Page 32 of One Hotlanta Night
“The truth, always,” she said firmly.
I swallowed before answering. “The truth is that coming down here gave me a second chance at this company. I got into some trouble at the last one with the boss’s daughter.”
“Oh, the boss’s daughter?” At her sharp inhale, I quickly backtracked.
“Hang on, mi amor, not like that. More like with the guy who was messing with the boss’s daughter.”
“So… what happened?” she asked carefully.
“This d-bag I worked with was screwing around on his girlfriend who happens to be a good friend of mine. She also happens to be our head manager’s daughter; that’s how they met. One night we were all working late on a client backlog and I came out to the parking lot to get some fresh air. I saw him getting physical with her, so I gave him what he deserved.”
I didn’t elaborate that he ended up in the hospital. Or that his nose was permanently broken.
“The guy was one of the supervisor’s kids, and his dad threw a fit. Threatened to press charges, but my boss got him to drop it in exchange for me transferring to the Atlanta office.”
My boss should’ve been the one pressing charges on behalf of his daughter, but I’d gotten to them before the jerk could do any lasting damage, and there wasn’t any evidence. Unlike the douchebag’s face that I’d rearranged for him.
“It was my word against his, and his daughter just wanted to let it blow over, so we came to an agreement instead. Joke’s on that supervisor though, because not only did I get to keep my job, but it came with a promotion and pay raise.”
She was quiet for a moment, absorbing what I’d just shared with her. My heart caught in my throat, desperate to know what she was thinking.
“Vivian?”
“Yes, Michael?” Her tone was contemplative.
“Does that freak you out?” I held my breath.
“That’s… that’s actually quite admirable.” Oxygen filled my lungs as I remembered how to breathe. At least she wasn’t running away. “I mean, I’m rather impressed that you’d do that. I guess with you being her friend and all…”
“I’ll never just stand by and watch someone get hurt, Vivian. Even if it cost me my job. That’s one thing my grandfather taught me. To stand up for what’s right and if you have the power to help someone, you do it.” In a lower tone, I added, “I want you to know what kind of man I am. What kind of man you’re getting involved with.”
She paused long enough that I feared I’d lost her again. But the warmth in her voice was unmistakable when she said, “I think I’d like your grandfather.”
“He’s going to love you, mi amor.”
Before she could react to the term of endearment that had slipped out, Adam, who’d been walking by my cubicle a few times with questioning looks, finally stuck his head through the open space. “Who the hell have you been on the phone with so damn long?” Vivian’s cackle told me she’d heard every word. So I made sure I emphasized my next words.
“My girlfriend.” Vivian gasped at the same time as Adam.
“Girlfriend, huh?” He gave me a thumbs up along with a wicked grin, and I knew I was gonna pay for this later. “I’ll cover for you,” he said as he strolled off, whistling. Yep, definitely gonna owe him a beer. Maybe a case.
“Girlfriend, huh?” Vivian echoed, but she didn’t seem mad about it. In fact, her voice had taken on a suggestive, teasing tone. “Is that what you meant by getting involved? You wanna date me, Michael?”
“Oh, my lady, I want to do so much more than date you.” I chuckled. As I continued, my voice dropped an octave. “I want to spend every moment with you. I want to bring you back to my house and make that dinner I promised you. Wanna wakeup with you in my arms and cook you breakfast. Because you'll be starving after the night we’re gonna have. I’m gonna make you forget your own name.” I’m gonna replace it with mine.
Silence.
“Mi amor?”
“Yeah…” Her voice was breathy. “Yeah, I think I can handle that.”
“Good. How does Friday night sound?”
Hours passed in the span of minutes, until she encouraged me to get back to work and I begrudgingly obliged. A few times I was forced to pause our conversation and pretend to be on the phone with a contractor. Never missing a beat, Vivian giggled and play-acted the role, speaking in a gruff tone that made for the sexiest-sounding vendor I’d ever heard. A couple guys passed by and said I must be doing something really good because they had never seen a contractor make me smile like that before. If they only knew.
Every minute we talked, her voice musical in my ears and a permanent grin on my face, was like another puzzle piece sliding into place. And each piece made me feel even more strongly that she’s the one, she’s it for me.
That we’re meant to be together.
