Page 56 of The First Spark

The busty blonde nods, glancing towards Main Street. “I got here early. Had to beat the rush. You know how women are around him.”

I click my tongue against my teeth and roll my eyes. I can continue this farce, but what’s the point? “Women love Ash, and he loves them.”

“Exactly.” She straightens, adjusting her top once more. “How do I look?”

Fucking ridiculous.

But I bite my tongue and force a smile in the young woman’s direction. “Hot as hell. No doubt you’ll catch Ash’s attention dressed like that.”

She releases a sated breath. “Perfect. Thank you. See you outside.”

“Can’t wait,” I mutter as she heads for the bathroom, her heels tapping against the hardwood floor.

The truth is, I have zero desire to attend this street fair. Call me a hothouse flower, but my options for the day are either freezing my tits off in the cold or seeking out the warmth in Black Lotus’s tent—while witnessing Ash’s flirtations with his harem.

A tricky decision.

One that Mina has apparently made for me as shepokes her head into my office. “Come on, it’s time to make an appearance.”

“Do I have to?” Yes, I’m whining.

“For a little bit, at least.”

“But we have an entire setup inside the store, where it’s warm. Why should I traverse outside when my customers are already inside?”

“Tradition.”

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Time to break out the theatrics.

I heave a dramatic sigh, slumping over my desk as if the mere idea of this excursion has drained the life from me. “I’m not equipped for this level of cold. It’s inhumane."

Mina walks across my office, patting my head like a spoiled dog. “Poor little city girl. You’ll manage. Besides, the guys were asking where you were.”

“What guys?” I mutter, my head still hiding in my arms.

“The hotties from Black Lotus, that’s who.”

I tip my head up, resting my chin on my hand. “I highly doubt they care.”

Mina shrugs, grabs my coat off the corner rack, and deposits it on my desk. “Ash seemed real interested in why you were still holed up in here.”

Now I know she’s lying.

Ash and I haven’t spoken since that night at the bar, when he flirted openly with another woman right before kissing me and intimating that my friend Roger couldn’t satisfy my needs.

Since Roger is happily married to James, I’m inclined to agree with him.

I wonder if Ash took that redheaded bartender up onher offer after I left. My money is on yes, although Mina finds the entire situation adorable.

After telling her the details of that run-in, she declared Ash was jealous, and that precipitated his behavior. Why else would he have kissed me in plain view of his next conquest?

My response to her absurd idea? Ash enjoys toying with women, and at this point, I’m just one of many—a footnote in his massive black book. Hell, it’s more than a book. It’s a damn encyclopedia.

Sure, the war between the shops is over, and there’s a noticeable change in the atmosphere, at least for our employees. Ash drops into the store daily, but he never lingers. He grabs his coffee, shoots me a wink and a wave, then returns next door.

That’s the extent of our relationship—or whatever you call it.

It seems the man maintains a tight schedule, and there simply isn’t room in it for me.

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