by Lucy Score
When he reached for her again Ashley shook her head. “No thanks.”
“Come on, baby.” He made a grab for her arm, and Ashley side-stepped him.
“Still no.”
Another pair of hands settled on her hips. The right ones.
She felt the energy and the heat slide through her.
“Leave. Now.” Jason didn’t have to shout over the music. The message was received loud and clear and her sweaty friend beat a hasty retreat.
He turned her around and pulled her in close. After the shortest hesitation she brought her arms around his neck. Even in her heels, she had to lean her head back to look at him.
They moved together to the beat. His hands roamed her back, and she enjoyed the shiver of skin on skin contact.
“Thank you, but it wasn’t necessary.”
“I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but I thought I would streamline the process.”
“I appreciate the thought.”
“When I see you make dangerous choices, it worries me.”
“I’m not going to jeopardize the mission. It’s just a night out with my friend.”
“I’m not concerned with the mission. I’m worried about you. I want you to be safe.”
“Why should you care when my own fiancé doesn’t?”
“I care about what happens to you,” he reached out and traced her jaw line with his finger.
Ashley felt the blush warm her cheeks. Her bare knees brushed the inside of his pant legs.
“I don’t know what to say to that. What I do with my time isn’t really your concern.”
“Yet it still concerns me.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“In a strange situation.” This time he ran the pad of his thumb over her lower lip. She considered it a victory when she didn’t let it tremble.
Her lips parted and she touched her tongue to his skin for just a second. She saw the change in his eyes. The sharpening. Jason pulled her tighter against him, trailing his hand down her jaw to her neck.
“Guys!”
Ashley guiltily jumped back and into Georgie. They tangled and almost went down in a heap before Jason reached out to steady them.
“I can see it’s time for another round of drinks,” he said wryly.
“Let’s make it a last call round,” Georgie suggested. “I’ve got a family breakfast tomorrow that I don’t want to be hung-over for.”
Jason gave Ashley’s arm a silent squeeze. “I’ll get the drinks.” He disappeared into the crowd.
“What was that?” Ashley smacked Georgie’s arm.
Georgie smacked her back. “What was what?”
“I was going to kiss him. I was in the process of getting ready to kiss him, and you interrupted on purpose!”
“Uh, yeah! He looked like he was going to eat you alive, and you just got done telling me you weren’t ready.”
“Didn’t you just get done telling me to be ready?”
“I am trying to be respectful of my friend’s questionable life choices.”
Ashley groaned. “Thanks. I think.”
“How about a compromise? Sleep on it tonight before deciding whether or not you’re a giant chicken depriving herself of ...” she glanced over her shoulder to where Jason stood at the bar. “What could be one of life’s finest pleasures.”
Ashley followed her gaze. “Do you think we’re building this up to be some ridiculous fantasy that reality could never live up to?”
“Nope. Most epic sex ever.”
Ashley sighed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
They did their final shots and Jason carefully poured them into a cab and sent them back to Georgie’s hotel, but not before making her promise she would text when they got into the room.
Ashley didn’t bother asking him how he knew where she was staying. She was too busy holding the hand he had kissed to her mouth as she gazed out the window.
“You’re spending the night, right?” Georgie demanded.
“I can’t let you enjoy that amazing hotel suite all by yourself now can I?”
She felt warm and sleepy and ... cared for.
“Awesome,” Georgie said in a sing-song voice.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A whistling Steven woke Ashley from a reasonably erotic dream about Jason.
“Babe. Wake up. Are you coming?”
She was just about to in the dream, before the interruption.
“Mmmmph,” Ashley mumbled into her pillow. She wasn’t prepared to give up the dream and face her reality. Georgie’s alarm had gone off at 6:30 that morning and Ashley decided to do the “walk of shame” home rather than staying until check out. She had crawled into bed just after 7 to catch a few more hours of sleep.
“Come on, babe. Blueberry pancakes? Bacon? Lots of coffee?”
Ashley rolled onto her side. “Brunch?” What had once been a weekly tradition for them had fizzled this year into a something they “used to do.”
“Yeah. I haven’t seen much of you lately and my tee time’s not until 1. Come on, it’ll be like old times.”
Not likely, Ashley thought. She was torn. The last thing she wanted to do was spend a leisurely Sunday morning meal with Steven. But what better way to get information than from the stupid horse’s mouth?
She sighed into her pillow. “Give me 10 minutes and I’ll be ready.” Ashley waited until she heard him leave before sitting up.
Ashley dragged herself out of bed and pulled on clean yoga pants and a soft long-sleeve tee in royal blue. She piled her hair on her head in a messy knot, added a coat of mascara to her lashes and layered a scarf around her neck.
She found Steven in the living room dressed in khaki pants and a polo shirt. He quickly slid his phone in his pocket when he spotted her. It was something he had done a million times before, only now she knew what it meant.
When had her common sense completely abandoned her? The signs were so obvious now that she was even angrier with herself for not picking up on it on her own. It took a mega-millionaire with a racquetball court to point out the painfully obvious.
