Page 45 of Whatever Lola Wants

“All right.”

She reached for the bagels, though her appetite had disappeared. “Do you want a bagel?”

“I’m sorry. I jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

She studied him for a moment, then shoved away the hurt and nodded. “Okay.”

“Really,” he said.

“It’s fine.” She worked up a smile. “Really.”

He studied her silently for moment, then nodded. “Okay.”

“Bagel?” she repeated, determined to be polite for as long as this awkward morning after lasted.

He shook his head. “Thanks, but I have to get back to my place and get changed.”

“Well, then.” She worked up an easy smile. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah.” He set his coffee aside, untouched. “Will you be at the club this weekend?”

“Maybe. My work load is picking up a bit, so I’ll have to see.” Her work load was exactly the same as it had been last week, but he didn’t need to know that. Guess I do lie, after all.

“I hope you’re able to make it.” He smiled. “You do liven up the place.”

She chuckled and tried not to stiffen as he bent to brush his lips over her cheek. “See you later,” he said, then he was out the door and gone.

“Fuck,” she muttered and poured his coffee down the sink.

“What’s with you, man?”

Simon glanced up from his desk with a frown. “What?”

“I said, what’s with you?” Grant slouched in the chair across from the desk. “You’ve been a crab ass all week.”

“I have not been a ‘crab ass’,” Simon said, annoyed. “I’ve been busy. We’ve got four new accounts to assess.”

“And they’re being assessed,” Grant countered. He leaned forward to brace his elbows on his knees. “Does this have anything to do with Lola?”

Simon stilled. “What do you mean?”

Grant shot him a let’s-get-real look. “C’mon. The vibe when you two were at our place the other night was so steamy, I thought you were going to strip down and go at it on my patio. Did you take her home?”

Simon tossed his pen down, giving up the pretense of working. “Yes.”

“And?”

“And I spent the night.”

Grant frowned. “What, was the sex shitty?”

Simon huffed out a laugh. “No, the sex wasn’t shitty.”

His tone must’ve conveyed exactly how not shitty it had been, and Grant’s grin flashed again. “So, what’s the problem?”

Simon’s fingers tapped on the desk. “It was a mistake.”

“Why?”

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