Page 14 of The Cask

“I know. I was hoping I could talk to you for a minute.”

“About your jacket?”

“No, about us.”

“Us?” I snorted. “Let me go grab your jacket.”

I stepped back and allowed him to enter. I closed and locked the door behind him. When I turned back around, he was standing a little too close.

“Ebony,” he whispered, grabbing my arm.

“Excuse me,” I mumbled, ignoring the spark that ignited when his fingers brushed my skin.

“Even if you don’t accept my apology, please know that Iamsorry and I would like nothing more than to make up for my stupidity yesterday.”

“Mm hm,” I intoned, moving away from him.

“I looked you up last night,” he mentioned as I crossed the room quickly.

I didn’t respond as I tried to put as much distance between us as possible.

“I called you a waitress, but you’ve been an owner for six years,” he continued. “Most restaurants fail within the first year, but you’ve only grown. You opened The Cask at twenty-four years old. That’s major. Your reviews from restaurant critics and customers are always good. You are knowledgeable in wine and business and there’s a lot I could learn from you. I don’t know why I didn’t assume you owned the place, but it makes sense. The Cask is impressive. What you’ve accomplished is impressive. You, Ebony Montresor, are impressive.”

I grabbed his jacket from the hook next to Alexis’s and took a breath before turning to face him. Every transgression and grievance had been stewing in my mind for twelve long hours, so I had every intention to tell him to stick his apology up his ass. But when our eyes locked, I hesitated.

“I apologize for disrespecting everything you’ve accomplished by saying you had nothing on us and downplaying your success,” he continued, taking slow measured steps toward me. “I didn’t mean it and I’m sorry.”

The way he looked at me made it hard to look away.

His phone rang and he didn’t break eye contact. He just kept staring at me, willing me to speak. The phone stopped ringing briefly and then it started again.

He sighed, pulling the phone out of his pocket. He looked at it and I could tell he was torn. Glancing up at me, he answered it. “This better be important,” he grumbled into the phone. His eyes remained glued on me and I remained frozen in place. “I’ll handle it when I return, Kim. The meeting is Monday afternoon. Yes, I’ll be back shortly… Yes, and I’ll handle it when I’m done. I told you I needed to take care of something important…” The slight dip in his eyebrows and narrowing of his eyes made it clear she said something he didn’t appreciate. “Goodbye.”

Trouble in paradise?I wondered as I studied his expression.

Part of running a successful business was to have a great relationship with the management team. If I pulled at the thread of that relationship, maybe that’ll be how I can take him down.

And since she’s been a bitch to me, her going down is justified.

He shoved the phone back into his pocket. “I’m sorry about that,” he apologized to me. “As you know, there’s always work to be done. But I make time for what’s important. And coming to talk to you, to apologize to you, in person is important.”

Don’t let him disarm you with his sexiness, I reminded myself. He came over here wearing a shirt that showed off his muscles. He’s saying all the right things while he’s licking his big, juicy lips. He keeps staring at me with those soulful eyes. He keeps—oh!

And then it hit me.

They say keep your friends close and your enemies closer. So I knew exactly how I would get revenge.

He wants me so I can use that to my advantage. I can get him to feel close to me, make him believe I’m still interested, and then he won’t see the attack coming.

The path to revenge was right in front of me the whole time.

A slow smile crept on my face and I saw him visibly relax. He smiled back at me, having no idea that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.

“Okay,” I stated quietly as we stood a few feet apart. Extending my arm, I handed him his jacket. “Apology accepted.”

He purposely slid his hand over mine as he took it. “Thank you.”

The deep timbre of his voice, the intensity of his stare, and the gentleness of his touch combined causing a jolt of electricity to rip through my body.

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