Page 18 of Room One Hundred and Twenty

I didn’t tell her about Jake. After she ditched me pretty early in at the club, I told her I went home alone soon after. Not a complete lie, not really.

If I’d told her that I did get a little action at the club, she would’ve screeched at me through the entire weekend. She’d want to know who had his hand between my legs and would’ve killed me after finding out it was the guy who got us here.

Groaning under my breath, I nod my head. Piping bag in hand, it thumps against the counter as I pause in the swirling motion of each cupcake.

Jake must regret what we’ve done. Normally, he’s one of the first people waiting for a freshly baked good. That, or he’s giving me some space. Giving me time to figure out what I want.

No offense to the guy, but he doesn’t seem to be the type to settle down. I’m not the sort to have a one night stand without regretting my decisions the next day.

Does it even matter what I want?

He’s one of the top three in this business. He can get whatever he possibly wants,whomeverhe wants.

After spending so much money to get me here, I doubt he’d be willing to risk a loss in case something goes wrong and one of us ends up burned.

“I may have made a mistake,” I admit once I feel her stare continuously pointed in my direction. “I have not been completely honest with you.”

Preparing myself with a deep breath, I tell her everything starting from the moment Jake found me all alone at the bar. The feelings, the sensations, everything. Throwing up the words, I feel a pound of relief rolling off my body from getting it off my chest.

Charity is gleaming, not responding the way I expected her to. After all, I’m risking her fate as well. If I go under, so does she. Like a teenager ready to gossip, she frees her hands and coasts across the room to get a better look at me.

“I knew something was up. A whole weekend of silence? Come on now.” Peeling off her gloves, she gives my shoulders a much-needed squeeze. “People fool around all the time. It’s completely normal. If you think Jake isn’t panicking about you looking into the HR department of this place, then you shouldn’t be worrying so much either.”

She’s right. While I’m not entirely sure Icouldgo to the HR department, not that I’d want to.I’mthe one who lost control and essentially attacked the guy on the dancefloor.

“Plus, you’re on training duty today. You don’t want our new hire seeing their boss breaking down on their first shift.” Pulling away, she moves to wash her hands. “We need all the help we can get when it comes to these customers.”

Nodding along with her words, I put an effort into putting Jake at the back of my mind. The job comes first, just as it always has.

The new hire, Claire, takes hardly much time to learn how to run up front. She’s needed to handle the line of customers while Charity and I work to send all the goods out. Today, I keep close to her side in case any issues or problems come up.

Unfortunately, no day is perfect. When lunchtime rolls around and I spot Nicolas coming straight in my direction, I know I’m going to have to make room for more stress.

After all, it’s not right for my heart to lurch up at the sight of him. Especially now that I know he’s even higher up the chain than Jake.

I can’t allow my old relationship to become even more complicated.

Waiting in line while gaining the attention of his peers, he’s all smiles. Conversing with them, his eyes remain pointed in my direction for the entire time. The way nothing captures his attention as I do makes it feel like I’m the most important thing in the lobby.

“Eloise?” Claire catches my attention, asking a question about what gluten-free options we have.

Breaking eye contact with the man, I show her the different cookie options. Reeling my focus back in, I wait for the inevitable to happen. With each satisfied customer, Nicolas comes closer and closer.

Close enough that I can hear the rasp of his voice as he speaks business lingo to the man in front of him. Something about reports. I shouldn’t be listening.

Is Claire good enough to allow me to escape in the back with Charity? Probably not. That would be like throwing a lamb to a pack of wolves. The way these sugar-craved employees look our way while waiting for their turn, they’d eat this poor woman alive.

After giving Charity an earful about Jake, I hadn’t even considered mentioning Nicolas and my history with him.

Knowing her, she’d encourage me to go after both of them. She’s shameless, that woman. It’s probably a fantasy to be shared by multiple men, she’d give me two thumbs up if it meant experiencing something like that.

“Eloise?” There’s that same rasp, the one that makes my toes curl and my stomach flip-flop like a fish on land. Nicolas has reached the front of the line and he’s smirking, amused by my current state.

Thinking about being shared has done nothing but make my cheeks flush. Need to stay professional.Haveto.

“What can we get you?” Keeping my voice as even as possible, I go as far as to keep eye contact. Big mistake on my part. All it does is remind me of how many times I used to get lost while staring into them when we were younger.

He doesn’t bother looking at the display case below, or even at the menu. Yet, his answer is immediate. “A moment to speak to you, alone if possible.”

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