Page 82 of I Won't Be In On Monday

"I mean, they're amazing. That's literally why I'm writing one."

"You're writing a fantasy," I say.

"I'm writing a romantasy, actually," she clarifies. "A mix of romance and fantasy. But maybe partly the reason I'm writing it is because I want that in my own life, as well.”

“So, is that your way of telling me that your hero's name is Remington?" I ask her cheekily.

"What would you say if it was?"

"I'd say that you've got very good taste in names."

"Yeah, I'm sure you would say that," she says, laughing. "Anyway, I should go. I don't want to oversleep and miss my date tomorrow. I don't know that Marco would give me another shot."

"Yeah, that might be true. By the way, I was wondering if you could babysit for me next weekend.” I don't know why I bring this up, but I do.

"Sure. What's the occasion?"

"Well, a model friend of mine is coming into town, and I figure if you’re going on dates, I might as well start dating again, too, right? No point just one of us having fun." I don't know if I'm saying the words to upset her or to get a reaction, but there's silence on the other side of the phone. "And possibly, if you're free on Monday, that would be even better because I think she's flying in tomorrow night. I don't know how long your date withMarco is going to go, but if you’re free on Monday, I would appreciate...”

“I won’t be in on Monday. I meant to tell you that,” she says.

“What?”

“I won’t be in on Monday, Remington, so you’re going to have to figure something else out. Okay?”

“Why are you just now...”

“Bye,” she says and hangs up. I try calling her back, but the phone goes directly to voicemail. “Fuck it.” I close my eyes and lean back on the bed. “I screwed that up, royally.” I don’t know why I’d lied. I guess I wanted a reaction from her. I guess I wanted her to tell me that she was going to cancel her date with Marco, and she wanted me to cancel my date. But why I thought that would happen, I have no clue.

I think about what an old friend of mine said years ago, that I was clueless when it came to women, and now, I'm starting to believe it might be true. I may have met the one woman I want to make mine, and I may have lost her before I even have a chance to understand the depth of my feelings.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Juniper

My heart is racing in anticipation. I can see the stares of men as they walk by, and I feel like a mannequin on display in a high-end retail store.

"Hey there, sexy." An older blonde man with sky-blue eyes comes up to me. "What are you up to tonight?"

"I am actually waiting on my date. Thank you." I stare at him for a couple of seconds and then give him a small smile. He looks me up and down. I'm slightly regretting wearing the tight skirt and low-cut top now.

"You shouldn't ever be left waiting. If you were my woman, I'd never leave your side," he says, gazing at my boobs.

I offer him a weak smile and look away. I blink rapidly, as my eyes feel dry, but I'm pretty sure it's because I'm wearing my contacts and not my glasses.

I look at my reflection in the window, and once again, I'm blown away by how different I look. My hair is straight and sleek, shiny like a model in a TV commercial for shampoo. My blue eyes are vibrant, my mascara dark. My skin looks flawless, andwell, my body looks banging, if I do say so myself. I've never worn tight-fitting clothes before, but I have to admit that they suit me, even if I do feel like my bust is going to pop out of my shirt.

I bite down on my lower lip. Maybe I’m not as excited about the makeover as I thought I was going to be. Skye and Lila were over the moon when they saw me, jumping up and down in glee, telling me that I looked like a trillion dollars. Everyone in the beauty salon clapped when I stood up and twirled around. I knew I looked different, but I didn't feel like me.

I look back at the man who's standing there and see that he has a business card in his hand, and I take it timidly. "Thanks," I say.

"You call me if you ever want to go on a real date," he says and winks at me.

I nod slowly. I want to drop the card on the ground, but I hate to be rude. I stand there for another couple of minutes, waiting, wondering if Marco has stood me up. Maybe he is more upset at the fact that I couldn't make it on Friday than I thought. Maybe somehow he knows that I have a crush on my boss and gave him a blowjob just a couple of days ago. It makes me feel slightly guilty, knowing that I was going on a date with Marco while being interested in someone else, but I feel like I’m not really doing anything bad because it isn't like I actually have anything with Marco or Remington.

"Juniper." I hear a voice behind me, and I twirl around. Marco's standing there with a single rose in his hand. He looks me up and down, and his eyes widen. "Whoa. I thought that might be you, but I didn't think it was." He looks me up and down again, and I can see that he’s admiring what he’s looking at. “What happened to you? Damn girl, you went from a 5 to a 10+.” I stare at him for a couple of seconds, hoping that he's joking, but I don't think he is. He hands me the rose. "This is foryou, but shit, if I knew that you were this hot, I would've gotten you a whole bouquet." He chuckles and grabs my hand. "You want to go in and get a drink and some appetizers?"

I nod. "Sure." We walk into the restaurant, and I can see that he keeps glancing at my boobs, which reminds me to never wear this top again.

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