Page 117 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family
She wouldn’t have invited me to dinner if she wasn’t.
Okay, maybe she wasn’t going to fire me. Tae wasn’t cruel. Direct, yes, but not a person who would make a whole event out of letting someone go.
But she still might fire me…
I hadn’t exactly been the most focused lately. Considering everything with Emir, my mind had been anywhere but on work. I was still working remotely and showing up at all the events when required but maybe I missed something or a client complained. Shit. Shit. Shit. I tugged my bottom lip between my teeth and tightened my grip on Emir’s hand as my stomach twisted.
He must’ve sensed my hesitation because he stopped walking, turning to face me right outside the restaurant’s entrance. His hands came up, framing my face, his thumbs brushing over my cheekbones as he tilted my head up.
“Baylyn, chill, baby. She’s not going to fire you.”
I frowned hard. “You don’t know that.”
“Even if you haven’t been in the office, you’ve been doing your job. You know that. She knows that.”
“She didn’t tell me why she invited us to dinner and it’s out of the blue. What if?—”
He cut me off with a kiss before pulling back to affirm, “She’s probably just checking in.” His thumbs still stroked over the curve of my jaw. “Stop overthinking.”
I released a breath, searching his face, trying to let his calm sink into me but my mind was still in overdrive.
“Or…” I narrowed my eyes. “She wants to buy me a really expensive steak as a last meal before she fires me.”
Emir chuckled and dropped his hands. “Bring your overthinking ass on.” He pressed a quick kiss to my mouth before pulling back. “She’s not going to fire you.”
I huffed but let him lead me toward the doors. Maybe he was right and this was just dinner.
Maybe.
Diablo’s was warm and inviting with low lighting, the savory aroma of grilled steak that had my stomach growling. When we approached the table, Tae smiled softly and greeted us before we joined them at a corner table giving us just enough space to enjoy the evening without being in the middle of everything.
Tae looked good as always. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, a fitted black blazer draped over her shoulders. Kass sat beside her, his broad frame relaxed in a way that made it clear he was comfortable with one arm resting across the back of her chair. Emir sat next to me with a hand possessively on my thigh and his quiet arrogance radiated in its usual way.
The waiter had just poured the first round of wine, a deep, velvety red that clung to the sides of the glass, and I swirled mine absently as Tae leaned in with her eyes locked on me.
“Have you thought more about it?”
“About what?” I was so caught up in my thoughts about being fired that my mind didn’t register what she was asking.
“Launching Vibe & Vision.”
My brain skidded to a halt with confusion. “Vibe & Vision?”
“Yes, that’s what I wanted to talk about tonight. I figured if we did this over dinner, a very expensive one, that you might be a little more relaxed and say yes.”
Emir chuckled beside me, and when I cut my eyes at him, his grin expanded.
“She thought you were going to fire her.”
“What?” Tae frowned and I punched Emir’s thigh under the table.
“I did not.”
“Yes the fuck you did. Stop fronting. You were out there in the parking lot about to hyperventilate, having a full-blown meltdown.”
I frowned and Tae almost spit out her wine. “Seriously?”
“I mean…” I shrugged. “We’ve never done this before and I’ve been with you for years.”