She pasted a smile on her face. “Ready to go?”
“Is that what you’re wearing?” He eyed her outfit critically.
Two days ago that judgment would have sent her hustling back to the closet.
“Yep.” She breezed past him, grabbing her wallet and phone off of the kitchen island. “Let’s go.”
Normally she would argue that they should walk the four blocks to Randolph House, but today with a dull headache and a new reason to avoid fights, Ashley just hid behind oversized sunglasses and slid into the passenger seat.
“So who’s golfing today?”
She settled back against the leather seat and let Steven ramble on about his foursome.
###
Ashley took a bite of bacon and looked at Steven. Really looked at him. His light hair was getting a little long. There was a slight curl to the ends, which usually signaled a haircut was on the schedule.
His shirt was neatly pressed, and Ashley wondered if he had taken up ironing or if he had just decided to start having all of his clothing dry-cleaned. He was wearing a watch that Ashley had never seen before. A very nice watch.
“Nice watch,” she said, gesturing with the bacon at the flashy stainless unit on his wrist.
Steven glanced down at it and adjusted the gold band on his wrist. “Thanks. It’s new.”
“Can I see it?”
He extended his arm, and Ashley pulled his hand closer. It was the first time she had voluntarily touched him since she found out. She tried not to think about how much she wanted to snap his forearm in half and instead studied the watch face.
It was a Rolex.
“I thought I’d treat myself to something new.”
He thought he would treat himself to a Rolex? There was no way in hell he could afford a brand new Rolex. “It’s, uh, really nice.”
He pulled his arm back and took a
gulp of orange juice. “Thanks. I figured since things are going well I deserved something nice.”
The guy who borrowed $20 off of her last week to pay the pizza delivery guy deserved a gold Rolex.
Ashley was willing to bet that the watch came from a certain ice-cold blonde. Maybe it was a “thanks for breaking the law and cheating on your fiancée with me” gift. A double punch in the gut since Ashley had saved for months to buy him his last watch for graduation. At the time, a $500 watch had seemed like a priceless treasure.
Ashley bit her tongue and focused on her omelet.
“So what’s happening at work these days? Are you still looking at other options?”
Oblivious, Steven carved up his sausage with enthusiasm. “Yeah, I’m looking at a couple of opportunities. One in particular.”
“Is it in the city?”
“Initially, but there’s a possibility of relocation.”
Ashley just stared at him. “Uh-huh.” A hundred snarky comments ran through her mind. The guy was thinking of picking up and moving and hadn’t thought to mention it to her? The woman he was supposed to marry? No thought given to her job, her life here in the city —
Maybe he was planning on moving with someone else.
She took a deep, quiet breath. “Is there a timeline on that? Do you know when the offer will come through?”
“Couple of weeks. Probably by the end of next month.”
Ashley’s fork slipped out of her hand and clattered on the plate.
“Wow, that’s soon,” she cleared her throat and reached for her coffee.
Steven shrugged as he plowed his way through his pancakes. “It’s time for a change, don’t you think?”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
The waitress had cleared their plates and was returning with the check when Steven’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen and hastily stood up.
“I gotta take this, babe. Do you mind getting the check?” He turned and headed toward the bar without waiting for an answer. “Hey, yeah. No it’s not a bad time.”
Ashley rolled her eyes and reached for her wallet. Her phone signaled on the table.
You looked beautiful last night. How are you feeling?
Ashley couldn’t stop the smile or the warm feeling in her chest as she read Jason’s text. Damn it. She was going to sleep with him. And it was going to be amazing.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Since she had the rest of her Sunday free, Ashley decided to change and go into the store for a few hours to get a head start on the next week’s paperwork.
The more she got done now, the more time she could devote to stalking Steven while he was at work. The store was only open until 3, so she could keep Janice company for a bit before hibernating in the back office.
Dressed in black slimcut capris and a simple black boatneck sweater, Ashley deemed herself respectable enough for customers and comfortable enough for any bending and lifting that might be required.
Ashley found Janice helping the very pregnant Magda Olson, a vascular surgeon with impeccable taste.
“Dr. Olson! You look wonderful! How much longer?” Ashley asked, pointing at the baby bump.
“Two more weeks! Janice was just showing me these watercolor prints. What do you think of them for the nursery?”
Ashley eyed the dreamy seascapes with their slashes of greens and blues. “Do you still have the picture of the nursery on your phone?”
“Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? Ugh, baby brain. Here it is!” Triumphantly, she pulled her phone from the depths of her leather tote and swiped through her pictures. “Aha!”
Ashley glanced at the screen and back again at the prints. “Dr. Olson, these are perfect! It’s like they were painted for your room.”
Dr. Olson did a little shimmy. “Wrap ’em up, ladies! The nursery is officially done.”
Laughing, Janice led the doctor to the register while Ashley stayed behind to rearrange the display. The inventory on the prints was getting a little low, and she made a mental note to reach out to the artist to see if he had anything else ready for them.
