“Why don’t we get some cotton candy for the drive home?” he suggested. It worked on Lucy. Chanda, not so much. She was biting her lip ring and looking irritated. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.” Chanda shook her head and squeezed his hand.
At Julie’s place, Doug took a deep breath before opening the door and carrying his sleeping daughter up to the house. Julie met him halfway glaring at Chanda.
“I told you I didn’t want Lucy exposed to trash.”
“Shh. She’s sleeping, and Chanda is not trash.”
“Do you think child services is going to see her as someone who should be around a child?”
“You’re not going to threaten me with this anymore. Chanda is in my life and she is great with Lucy. Lucy and I talked about tattoos and piercings, and I don’t expect to have any more trouble with that.”
“We’d better not.”
Doug turned away as Julie rushed into the house. He’d hoped their conversation was quiet and far enough away that Chanda hadn’t heard. It was obvious she had.
“Your ex is threatening to call child services because of me?”
“She felt threatened so she’s acting out. She’s not really going to call.” At least she hadn’t all the other times she manufactured reasons why he was unfit.
“Maybe I should stay away from Lucy.”
“What would that teach my daughter? I want her to be able to look inside someone and not make judgments. Your tattoos and piercings tell me you’re a hell of a lot tougher than I am. I nearly fainted in the ER from Lucy’s broken pinky.”
* * * *
“So I made us an appointment for Wednesday morning. Can you go in to work an hour late?” Gray announced while sitting in her new office on Monday. He liked their morning routine. Especially after their new nightly routine of sleeping together.
She was easy.
Not like that, but in the good way. In the way that made him happy to spend time with her.
They weren’t dating. They were…well, he didn’t know exactly, but it was great. Thus the reason he scheduled this appointment.
“What is this appointment for?” She scrunched up her nose.
“I don’t want to say.” He knew the seriousness of the issue would make her freak out for no reason. She didn’t do relationships.
“Right, because you know I’m so big on trust I would just go to some appointment without knowing what it was for.”
“Fine. Blood tests.” He crossed his arms, braced for her rebuttal.
“Is that code for something else less painful and more fun?” she asked, affixing a label on a folder.
“No. I get a screening every few months. You said you’ve never had one. It’s an unsafe world out there, Alyssa. You need to be checked.”
“I’ve never had sex with anyone without a condom. Not once. Ever.”
“Me either. Stuff still happens. Come on.” He tilted his head to the side because he knew she thought it was cute. He was starting to know things about her, despite her efforts to keep him out.
“I hate needles.” She winced as he smiled and walked over slowly to stand in front of her. He bent down and pulled up her shirt to reveal the large tattoo up her ribs.
“That’s strange. Is this a sticker then?” He used his index finger to pick at it, making her laugh.
“Shut up. It’s not the same thing.”
“Because that needle kept jabbing you for hours and hours and this would be once and done?”
“I need all my blood. I can’t spare any.”
They joked around a lot. It was all part of the “keep things light” campaign, but this was serious.
“Liss.” He looked her in the eye. “I know you don’t trust easily, but I’m doing this as much for you. I want you to know your health and well-being are important to me. It might be uncomfortable, but it’s important.”
“Fine. Okay. I’ll go.”
“Wow. I won an argument. I didn’t even have to bring up how I got you this new job.” He joked to lighten the mood again.
“Don’t push it.”
“Do you want to stop for a drink after work tonight?”
“Don’t you want to go out out?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” He took a sip of her coffee before he headed for the door.
“You know. Like a club or something?”
“No thanks. I like living with you. I have fun with you. I enjoy the sex. I’m not asking for anything else.”
“Except my blood.”
“A tiny little bit. I promise. You’ll survive.”
“Okay.” She still looked nervous.
“Now.” He kissed her forehead. “Get back to work. Stop thinking.”
“I never think at work,” she joked.
“That’s my girl.” He gave her a wink as he opened the door. “See you at the meeting later. Have a great day.”
“Thanks. You too.”
* * * *
Alyssa was the second person in the conference room for the meeting. She wanted to make a good impression. She should have realized Mr. Borne would show up to his own meeting seventeen minutes late.
Grayson had sat next to her despite the stay-away look she gave him. Now he was sitting so close, she was certain everyone else around the table must be able to tell they were having sex. Or maybe that was just guilt because his hand was on her thigh under the table and was moving under her skirt.
She kept her gaze on the screen at the front of the room where Craig Something-or-other was going over projections for the next quarter while she focused on breathing normally.
What was it about Gray? Yes, the sex was mind-blowing. Her response to his touch was a result of that knowledge. His no-nonsense approach to things was refreshing.
He seemed honest.
Donald had seemed honest too. She thought she knew everything about him. And maybe she did. She just didn’t know the other person he became when she wasn’t around.
