Chapter Seventeen
Asher
I had tried calling Lilah from Costa Rica using the satellite phone the day we’d arrived, but she hadn't picked up. I figured she'd probably felt confused as to why a number from Costa Rica was trying to call her, but it had been the only way I could get hold of her, or anyone else for that matter, since the floods had taken out the area's internet and phone reception.
So, I did the best I could and left her a message to at least explain where I was going to be for a few days. I had even tried to call her again when we headed back on Tuesday and I was back in the land of the living—living communications, that is. But, again, no answer. I left her a message to call me back, but that didn’t happen, either.
I tried to tell myself that she probably just didn’t listen to the message on her cell phone because she didn’t recognize the number. And, it was so late Tuesday night when the plane landed that I wasn’t about to be inconsiderate and call at that hour.
So, when I finally got back to the office on Wednesday, she and I hadn't actually communicated since we'd gotten drunk and slept together.
The whole time I'd been in Costa Rica, I hadn't been able to keep her off my mind. I wondered, however, if she'd been thinking the same about me. I headed into my office without seeing her in the hallway. I contemplated going to find her, but was informed that she would be in a meeting with two of the Harry Winston executives for most of the morning. So, since there were so many emails piled up from the days I'd been away, I got down to business and started getting on top of everything I'd missed out on—all while thoughts of Lilah ran through my head.
Eventually, I had replied to everything that needed replying to and took care of all the tasks that required immediate action. I looked at the clock to see it was just in time for lunch. I headed out into the hall and over to Lilah's office and knocked on the door.
Nobody answered.
“Lilah?” I called through the closed door. There was still no response.
I gently pushed open the door and found the office was empty. The sight immediately sent a wave of disappointment rushing through me. All morning, I'd been hoping we would have the chance to talk about what had happened over lunch. But at the moment, I was beginning to get the feeling that maybe she was avoiding me, ducking out for lunch five minutes early.
I could only hope I was wrong, but that gut feeling was twisting inside me and I felt like hitting my head against a wall. I forced myself not to text her. The last thing I wanted was to come across as pushy.
I went back out into the hallway and trudged out on my own. We'd run into each other eventually, but I hated letting something like this drag out. I’ve always been a big fan of trying to keep things as simple as possible, in most areas of my life at least. I headed out of the building and onto the street, lost in my thoughts. I was intending to go to my now usual lunch spot at the café around the corner but, at the last minute, I caught a whiff of pizza lingering in the air and I changed my mind.
I headed across the street and around the block to a great little pizza joint that I didn't go to often enough. Mainly because pizza was definitely a cheat food and not technically allowed in my strict diet and exercise regimen. Still, after three days of intense physical labor, I figured I could get away with a cheat meal—or three.
Just as I stepped into the pizza joint, I saw Lilah there, by herself, sitting at a table and eating a slice of pizza. She looked up at me and a strange look flashed across her face. She smiled, though, and the look was quickly gone. Still, something in her smile seemed kind of off.
I sat down across from her.
“Hey,” I said with a wink. “Fancy running into you here.”
“Yeah. Just thought I'd try somewhere different,” she said, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin.
She wasn't making eye contact for more than a split second. That gut feeling was jabbing at my stomach. I didn't like where this was going.
“So, you were in Costa Rica the past few days?” she asked.
“Yeah. Things got a little crazy down there. It was pretty tough work. I've got a wildlife sanctuary slash ecotourism place down there, and—”
“I heard all about it around the office,” she interrupted.
“Oh. There was no cell reception or internet down there, just satellite phones for communication. I did try to call, but—”
“Yeah, I know,” she cut me off again. Her tone wasn’t harsh, but there was something lurking beneath it that had me on high alert.
She looked up at me and looked intently into my eyes. When she began to speak her voice was soft, bordering on sad.
“Look, Asher, I know you want to talk about what happened on Friday night. But please, just give me a chance to say what I need to say and respect my wishes on this,” her eyes pleaded with me as she paused. I nodded and let her continue.
“What happened Friday night happened because we were drunk, because we were tired and not ourselves after a week of extremely hard work. It was just a way to release all the tension and stress that had been building up. I'm not going to lie and say that it wasn’t incredible because it was. But that said, I have to tell you that . . . Well, I think it was a mistake. A mistake that we probably shouldn't repeat.
“The thing is, you're already at the top, Asher. But please try to put yourself in my shoes. I'm not at the top and I want to be there, but I have a long way to go. I want to get there entirely on my own merit. It’s something I need to achieve solely because of my own talent, not because I'm sleeping with someone who can pull strings and get me there,” she paused and looked at me with pleading in her eyes. “Please tell me you understand.”
“I understand,” I said slowly, though I was still trying to process everything she had just told me.
“Are you sure? Because the look on your face tells me even you’re not so sure that you do.”
She stood abruptly, not waiting for my reply. “I'm done with lunch,” she half-whispered. “See you back at the office.”
And with that, she hurried out of the restaurant and was gone.