Page 19 of A Night of Indulgence and Sloth
“On it!”
She exits my office, leaving me with a smile on my face and completely unfocused from whatever the hell I’d been working on. Fuck, I had to get my shit together.
I pick up my cell, dialing Aiden and not really expecting him to answer, so I’m surprised when he does.
“This is Aiden.”
I groan. “Every damn time. You have caller ID, dude. You don’t have to tell me who I’ve called.”
“If I break habit every time someone I know calls, it’ll spiral. Deal with it. What’s up?”
“Just wanted to give you a heads up that City Council is up our asses again. I’ve put them off until tomorrow afternoon, sowe’ll have to decide how we’re going to play it before then.” In our seven years of operation, this wasn’t the first time we had to play ball with the stiff shirts at City Council, but this time it was someone new. Until we figure out where their allegiances lie, we have to play it safe.
“Do we have a name yet?” Aiden asks.
“No. Not officially, anyway.”
“Alright. I’ll make sure I’m around for the call tomorrow, and we can deal with it then. How are things with Liliana?” His voice softens when he says her name, and I know this week has been hard on him. Hell, I’ve struggled to be away from her, and I was here. It was going to suck when I was the one traveling next week.
“Really good. She’s been enjoying the pool before work and usually treats herself to something from the juice bar. The sounds she makes with a Watermelon Wiggle smoothie are absolutely deadly.” Just thinking about her made me hard. Even if she hadn’t been at the club, I think we’d have both wanted her.
“Bastard,” Aiden growls. “She really saved my ass with Alliance Medical, so clearly her discomfort with me isn’t affecting her ability to do her job.”
“I thought the same. Any news on that contract?”
“Sounds like the decision is between us and one other, though they were tight-lipped about which company it was. We just have to hope we’ve done enough to seal the deal.”
“Well, we didn’t kill him on a fishing boat, so that’s got to count for something.”
Liliana
“Ican’t believe you’re already through with your first week!”
Calantha and I decided to get lunch today since she was in the neighborhood. She set her sights on an excellent animal hospital close to the building I work in. Because of her high grades and a very generous referral from her professor, she landed an interview earlier this morning, so we met at a little taco shop in between the two locations to celebrate.
I swallow a bite of taco and lift my glass of diet Dr. Pepper to cheers. “Well, I can’t believe you only have three exams to finish before you graduate and a potential job opportunity.”
She stuffs another piece of her burrito bowl in her mouth and clinks her sugar-rimmed margarita glass against mine. “I don’t want to jinx anything but… Shit is finally falling into place for us, and I am totally here for it.”
We finish the rest of our meal in companionable silence, watching passersby from the window as they rush off in a hurry. It’s one of the things I love about New York City. When we left the farm, we wanted to get as far away as possible, but with no money and a target on our backs, we didn’t end up very far. Still,it’s nice to know we’re in a city with millions of people instead of some secluded farmland. There might be plenty of scary people here, but it still feels safer than the farm.
“Want to come to the office with me tomorrow for a swim?”
“Like that’s even a question, Lil. Of course I want to. Any chance I’ll get to meet the two hunks you work for?” She wiggles her eyebrows at me, but I ignore her taunt and focus on pulling out some cash for our meal.
My phone vibrates with an email from Kaleb asking me to meet him in his office once I’m back from lunch. Uh oh.
“What’s wrong?” Calantha asks, noticing the alarm on my face.
“I’ve got to get back. Kaleb wants to meet me in his office.”
“From the sounds of things, it’s probably to offer you a raise already. Or maybe he’s just hungry and wants to eatyoufor lunch.” She winks, likely joking, but I can’t stop the flood of heat that enters my veins.
It’s ridiculous, really. I’ve already slept with one boss, and now I’m attracted to the other one. Ever since Club Rapture, I’ve been amped up like a sex-crazed fiend. Is this what it’s like for everyone else, or does someone have a voodoo doll of me with vibrators stuck in it instead of pins?
“Thanks for meeting me for lunch, Lil. Text me if I was right, okay?” She hugs me before strolling off to catch the subway, leaving me alone with my thoughts as I head back to work.
I’m nervous as I ride the elevator, but I can’t figure out why. Aiden is the one who makes me nervous, not Kaleb. So why are my palms sweaty? It has to be what Calantha said. Her jokeabout Kaleb wanting me as his meal. Ever since she said it, I can’t get the image out of my head.
