I didn’t know what was up with Beck.
If he was just trying to be friendly, fine. But if he had any other ideas, I was going to put the kibosh on them, STAT. I’d been flying single for over two years now and didn’t have any false delusions of things working out between us.
I will say this, though. That cheesecake was so freaking good, if it’d been used as a peace offering between Joan and Bette or Taylor or Katy or Mariah and, well, everybody, their feuds would’ve ended immediately. Of course, then one probably would’ve accused the other of trying to make her fat and they’d have been right back into the thick of it.
Anyway, after eating a third of the huge sandwich then two bites of the cheesecake, I was stuffed. I now sat looking off into space held captive by the food coma I was in. Of course, my brain kept going, as usual, and I continued wondering what Beck’s angle was here. What the heck was his strategy?
My analytical mind broke it down like this:
- Apologies
- Yesterday he’d attempted a lame apology
- Today he’d sincerely apologized
- I assumed we were now square
- Life would move on as it had
- Bewilderments
- He’d brought me a fabulous lunch
- Tangible apology?
- Emotional blackmail?
- He wasn’t wearing his wedding ring
- What was that all about?
- Why did my persnicketiness insist that my mental outline be parallel, making me add a “b” here?
Mentally rolling my eyes at myself, I snapped out of my musings and proceeded to put the food boxes back into the bag which I then put in the refrigerator in the employee lounge that was next door. Going back to the boardroom, I blew out a breath then opened the books and fired up the laptop to continue with my findings.
Beck had said employees were paid bi-monthly, and as I’d checked each pay period for every month starting in August four years ago, the numbers again didn’t match up. I’m talking to the tune of one-point-three-million dollars here. I’d informed Linda I’d seen errors in payroll and expense, so she’d gotten me the payroll register and tons of receipts. Somebody had been cooking the shit out of these accounts and I was going to nail them.
Almost four hours later, I’d made it halfway through the payroll register, having checked over six-hundred employees’ salary records. Nothing. But I felt it. I knew something big was coming. I’d stood and was stretching my back when Joel came in.
“Knock, knock,” he said. “How’s it coming along?”
“Hey, Joel,” I greeted, turning toward him. “It’s getting there. I’ve narrowed down a couple areas where I see some errors.” At his raised eyebrows, I explained. “Payroll, an expense account and I think maybe a couple employee assignment problems.”
“Such as?”
I picked up my soda can and took a drink. “I’m still looking through payroll, but I’ve seen some possible inflated expenditures and I think maybe some employees have been wrongfully identified as 1099s.”
“Good work, Birdie. I knew hiring you was a good idea,” he affirmed. “Oh, my wife Yasmine is here and wants to meet you.” He nodded toward the front of the office. “She said anyone with similar shoe choices has to be amazing.” He chuckled.
Turning my head with a smile, I had to do a double take because a very gorgeous, very exotic looking dark-haired woman was talking to Beck and had her hand on his chest. When she reached up and straightened his tie as she talked then cupped the side of his jaw with her hand after, I turned back to Joel, eyes wide.
“She’s like a momma bear,” he shared, grinning and shaking his head.
Huh.
Where he saw momma bear, I saw cougar. We definitely had the animal kingdom covered, though, didn’t we?
I turned my head again and watched as Yasmine took Beck’s hand and led him our way.
“She certainly is friendly,” I muttered, observing the way Joel’s wife and Beck talked and laughed on their trek to the boardroom. In an effort to act unfazed by their amicable actions, I took another drink, but the pang of jealousy I suddenly felt totally caught me off guard, and the breath I sucked in at that realization had me immediately choking.
“Yes, she really is,” Joel agreed then noticing my dilemma asked, “Are you okay?” I couldn’t answer or protest when he proceeded to whap me on the back with his palm several times.
“I’m fine,” I finally gasped between coughs, thankful at least that Diet Coke hadn’t come spewing out of my nose.
“Is she okay?” a lovely thickly-accented Arabian voice asked.
I held a hand up to the beautiful Yasmine and nodded as I eventually stopped coughing. Yeesh. “I—I’m fine,” I declared.
“You must be Birdie,” she guessed, smiling and offering her hand. When I took it, she stated in her alluring voice, “So very nice to meet you, jamila.”
“Thank you. It’s nice meeting you too,” I replied, in awe of her stunning looks. Her perfect eyebrows, amazingly big brown eyes and radiant golden skin made her easily the most dazzling human being I’d ever seen.
She gave me a striking smile before turning to Joel. “Ya amar, I’ve missed you.” Tiptoeing up, she kissed him sweetly.
Joel looked lovingly down into her eyes and crooned, “I missed you too, ya hayati,” before kissing her again.
Biting my lips and looking away from the private moment between the two of them, my eyes inadvertently landed on Beck’s which I quickly flitted away from his intense gaze. Ack!
“Any luck with the apartment?” I heard Joel ask and turned back to see him looking at Beck.
“Still working on it,” Beck admitted and nosy me wondered what was going on with his apartment. I’d make sure to ask him when we walked out together in a bit.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Joel extended.
“Will do. Thanks,” Beck answered. He directed a glimpse my way then back at Joel and his wife. “Well, Mr. Hartford messaged me to come by, so I’ve gotta get up to the tenth floor. Yasmine, it was great seeing you again.” Looking at Joel and me, he added, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He nodded at us as we exchanged goodnights then he left the boardroom.
The stab of disappointment that pricked me at the fact that we wouldn’t be walking out together had me wanting to smack myself in the head. Good grief. We’d been around each other for not even two whole days and, what, I was already forming an attachment to him? All because of a Reuben sandwich and a piece of cheesecake he’d brought me? Good to know I could be bought for scandalously delicious food.
“Again, it was very nice meeting you,” Yasmine interrupted what I realized was me watching after Beck as he left.
Embarrassed, I turned to her. “Yes, so nice meeting you too.”
“We must talk shoes next time.”
“Of course.” I smiled as I pulled on my coat. Grabbing my purse, I told them goodnight then retrieved my leftovers from the lounge and headed out.
Alone.