Frank
Jason perches on the edge of my desk, choosing to ignore the papers he’s crumpling under his ass. The man is the most talented person I’ve ever met and manages to get a day’s worth of genius-level work done in just a couple hours, leaving him with too much spare time on his hands. “So, that chick at the bar yesterday…”
“Yeah?” I look up from my computer as images of Sarah flit through my head. “What about her?”
“Was she as hot up close as she was from far away?”
She was. My God, she was. But that’s not all there is to Sarah. There’s something more to this woman. Something I can’t put my finger on. Something that makes every second I spend with her feel like the most important moment of my life.
But Jason doesn’t need to know that. He’d only roll his eyes and say something along the lines of me finding my next all-encompassing obsession.
So, I lean back in my chair and fold my hands behind my head. “Yup.” A small grin tugs at my lips and I adjust my glasses. “Although she might also be a hot mess, it’s hard to tell.”
“Aren’t those the best kind?” Jason raises an eyebrow. “Daddy issues are man’s best friend, aren’t they?”
I smirk and sit forward. “Why don’t you go see what Bree has to say on that subject?”
Jason’s face falls. “Oh, shit man. Enough said. The girl from Derby’s is a Bree?”
“Her name is Sarah and no, I don’t think she’s a Bree. She’s…”
Damn.
That’s a good question.
What is she?
I’ve thought about her enough that I should have it all figured out by now, but I don’t. She’s not like any person I’ve ever met before. She’s a breath of fresh air in a world filled with people trying to be a different version of the same damn thing.
Sarah’s beautiful, no doubt. That so-dark-it’s-almost-black hair, styled in messy loops down her back. Those shapely legs encased in black jeans, ending in little boots. Perky breasts poking through a white T-shirt. All of that added up to something spectacular, but when you get right down to it, her eyes are what really caught my attention. That woman has unexplored depths in those icy blue eyes. There’s a challenge there and it calls to me. And when you add in her almost brazen confidence, her offer to kiss a stranger just to annoy a woman she’s never met…
Jason slides off my desk and pretends to peruse the books I have on a shelf behind me. “Shit, Frank. You really do have a type, don’t you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I lift my glasses and pinch the bridge of my nose, wishing he’d go back to his own office and let me work.
“It means, you like the projects. The damsel in distress. The underdog. Take Bree for example…”
I swivel my chair around and rest my elbows on my knees. “That woman doesn’t count and you know it. Nothing happened between us other than the fact that she doesn’t understand boundaries.”
“Okay, fine. Then what about Violet?” Jason slides a book off the shelf and flips through the pages.
“What about her?” I give him a look like a warning shot. “And shouldn’t you be, oh, I don’t know, working?”
Jason arches an eyebrow but doesn’t say a word.
“Fine.” I sit back and smooth my tie into place. “Violet definitely had her challenges and thank God that’s over, but how does Sarah have anything in common with her?”
“She might not.” Jason shrugs. “But I have ten bucks that says you’re going to find out.” He slips the book back into place and then shoves his hands in his pockets, his suitcoat flaring behind his wrists. “I should probably go pretend to work at my own desk before someone figures out I don’t have enough to do. Let me know how it goes with Sarah.”
And with that, the asshole leaves, shaking his head as he chuckles his way down the hall. He’s right, of course. I had already decided to call Sarah and invite her to lunch before he invaded my office this morning. Although that whole thing about me having a type? He couldn’t be further from the truth.
I pull out my phone and dial Sarah’s number.
She answers on the second ring. “I was just thinking about you.” Her sultry voice sends a jolt through my system.
“You were?” I spin my chair and stare through the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the city. It’s another gorgeous day with a striking blue sky that makes me think of Sarah’s eyes.
“Yep,” she replies, popping the p. “Since you’re officially the only person in Denver I know, I was about to call you and see if you wanted the pleasure of alleviating my boredom.”
A flock of birds flies past the window and for some reason, they remind me of Sarah, wild and free. “That’s funny. I was calling to see if you wanted the honor of alleviating my boredom. Meet me for lunch.”
“So that’s a yes?”
I smile, pleased with her response. “That’s a hell yes. Meet me at, say, twelve thirty? There’s a great steakhouse called Guard and Grace on California Street…”
There’s a rustle on the other end of the line as she jots down the name. “It’s a date.”
We say our goodbyes and I hang up feeling excited. We didn’t say much, hell, barely more than a few sentences, but there’s something between us and I can’t wait to find out what it is. I bury myself in work and head out of the office around noon, only to get stuck waiting on an elevator next to Violet, her chin dropped, a cardboard box filled with personal items in her hands.
“I quit today.” She won’t make eye contact. “Didn’t even put in my two weeks notice, just told them I was done. And I definitely told them it was because of you.” Violet glances at me, her typically sweet face a tragedy of smudged eyeliner and red-rimmed eyes.
Well great. That’s the last thing I need. I did my best to keep my fling with the receptionist quiet because, despite the weekly relationship building get-togethers at Derby’s, office romances are frowned upon. And while the Bree situation was obviously a miscommunication, Violet citing me as the reason she quit officially counts as two strikes against me.
Though, when it comes right down to it, I’m pretty much invincible around here. I’m good at my job. Really good at my job. As a receptionist, Violet is replaceable. Me? Not so much. It’s a shitty truth, but it is a truth.
“Vi…”
She turns away. “I get it. It happens. I loved you but the feeling wasn’t mutual. You just shouldn’t have let things go so far. Especially since we worked together…” The elevator dings and she sniffs as she steps in, her pastel skirt flowing around her ankles.
I cram my hands in my pockets and stare at my feet. Neither of us wants to spend time stuck side by side in the elevator, so I do us both a favor. “I’ll wait for the next one. I’m sorry, Vi. I really am.”
The doors close between us and I almost sag with relief, then feel like a class-A dickhead for the response. Violet Dunham is a sweet girl who fell in love way too fast. I was a fool for letting things go as far as they did, but I kept hoping I’d fall for her in the same way she fell for me. Daddy issues aside, Vi’s a good person, the kind of woman my mother would approve of. Try as I might, it grew ever more obvious that there was nothing real between us. I called things off and it’s been a challenge—to put it lightly—trying to figure out how to work around her broken heart ever since. The thought of not having to see her sad face day after day is a good one to say the least.
The elevator dings, the doors slide open, and I step inside. Now, if only I could figure out how to get rid of Bree Marshall, things around McDougall & Kent will be looking up for sure. With zero distractions and even less drama, I can dedicate myself to reminding everyone just how good I am at my job.