Using the remnants of her willpower she reached under the table and removed his hand from her leg, placing it back in his own lap. While doing so she grazed something hard and swallowed.
They were in a business meeting for Christ’s sake. Her first meeting in her new position. She needed to pay attention, but for the life of her all she could do was wonder if she would be able to sneak into his office for a quickie.
When the meeting was over, neither of them moved. She thought Grayson might have a physical reason for not getting out of his chair. Gray’s friend Doug murmured something about playing with fire as he left the room.
“I shouldn’t have touched you like that in a meeting. I’m sorry.” His voice was low and serious. “You looked nervous and I only know the one way to make you relax. Though obviously that is not office-appropriate.”
“Are you really apologizing to me, or are you sorry because you can’t stand up right now.”
“Yes.” So both. She nodded. At least he was remorseful for his actions.
“I think it would be a good idea if we kept our distance at work,” she suggested.
“I agree to your terms.”
She nodded and stood.
“Liss?” When she paused he glanced up at her. “It’s now time for lunch, and we can make it to our place and back in an hour. Even if we have to fix your hair afterward.”
She swallowed and pressed her lips together to keep from smiling.
“Last one there has to do all the work.” And with that she headed straight for her office to get her purse while he laughed behind her.
* * * *
Chanda was working the early shift on Monday. The lunch crowd usually consisted of the up-and-comers from the business district. They wore expensive suits and were hideous tippers. No rounding up with this bunch. Oh. No. They could do
the exact math in their heads.
She was heading over to a table of eight when she recognized one of the members of the group. She’d seen Doug in his work clothes many times, but not in his work demeanor.
He looked up from a serious conversation and his eyes flared in surprise as she walked closer. He looked away and then back at her, not meeting her eyes.
What was this?
Her heart fell as she slowly realized why he hadn’t greeted her with his usual smile. He was pretending not to notice her. Aside from the subtle headshake he gave her when she first approached, he wouldn’t even look at her. She took the headshake to mean, “Don’t.”
Apparently, sleeping with the wild Asian bartender with the lip ring was hot on the weekends, but not acceptable with his starched shirt colleagues.
She bit back the pain in her heart and forced a smile to the group.
“My name is Chanda. I’ll be helping you today. Can I start you off with some drinks?”
One by one, she went around the table taking everyone’s order, not needing to write it down. She never forgot. Doug asked for water with no lemon. She’d see about that.
A few minutes later, she returned with everyone’s drinks. Including Doug’s, which was stuffed so full of lemons there was probably only a half cup of water in the glass.
“Uh, thanks,” he said, looking at the glass in confusion.
Everyone ordered sandwiches or burgers except Doug who ordered a salad with no onions. She brought him a burger with extra onions.
It was obvious even to her she was being immature, but he’d hurt her feelings and giving him the wrong food made her feel slightly better.
“Thanks,” he said as she put it down.
“I thought you ordered a salad,” the guy next to him pointed out.
“This is good.”
“So much for that diet, huh?” the other man chuckled while elbowing Doug in the ribs. She’d thought he was better than this. She glared at Doug and headed back to the kitchen.
She hadn’t realized he was following her until she entered the narrow hall out of sight of the dining area.
“Hey,” he called. “Chan, wait.”
She turned on him, wishing she could shoot lasers from her eyes. The way he stopped, she thought maybe it had worked.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She let out a humorless laugh. Was he kidding?
“What? No smile or hello for your girlfriend? Or am I not your girlfriend in front of your uppity coworkers?”
“Oh, shit,” he whispered, his eyes wide. “You think I’m embarrassed of you?” Yes. Of course that’s what she thought. What other reason was there for his behavior? She took a deep breath, wondering if she’d misinterpreted the situation.
“You’re saying you’re not?” She couldn’t come up with another option.
“Of course not. I’d love to tell them you’re my girlfriend. Maybe I’d get some respect.”
“Then what is the problem? Why are you pretending not to know me?”
“The second I tell them you’re my girlfriend, one of them will ask what you see in me. I don’t know the answer to that question, and so far I’ve been able to keep you from trying to figure it out. I really don’t want you to start thinking about it too much. So you see, it’s better if they don’t know. That way they don’t start telling you all the reasons why you’re too good for me.”
“You’re serious?” She knew he was. She could see it in his eyes. He believed these losers had the power to turn her off this sweet man.
“Every minute we’re together is another minute I don’t quite understand. I feel like I’m on borrowed time as it is. I don’t want to do anything to turn up the clock.”
She kissed him. Hard.
“You’re so stupid.” She laughed and shook her head. “Go sit down. I’ll bring you your salad and a new water.”
“I’m okay with the burger.”
“No. I spit in it.”
“Wow. That might be more of a deterrent if we didn’t have our tongues in each other’s mouths every time we’re together.” He gave her his wicked smile and her heart beat strong and true, healed by those dimples and the sparkle in his eyes.
