Page 177 of Dark Love

But would she be able to make a subordinate shake at the thought of her wrath? Unlikely. Dahlia is probably one of those progressive bosses that everyone loves and worships… No man can worship her but me.

She’s mine.

Before I realize what I’ve done, I’ve dialed Payne.

“What?”

That’s my perpetually cheerful friend. “Where does Dahlia work?”

“Is everything alright?” Payne whispers, “Don’t worry, Immy.”

Immy? Immy? This isn’t good. “Everything is fine. Just tell me where she works.”

“Do you want to break the cone of silence?”

I want to break down every wall between Dahlia and myself.

But getting to know her has been an enjoyable adventure.

“That’s an awfully long pause.”

“Why can’t this relationship thing be easy?” I lean back in my office chair and stare up at the ceiling. Like it’s going to have the answer I need.

“Anything this important is worth fighting for.”

Payne’s right, and I hate it. “What if someone is hitting on her at work right now? Dahlia is so sweet. She wouldn’t know how to fend off any unwanted advances.”

Imogene snorts. “Prue, too delicate. I’ve known her for all of one evening and I know she’d do whatever she needed to get rid of a guy. That’s how you two met, isn’t it?”

Why is Imogene even part of this conversation? “Her boss brought her soup.”

“Ahh. You’re jealous. Let me ask you, do you trust her?”

My gut says yes, but my mind fights trusting someone that I barely know. “She isn’t the issue.”

“She’s the only issue. You either trust her or you don’t.”

That woman is irritating. “What if I wanted to send her flowers or something?”

“Is that why you wanted the address?”

No. “Dahlia would like flowers.”

“Then ask her where she works, and then send her flowers.”

I might hate this woman, especially since she’s right.

“Wait, aren’t you supposed to be having dinner with the people from her work on Friday?” Payne chimes in.

Ugh, I shouldn’t have told him about that while we were waiting for the girls to finish gabbing and hogging the cinnamon bread. “Yes.”

“Awww. That’s a big deal. She must really trust you.”

I can almost hear Imogene say too bad you don’t trust her. Irritating woman. “Fine, don’t tell me.”

“Would you two like to have dinner with us again sometime next week?” Payne has the nerve to ask.

No. Absolutely not. I don’t want to share any of my time with Dahlia. “We should be able to do that. I’ll ask Dahlia what day works the best with her schedule.”

---