Page 18 of Fairy Tale Lies
The rest of the day and most of the next he’d spent with Rae and the financials of Rework, with Greta asking Jacob periodic questions regarding web design preferences. Allen came and went, not spending much time at his desk. From what Jacob could gather, Allen was in charge of Swift’s computers and dealt with installing and fixing inhouse software issues.
Jacob couldn’t decide how he felt about Allen. He was laidback and amusing, but his obvious attraction to Greta annoyed the shit out of Jacob. It didn’t help the guy was a perfect match to her patrician beauty.
However, the size of the IT office was Jacob’s biggest problem. He swore the space shrank smaller and smaller with each passing hour.
Listening to Greta’s soft, lilting voice and catching whiffs of her tantalizing scent left him beyond aroused. Concentrating on anything work-related was becoming next to impossible as a battle between trying to focus on Rework and wanting Greta naked and under him raged within him.
Rae nudged his shoulder, waiting expectantly. Shit, had she been talking? “Sorry, what?”
“Are you ready for lunch?”
“Hell yes,” he almost shouted.
Jacob was ready to crawl from his skin. He needed more than a break. He needed a cold shower.
The others eyed him like he’d grown a second head. “Sorry. Didn’t realize how hungry I was until you mentioned lunch,” Jacob lied.
Allen leaned back in his chair, swiveling it to face Jacob. “Okay, maybe you should pick. What are you in the mood for?”
His gaze shifted to Greta. Jacob was in the mood for her. He wanted the same lunch he had those weeks back. He wanted to lick the sweat from her flesh and devour her pleas and moans.
To his surprise, she was watching him. Her gaze dropped from his, but he caught the slow flush creeping along her lovely neck and cheeks. Was she thinking the same thing?
“Seriously, what’s going on? Am I missing something?” Allen threw up his hands. “You two have been shooting furtive glances at each other since yesterday. Now I ask a simple question, and you both look…well, I don’t want to say how you both look. What gives?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Greta’s expression spoke of indifference. The slight tremor in her voice told him different. “What would you know, anyway? You’ve hardly been in the office these last couple days.”
“I don’t need to be here more than five minutes to notice.” Allen’s gaze shifted to Rae. “You know anything?”
“Don’t ask me.” She stared at her nails then began picking at them.
Damn. Jacob hoped those two women never played Poker.
He cleared his throat and almost laughed when Greta threw him a thunderous expression. Did she think he was going to start describing the erotic noises she made in the throes of an orgasm?
He tried for a bored tone. “No story or big scandal. We know each other. Slightly. A few weeks back I was working another job. It landed me at her mother’s house. We had lunch. Now it’s weird seeing her in a different environment. That’s all.”
Rae snorted and coughed. “Sorry. Something in my throat.”
Jacob eyed her, wondering how much she knew. What had Greta told her?
“Uh-huh, why not mention it until now?” Allen didn’t move. Instead, he settled into his chair and crossed his feet at the ankles, as if ready to wait out the afternoon for an answer.
Jacob put on his sunglasses and stood. “Because it’s not a big deal, and none of your business.” He clapped his hands together, signaling the end of the topic. “Are we going to keep talking about lunch or actually go and eat?”
Allen rose, studying Jacob. “Fine. We’ll go, but I have to know. How’d you get Greta to go with you? I’ve been asking for months, and all I get are refusals. Tell me the secret. I’ll be in your debt.”
“Fuck your debt,” Jacob scoffed, sounding too angry and not caring. Picturing Allen with Greta made the edges of Jacob’s vision go red. Though he liked hearing about the repeated rejections.
Allen raised his hands in surrender and smiled impishly. “Nothing going on between you two, huh? Yeah, right. For the last two days, Rae has dug into your business and nothing upset you. I make one comment concerning a date with Greta, and you practically turn homicidal.”
Rising, Rae sighed. “Testosterone’s getting thick in here. We should leave now, Greta. Next thing you know, they’ll be arm wrestling or whipping out their you-know-whats to see whose is bigger.”
Jacob and Allen laughed, melting away the tension. Eyeing Rae, Allen asked, “Does your husband know this side of you?”
“Sure, and it’s his favorite. Now, let’s go. I’m starving. If we stay much longer I’m going to start gnawing on my chair. Mexican or Cajun?”
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