would you guys keep it down?” I whisper, embarrassed. I glance over at Moretti table and see Madison staring at me. She turns away quickly when our eyes meet. “Stop it,” I hiss at Amber and Nadia.
“Okay. Okay,” Nadia says attempting to stifle her laughs. “All we’re saying is that the man is hot and he’s obviously into you, so you’d better do something about it before someone else snatches him up.”
Chapter 9
Hailey holds up a large, gaudy abstract painting in front of the wall near her closet.
“Do you think I should hang this picture over here –“ her chin points to the empty space above her bed head, “—or over there?” She gestures to the wall next to her cheval mirror.
“Over there,” I say distractedly as I scroll across the face of my smartphone. I’m sprawled off on her bed reading through trashy celebrity gossip sites.
She sighs exasperatedly and glares at me. “Y’know – if you helped me fold the laundry we’d be able to get out of here a lot quicker.” Sunday night is grocery-shopping night around here.
“I don’t mind waiting,” I joke tossing her a wink.
“Ruth! C’mon. Stop being lazy. Help me out.” She’s pouting like a four-year-old now.
“Relax,” I say sitting up and reaching for the laundry basket full of clean clothes near the foot of her bed.
“Amber told me you guys ran into Michael at brunch this morning,” Hailey says as she sets down the painting against her dressing table and picks up a bottle of window cleaner.
“Of course she did,” I say sarcastically. “Amber is just so nosy.”
Hailey laughs as she shines the mirror. “So, you’re still giving Michael the cold shoulder?”
I pull a worn-out University of Texas sweatshirt from the pile of clean clothes and fold it. “Hooking up with Michael was a bad idea,” I say without looking up at her.
“Well, that’s what I said. But did you listen to me? Nope.”
She’s so judgmental sometimes. I can’t stand it. The last thing I need is a lecture from Hailey right now.
“Anyway, you’re in too deep now. You really need to just go with the flow and see how things play out. You like him. I think you should go for it.”
I look up at her in surprise. “Huh?”
“You heard me. It’s too late to back out now. If you don’t see this through, you’ll always be wondering what it would have been like to give yourself to him completely.” A whimsical look comes over her face. It’s unfamiliar to me. It’s almost as if her words have double meaning. Suddenly, I wonder if she’s referring to her own love life.
I reach into the laundry basket and pull out a very revealing, light pink baby doll negligee. My eyebrow shoots up. “Hailey, are you seeing somebody?” I ask holding it up in the air.
She rushes over and grabs it from me. “Why would you ask that?” she says. Guilt is written all over her face as she shoves it into the bottom drawer of her dresser.
I fall back on the bed laughing. “You hypocrite! You give me grief for seeing Michael, but meanwhile, you’re having a torrid affair of your own, aren’t you?”
“Stop trying to change the subject, Ruthie. We’re talking about you. About your love life.”
I can’t stop laughing. I won’t let her divert. “That’s why you skipped the gym and brunch this morning. You had a secret rendez-vous planned, didn’t you?”
Her face is red. “Y’know what? I’m gonna go get the shopping bags. We’re leaving in five minutes.” She hurries out of the room, slamming the bedroom door behind her.
“Okay. Whatever, Hailey. But I’m onto you now!”
Chapter 10
After a long day of classes, I really didn’t plan on going in to the office today. But Johnny Trahn texted me at the last minute and asked me to draft a motion for an injunction that has to be presented tomorrow morning. Although I’m tired, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to work with him. Every motion I draft for him, every memo I prepare gets me one step closer to where I want to be; in the courtroom arguing a case before a judge.
It’s nearly 10 p.m. by the time I’m done printing everything out. I place the documents on the corner of the desk of his 8th floor office and head to the elevator as I’m buttoning up my jacket. It was chilly this afternoon when I got to the office so I can only imagine that it’s even colder now.
As I approach the elevator, I see Michael standing there with a group of men.
; Merda!
Rumor around the office is that Michael has flown in some of the senior partners from Cartwright Moretti Stevenson’s other offices to try and figure out a solution to the firm’s financial problems.
I try to be discreet but the sound of my heels announces my presence. A few of the men glance back at me. I cringe as I feel their eyes roam over my body. One of them makes an inappropriate comment about blond secretaries working late.
Michael’s face goes stern. He clears his throat. “Good evening, Ruth,” he says in a painfully professional tone.
Ruthie's Desire - The Esquire Girls Series - Ruthie's Story (Books 1, 2, 3 & 4) - Box Set Page 9