Page 67 of Making It While Faking It
My chest is tight as I search her watery eyes for signs of deception. I see no signs of deception. But I’ve been waiting weeks to hear her say something like that. Now that I’ve heard it, my sore cock wants to rise. It wants her warmth, her wetness.
I scowl at my watch. “Can we talk about this when we get home later? Six,” I say, gazing into her confounded eyes. “Be home at six.”
Her tongue presses against her top teeth as if she wants to say something.
I wish we were standing so that I could bring her into my arms, kiss her soft lips. “I want to address this, what’s happening between us, but not on the go. And, um…” I raise an eyebrow. “I’m going to need the healing ointment to work its magic too.”
Smiling gently and blushing, she looks down and nods.
I’ve got to get the hell out of here before I make love to her and bereallylate for my meeting with John.
I stand. “Six o’clock on the dot?”
Still smiling, she says, “Six o’clock on the dot.”
NOON
This has been the difficult part of my day, concentrating on work and not Treasure. She’s become an addiction. Her sweet honey pussy has become like breath to me. Her voice, her laugh, the way she consumes every word I speak when she’s seeking my knowledge about business—that all makes me want to be in her presence every minute of the day. But that’s impossible. I never felt this way about Pen. I never knew feeling this way was possible, at least not for me. Pen was convenience. My connection to her was practical. A man needs a woman, a wife, heirs, so he finds someone who’s good on paper. But Treasure is good on paper, in my bed, in my space, and in my soul.
She’s falling in love with me?
She’s not already in love with me?
All of a sudden, Nero bursts into my office. The force of his steps and the way he’s grabbing at the air makes me rise to my feet.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Those fuckers!” he shouts and then balls his fist and bites his knuckle.
“Which fuckers?” Nero knows I’m not one to play guessing games.
“The Groves.”
He starts talking, and suddenly, my happy house of cards comes crashing down.
TREASURE GROVE
Construction on the integration is moving along like a fine-tuned machine. Today was the day that I assessed the moving parts of the restaurant. Achilles said that my job was to make sure the process of running the outfit is smooth, consistent, and profitable. Once those three components are in place, then Treasures will become an asset, and I can easily step away from the daily operations to pursue my true hope and dream, which is to become a head chef. I’m so frightened to abandon scratching for every dime, trying to find success around every corner, but I’m so ready for it. If not now, then when?
I just left my operations team. The new storage shelves are being installed at this very moment. I race to my office to fetch my cell phone so that I can send a photo of the shelves already up and running to Achilles since he was the one who suggested them. But when I take my cell phone out of the top drawer of my desk, I notice three messages from my dad.
My organs feel as though they’re tying in knots as I call him back. Leo never calls me that many times if the subject matter isn’t important. He answers on the first ring.
“Dad?” I say, hoping nothing’s actually wrong but knowing the opposite is true. I feel it has something to do with Achilles too. The moment I’ve hoped would never arrive I’m sure has come.
“Treasure Chest, have you heard?”
My frown is so intense that my head hurts. “Heard what?”
“Great. I didn’t want you to hear this from anyone but me.”
“Hear what?” My tone is sharp enough to cut steel.
“You are no longer obligated to marry Achilles Lord. Your contract has been nullified.”
“What?” I cry, feeling distressed.
He said that they were able to cut the same deal made with the Lords with another powerful family, the Christmases. He says it’s a cleaner bargain that doesn’t include marrying off his only daughter to a man like Achilles Lord.
