Page 4 of Worship
Maybe I need to shorten the expectations list, even though I already have. Soon it will just be Male, Employed. Then again, I make enough to be a sugar mama.
My attention returns to the group and Lyla telling us all about her latest conquest or fail from last night.
“You guys, he asked to kiss me. It was too sweet. Not for me.”
Lyla is younger than the rest of us, but as Blair’s little sister, we all feel free to tell her all about what she should do.
“Next,” I call out.
“Agreed,” Blair chimes in.
“Sweet can be nice,” Drew argues, and we all swing our collective heads in her direction.
“Tell us more about how sweet Dominic King is…because from my view, that’s not how I would describe him.” I laugh and she shushes me.
“I’m bummed we didn’t get to meet him tonight. I’m dying to see what he looks like!” Blair complains. She’s been in Spain closing a deal for the company we all work for, the Cohen Management Team.
Drew was promoted to Vice President of Branding and Marketing this year, and in true badass chick form made sure to bring the ones she loved with her. I took on the Director of Marketing position, and Blair has the coveted Director of Sales. It’s coveted because she basically travels the world on someone else’s dime. But it’s perfect for her, and for Lyla who gets the task of being her assistant.
“You’ve seen what he looks like. When we stopped to pick up Drew today, you saw Luca,” Lyla says as if Blair is stupid, and Drew nods in agreement.
Now I’m really happy for dim lighting because my cheeks are on fire. I barely saw him today. When I breezed into Drew’s house, he was standing on the back patio, unloading bags of groceries for tonight’s party.
I almost exploded in my spot, staring at the way his T-shirt moved over his rippling back muscles. And the way his dark brown hair weaved between the fingers he ran them through made my mouth dry. He’s six foot three of all man.
When he looked over his shoulder, I knew I’d been caught but tried to play it off because how pathetic can I be? He’s married. That’s about as unavailable as it gets. But I swear every time he’s around I can’t help it if my eyes seek him out.
The man is fucking hot, and based on our last conversation, he’s tortured too.
“What are you doing over here, hiding from the world?” Luca’s deep voice immediately catches my attention.
“Oh god, am I that obvious? I just can’t hear Drew’s mom or dad ask me when I’m taking the plunge one more time, you know? Oh wait, no…you don’t.” I roll my eyes and laugh.
He smiles tightly, looking down at his ring and back to me. Luca’s eyes are the most delicious shade of hazel. When he looks at me, I’m drawn in, hooked. Oh shit, like now. I avert my gaze, embarrassed, feeling as if I’ve looked into them for too long.
“So, bring your boyfriend next time.”
I growl playfully at his sarcasm. “What boyfriend? I think people will have a hard time accepting the blow-up dummy I have for my car rides. But I love Bob.” I shrug.
“Bigots. Love is love.” He takes a swig of his drink, and I steal a glance at his lips.
“That’s what I’m saying,” I agree dramatically, hoping to cover my eye assault of his mouth. He chuckles softly and then looks past me for a moment. I take the opportunity to look away again, focusing on the ice in my glass instead. I’m not flirting, am I?
“How long have you been married?” I ask. Good, this is safe territory. But he doesn’t answer right away, so I look up to see his eyes falter, becoming cold, dark.
“Happily?” he replies.
Whoa… It’s almost as if he doesn’t realize the thought was said aloud. I steal another glance and see him lost in his thoughts. I stare at his profile, wondering what’s happened to him. He breathes out and takes another drink. There’s something about the sadness in his demeanor that has me answering honestly.
“Yeah.”
His head pivots to face me, locking his eyes to mine. “How do you gauge it when it’s a lie?”
I’m thrown by his vulnerability. Every piece of me wants to comfort him. Help him. I’ve never been struck by someone’s sheer honesty. He’s so raw. And I get the feeling nobody sees this Luca. He’s always so easy, charming. I don’t want to move or breathe in fear that he’ll snap out of it.
“What’s a lie?” My words are barely a whisper.
“Love.” He tilts his head as I shake my head, brow furrowed.
