Page 17 of Holiday Hook-Up
“I see what you mean. Fried chicken, ranch, three kinds of cheese. Sounds perfect.”
We placed our orders moments later. I felt sorry for the server. She seemed to be the only one working.
“I never got to tell you how much all my coworkers loved the party. It turned out beautifully.”
“I’m glad. What are the holiday parties normally like?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t know. This is my first year at The Ridge. I’m here on a paid internship, actually. But from what I’ve heard they’re nowhere near as fancy.” She played with a loose piece of hair and sipped her water. “Why didn’t you come?”
I smirked. I couldn’t help it. The part of my brain that still acted like a teenage boy was dying to say, “That’s what she said.”
Emerald’s face went red. “I can read your face. Go ahead and say it,” she teased.
“Say what?” I asked, lowering my tone to sound innocent.
“Nevermind.” She shook her head. “Anyway, Sir, why didn’t you join us lowly employees at the party?”
Sir, again.My cock twitched every time she said it. I rolled up the sleeves of my button down and leaned my forearms on the table, rubbing my hands together. Her eyes flicked toward them, taking in my sleeves of ink, as she brought her water glass to her lips.
“You’re not lowly employees.” I sighed. “I have my reasons. It’s better to stay as invisible as I can.”
She chewed her lip and scrunched her eyes. “I won’t press you, but to me that sounds awful. I’d want to talk to people. Show my appreciation, hear their ideas.”
Our server dropped off our bowls and dashed back into the kitchen. We took a second to mix our salads and that let me mull over what Emerald had just said.
“I guess I try to show my appreciation in other ways.” Realizing that I’ve let more innuendos escape my mouth had me smirking. “Not in that way. I swear this only happens around you.” She grinned and slid the fork between her lips. “I mean, I pay well and give bonuses. I promote from within, things of that nature. When my father ran the company he held onto his wallet with an iron grip. It was always about the bottom line with him, not the people.”
“Yikes. I bet he had a hard time holding onto employees.”
“Yeah, turns out people aren’t fond of getting treated like machines.” I moved the food around my bowl. “There were some scandals too. My father was a real prick. It’s better for everyone if I stay away.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Logan.” She sounded so soft, so sincere.
“It’s fine, Emerald. That’s how it is. I keep to myself, the company runs smoothly, and everybody’s happy.” Her hand inched closer to mine and I flexed my fist to stop myself from touching her. With a puffed exhale, I asked, “So the guy last night? Ex-boyfriend, I’m assuming?”
Her shoulders slumped and I immediately regretted bringing him up. Fuck, my social skills were terrible.
“Not really. We hooked up a few times, nothing serious.” A knot formed in my throat.
“What happened?”
She blew out a breath. “I don’t want you to judge me.”
“Emerald,” I said calmly. “You’re perfect in my eyes. Now what did that prick do?”
“He’s married. I had no idea, of course. But word got around the hotel and his wife found out and people started talking shit. I ended it as soon as I found out, but he still won’t leave me alone. I would never break up a marriage.”
I wished I’d let myself punch that asshole. I didn’t give two shits about his marriage, but he lied to Emerald and treated her poorly. No fucking way would I let that happen again.
“You won’t have to worry about him again. I’ll make sure of it.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?”
“No one hurts you and gets away with it,” I said, flexing my fist again.
She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it quickly and tugged at her hair. That same hair I had wrapped around my fist. My knees shook with restless energy. I needed to change the subject before I got myself too worked up. Anger and desire stirred through my veins, spiking my pulse. I knew all too well what rumors could do to a person, and I’d hate for any more to circulate and hurt Emerald again.
“You mentioned an internship. Tell me more.” I picked at my salad, finding the remaining pieces of chicken.
