Page 3 of Call Me Mrs. Taylor

I shrug and take a sip of my water, hoping it calms the fire raging inside me. Because the truth is, sheishot. I sneak another glance and catch her smiling as she looks at something on her phone. Pretty white teeth. Pink lip gloss. Damn.

“Go get her number,” Colin urges.

“I got bigger fish to fry,” I say, though the pull to walk over there is getting stronger.

“I never thought I’d see the day Ace Taylor passes on pussy.”

“Whatever. I’m running point on this shit. I can’t be distracted.”

“See, pussy does the exact opposite for me,” Ian says. “Makes me feel like I can conquer the world.”

I resist the urge to tell him his ancestors already handled that for him. Instead, I glance at her again. I feel like I just caught her staring at me, but she turned her head so fast, it’s hard to tell.

“What the hell,” I mutter as I stand. “Order me a chicken sandwich.”

“Fuck, yeah,” Colin says, more excited about this than my career triumph. Typical.

She looks up at me and smiles when she sees me approaching.

Definitely a smokeshow.

I smile back as I take a seat across from her.

“You look so familiar to me.”

She blinks, then tilts her head. “Do I? Let me guess your next line…do you come here often?”

I laugh, feeling perfectly at ease. “I’m serious.”

“Then I’m insulted,” she shoots back. “I like to think I’m memorable.”

I glance at her empty plate. “What did you eat?”

“Crab cake and a salad.”

I nod, suddenly at a loss for what to say. That’s rare for me.

“What’s your name?”

“Raya.” Her eyebrows lift. “Yours?”

“Ace.”

Her eyes flicker with recognition, it seems, but I might have imagined it.

“So, Ace,” she says, leaning forward. “Did you come over here just to tell me I look familiar?”

“That’s not the only reason.”

She smiles again and waits.

“Lemme get your number real quick.”

“Real quick?”

“I’m on my lunch break, Raya. I don’t have all day.”

She laughs softly, making the air around us feel lighter.

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