“Go sit.”
She quickly put together the salad he’d asked for originally and got him lemon-free water. She walked it out with a big smile.
“Sorry, baby. I brought you the wrong thing. I just hate that you think you need to be on a diet when I can’t keep my hands off of you just the way you are.” She let her hand run over his shoulders for added effect before she leaned down and kissed his lips. “I’ll see you later tonight?”
“Y–yes,” he stammered and then smiled. “Later.” He swallowed and then addressed everyone. “This is my girlfriend. Chanda.”
They all blinked in confusion. One man’s mouth fell open much like she’d seen on a cartoon. Maybe she was missing something.
She looked back at Doug who was smiling at her. The usual warm tingly feeling enveloped her. If he was tricking her, he was doing a pretty thorough job of it. All she saw when she looked at him was the man who stood up for her honor. The guy who was able to both make her cry out in pleasure and laugh when they were in bed. The man who played dolls with his six-year-old and enjoyed every second of it.
“What the hell do you see in this guy?” one of the men asked with a booming laugh.
Chanda narrowed in on the pig-faced man as Doug muttered under his breath. “Told you.”
“He’s a great tipper,” she smiled widely and trotted back to the kitchen.
Chapter 11
Alyssa sat next to Gray in the shabby waiting room. She didn’t want to be here, but Gray was right. It was the responsible thing to do.
Every few seconds, he put his hand on her knee in an effort to keep it still. As soon as he removed his hand, she went back to jiggling it again. It was something she did when she was nervous. She remembered how sore the muscles in her legs were in the evenings during Donald’s trial. That had been a lot of jiggling.
“Relax. It’s one prick. You love pricks,” he joked with a big grin. She smiled at his silly humor. It was one of the things she liked about him.
“Alyssa and Grayson?” the nurse called. Hearing their names said together threw her for a second. It sounded almost normal. She shook it off and followed Gray into the room.
The efficient lab tech gestured toward the chair and Gray made the same gesture to Alyssa.
“Ladies first,” he said as he came to stand next to her. The tech affixed the rubber cord on her bicep. Gray took her other hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You won’t feel a thing,” he promised.
“I can feel the alcohol swab is very cold,” she challenged, knowing she was also going to feel the tiny pinch of the needle, followed by her body’s life fluid being sucked out of her for a futile examination. Or at least she hoped it was futile.
Gray leaned down and kissed her hard on the mouth at the exact same time the needle pierced her skin. She didn’t feel the needle, but she could tell it had happened. To her surprise, he kept kissing her until she felt the tech adhere a bandage and cotton ball to the inside of her elbow.
“All done,” he said, giving her a wink as they traded seats. “It wasn’t so bad was it?”
She shrugged. The kissing had been quite good.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to cook tonight,” she played it up with a wince, letting her arm fall limp at her side.
“I’ll take care of you,” he promised. She flinched at the promise. Years ago, someone else had made that promise.
“You two are so cute. How long have you been married?” the tech asked as she put a bandage on Gray’s arm.
“We’re not married. We aren’t even dating,” Alyssa told her. “I have better taste than this,” she joked, th
ough only Gray laughed. The tech looked him up and down, probably not finding anything out of place.
Not that there was. He was perfect. At least for someone who was looking.
“You’ll hear back with the results by Friday. It says here we can call Mr. Hollinger with the results of both tests?”
“Sure, that’s fine,” Alyssa agreed. She was doing it for his benefit, though it was a good practice to have screening done periodically. And it hadn’t been that bad.
They held hands as they left the office.
It was no wonder the tech was confused. To anyone on the outside they looked like a happy couple.
“Thanks for forcing me to do that,” she said as they walked to work.
“I take offense to the word forcing. I didn’t force you. I asked and you reluctantly agreed.”
“Whichever. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He leaned down and gave her a kiss when they were only a block away from work. Then they both let go of each other’s hands simultaneously.
So far he was respecting her wishes. He hadn’t asked her for anything she wasn’t willing to give. Except maybe the blood.
He was perfect.
He knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t want anyone to know about them. He knew what she liked in bed. He knew her favorite foods.
But there were plenty of things she didn’t know about him. How he was raised, what he did when he was alone, or the search history on his computer. She didn’t know this man. No one ever really knew another person. Not really.
Nothing ever stayed perfect for long.
Alyssa knew that.
* * * *
Gray missed the call from the doctor on Friday, but he got the message that everything was clear. With a little fist pump he tucked his phone back in his pocket.
“Good news?” Doug asked as he walked in Gray’s office and flopped in a chair.
“Yep.”
“You’re not the father?” he guessed.
“Something like that,” Gray said with a laugh.
“Going out tonight?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I haven’t checked with Liss yet.”
“I thought she wasn’t your girlfriend.”
Getting Down to Business Page 10