Ashley spent the next hour helping out with a handful of customers before heading back to the office.
She emailed the watercolor artist while it was still fresh in her mind and then opened up the financials. The past month had seemed busier than usual, and she wanted to see if the figures agreed.
Barbara would be very pleased, Ashley thought as she worked her way through the weeks. They were already over last year’s total for the month and there were still two weeks left.
They were probably ready to hire another part-time staffer to help cover the weekends, especially with summer on the way. Ashley was writing up an employment ad to send to Barbara for approval when the desk phone rang.
“What’s up?”
“Yes, I was just checking to see if Mr. Donahue’s order was in yet?” Janice’s voice was breezy and professional, but Ashley could hear the smile in it.
She laughed into the receiver. “Mr. Donahue” was code for “come out and see something funny/sexy/weird.”
“On my way!” Ashley hung up and hurried out.
The last time there was a Mr. Donahue, it was a woman with two tiny Yorkies in matching argyle sweaters.
Ashley headed straight for Janice behind the register. “What is it?” she whispered. Janice didn’t take her eyes off the front of the store, but nodded in that direction.
It wasn’t a tiny dog. It was a tall man in an impeccable suit.
Jason.
Ashley tried to ignore the butterflies that instantly took flight.
“I asked him if I could help him find anything, but he said he was just looking. Would you mind if I eloped with him and took a few weeks off from work for a honeymoon to end all honeymoons?”
“Go right ahead, but let me talk to your groom first.”
Janice fanned herself with a brochure. “Don’t get too close. You might get singed.”
“You’re not kidding,” Ashley said under her breath. She left the safety of the counter and crossed to him. Even on a Sunday, he was in suit. Today’s was a crisp navy.
He turned toward her as if sensing her. “Hello.”
What was it about that voice? Like whiskey by firelight.
“Hi. What are you doing here?” Ashley kept her tone low and busied her hands by rearranging the soy candle display.
“I was in the neighborhood before a meeting and found myself in need of a gift.”
“And so you came here?”
“It came highly recommended by the manager.”
Ashley smiled wryly. “Well, you can’t beat that. What kind of gift, and who is the lucky recipient? And is it safe for us to be seen together?”
“So many questions.” Jason picked up a sandalwood candle and sniffed. “Something shiny and fussy for a woman who has been my right-hand for nine years. And as long as you can control yourself and not tear my clothes off, we should be fine.”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “I’ll try to keep my baser instincts at bay,” she said dryly.
She noticed Janice across the store performing an exaggerated fanning motion from behind the counter.
“Why don’t we look over here?” Ashley pointed toward the far side of the store, out of sight of Janice.
She guided them around the divider wall currently used as gallery space for black and white scenes of the River Walk.
Jason glanced around at the corner displays. “This must be your shiny and fussy section.”
Vibrant candleholders, glittery napkin rings, small tiled mirrors, and hand-painted barware mingled on shelves and tabletops in a riot of color and shine.
“I don’t know where to look first,” he said.
Ashley laughed. “That’s usually what men say when they visit this part of the store. Tell me more about your right hand.”
“Her name is Mona. She’ll be 59 on Monday, she gives her annual bonus to her favorite animal shelter, enjoys
cheap wine in crystal glasses, and sponsors a high school student at a local art camp every summer. And if she ever retires I’ll be lost without her.”
Ashley clasped her hands together. “She sounds wonderful. I think I have the perfect thing.” She moved to a primitive hutch and gently lifted a glass vase from the shelf. “This is a hand-blown bell vase made out of recycled glass. It was made by a woman in Swaziland. In Africa. Her village collects glass bottles and she turns them into treasures.”
Jason took the vase from her and held it up to the light. It was heavy, but with flowing fluted curves were almost sensual. The flecks of bubbles beneath the surface gave the piece charm.
“Perfect. Now what do we put in it?”
“Calla lilies. Pink.” Ashley said with a nod. “We work with a florist on the next block over who does beautiful arrangements. I have his card at the register.”
“You’re very good at this.”
“Thank you. We take finding the perfect gift pretty seriously here.”
He handed the vase back to her. “How do you feel today?” He kept his voice low, his eyes on her face.
Standing so close with fingers touching on the cool glass, Ashley felt the goose bumps rise on her skin.
Too many complications. Keep it simple, she ordered herself.
“I have a little headache, but that’s more from brunch than last night.”
“Did you both survive brunch?”
“Barely. He’s wearing a new Rolex, which I think might be a gift, and he’s expecting a job offer by the end of next month.”
Jason nodded and mulled over the information. “So it sounds like our timeline just got tighter. Have dinner with me tonight. We can discuss what I need you to look for.”
Ashley raised an eyebrow. “Dinner? Why not just text me?”
He smiled and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “You have to eat don’t you? Consider this multi-tasking.”
“Hmm,” she tapped a finger to her chin. “I guess it all comes down to where we’re going for dinner.”
“My house?”
“Nice try, champ. No.”
Jason sighed. “Fine. I’ll take you out. In public. Where you can’t maul me.”