Page 28 of Empowered
“Go on! Tell us who they’re from!”
Nigel and Sarah shared a look that implied they knew who it was from. Even so, Sarah slowly approached and picked up the card from the bouquet nearest her.
“I want to get to know you.”
She dropped the card and picked up the next one.
“I want to know what you’re thinking and why you do what you do.”
The next one.
“I want to get to know the woman beneath the blond wig.”
The last one.
“Have dinner with me tonight at 7.”
Just as Sarah tossed all four notes into the trash, the doorbell rang. Grunting, Nigel went to the door and brought back one last bouquet of red roses.
“I won’t take no for an answer.”
The back of the final card relayed the location of this supposed dinner. Sarah tore it in half and sprinkled the bits on top of the kitchen garbage.
“We don’t like this guy, huh?” Carly said behind her.
Nigel approached. “Give us a minute, hon.”
Carly waited exactly one beat before turning off the stove and moving the skillet to another burner. “I’ll find some cute places for these flowers.”
“You can have them,” Sarah grumbled.
“That bathroom could use freshening up.” Carly walked away with a vase in her hands.
Nigel waited until his girlfriend was gone before speaking to his sister with a low, cautious voice. “This is from that Mr. Blackbourne, isn’t it?”
Sarah didn’t have to dig out one of the cards to read the initials and know that her brother was right. She knew they were from Lucas the moment she walked into the room. Only a flippant billionaire would send five dozen roses on a Sunday morning. “Yes. Seems so. I think he has a crush on me.” She glanced at her brother’s angry countenance. “It does not go both ways.”
“This is…”
“I lied to you, though.” Sarah pulled three plates out of the cupboard above her head. No sense standing around and letting Carly’s breakfast grow cold without some presentation. “I did sleep with him, but I didn’t know he was going to work with Mr. Monroe. It’s not happening again.”
“Fuck.”
At least he didn’t chastise her. That had never been Nigel’s style.I present the facts, and he works with the facts.Fact: Sarah had slept with his man. Fact: this man now fancied her. No point telling her she was stupid for fucking yet another billionaire, as if it was so easy to begin with. Lucas was certainly a step up from Russell, but…
“I honestly didn’t know I would see him again. I was shocked to see him last week.”
“It only happened once?”
Sarah nodded.
“Then he should respect it’s not happening again.”
“I agree with you. I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow.”
“At work?”
“Mr. Monroe can deal with it.”
