Page 95 of The Attraction File

THIRTY-EIGHT

Evaleen

My door opened to my office. It was my bestie.

“Up for lunch, Evie-Pevie?” he said.

I shook my head turning back to my laptop. “Edgar, I don’t like pet names okay? And besides, Evie-Pevie is dumb. Sounds like something a bully would say.”

“How about shnookums.” He closed the door standing just inside the room with a frown on his face. Apparently, my distaste for pet names wounded him deeply.

“No.” I closed my laptop and reached into my desk drawer to pull out my purse. When I looked up he had his arms out and mouth open in shock.

“Not even babycakes or dimples?”

I stood and walked over to him, pointing my finger at his chest. “You are just doing this to get a rise out of me, Edgar. Don’t think I haven’t learned your ways in the six weeks we have been living together. Also, I don’t even have dimples, you do.”

“That is where you are wrong, Sassy McGee. I have dimples on my cheeks right here.” He pointed to his face. “You have dimples on the other cheeks, right here.” He slapped my ass. It stung. The burn slowly creeping to an ache between my thighs.

My eyes shot to the window that looked out into the department. “Edgar, anyone could have seen you do that.”

“I know.” He stepped closer, obviously intent to do much more. But my hands went up to stop him.

“Edgar, I could get fired.”

“Then let’s tell them. Tell Jacob that we are together.”

My eyes fell to the floor and my hands busied themselves with picking at my nails. “How about we get lunch first. I’m starving.”

I avoided this topic. Edgar had brought it up several times over the last few weeks. But I always had some excuse to wait. Call me a coward. Call me weak, but I knew Edgar wouldn’t last.

The man was used to having a variety of women. It’s not like I’m something special. I may be his first real girlfriend, but men like Edgar don’t marry their first girlfriend. Men like Edgar never marry.

When I opened up to him a few weeks ago and asked him what this was between us, I knew he was sincere when he said he only wanted me. But will he be that willing in a few months? I doubt it.

Call me paranoid but I get the feeling that once we tell people about our relationship, it will be doomed to fail.

“How is your new hire, Trey Larson, down in IT? The one taking over Ashton’s old job.”

I pointed to the summer HR intern who sat in the middle of the department playing on his phone. “Chip had sent him to your office two weeks ago for the interview. So, I never got a chance to meet him yet.”

Edgar opened the door to my department and we made our way to the hall toward the elevators.

“He’s good. Quiet, but knows what he’s doing. I think Grace has taken a fancy to him.”

I stopped in my tracks and he leaned past me to push the elevator button. “Really? Oh, Henrik won’t like that.” A throaty laugh that I reserved for one person bubbled to the surface.

“Don’t you mean he will be relieved?”

My lips quirked, savoring all the ways this will eventually play out for Henrik. “Edgar, I may just be learning all the ways of sex, but I am no fool when it comes to feelings. Despite Henrik’s protests about Grace, deep down he will miss having the doe-eyed girl following him around like he’s her hero.”

We entered the elevator once it opened but instead of pushing the ground floor button, I pushed the twenty-sixth floor.

“Why are we going to my floor?” Edgar asked in confusion.

“I must meet the man who has stolen Grace’s heart. Then I will shake his hand so I can rub it in Henrik’s face.”

“But I thought you two made up? Henrik doesn’t even work here anymore, Evaleen.”

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