Page 15 of Boss On Notice
I’m frowning, I think. I want to frown, but I’m not sure I’m succeeding at it. I hate that he looks the way he does.Just look at him…He’s wearing the hell out of straight-leg black trousers that melt over the tight and lean muscles in his thighs and his healthy package. Inadvertently, I’ve glanced at his package on several occasions. He’s always been robust down there, but his cock has never excited me at all. Why is that, Lilly?Becausehe’s a fuckboy, Lilly.Don’t you forget it.
After that little reminder, his package stops distracting me and I’m able to further admire how well he’s wearing a short-sleeved black V-neck shirt that shows off his perfectly cut biceps, triceps, and pectoral muscles. And for a pop of color, he has on a brownish-red leather belt and matching shoes—both look very expensive. I can just see Aunt Jo peddling his outfit to hungry viewers ready to buy whatever she’s selling. Right now, Orion is proving what I decided about him a long time ago—he’s a human mouse trap.Eat the cheese and he will crush you, Lilly. You will die a slow painful death.
He’s still smirking when he stops in front of me. “Wow, Delilah, you clean up well,” he croons.
I frown. I hate that he still smells good. “Thank you,” I mumble as I look away from him. I also hate that he’s always more handsome up close than from a distance.He’s a ho.Finally, I can set my focus on his face again. “I see you’re already checking out the local produce.”
His gaze follows mine to the two women he was conversing with before I arrived. They’re watching us. They want him.
“Jealous, Delilah?”
I blurt a laugh. “No.” I’m not jealous. I can’t be jealous. “No way.”
He grunts thoughtfully. “Those two women are my cousins.”
I snort dismissively. “And…”
“And what?”
I cock my head to one side to watch him. I don’t want to say it, but we both know a woman being his cousin hadn’t stopped him from engaging sexually with her in the past.
“What is that look for?” he asks, encouraging me to remind him of what I know—heck, what the whole world knows about him.
Thankfully our exchange is interrupted by loud claps. After all, I’m not supposed to be engaging in verbal spats with Orion tonight. I was supposed to thank him for asking me to be his whatever for the weekend.
Orion’s curious gaze lingers on my face for a few more seconds until his eyes widen a fraction of an inch and land on the reason why everybody is clapping. I whip my attention in the direction where everybody is looking. The bride and groom have shown up, walking hand in hand, and they are indeed a sight to behold.
* * *
ABOUT AN HOUR LATER
“This, my love, is a buffet.” Treasure Grove spoon-feeds Achilles Lord a heaping serving of white-truffle mashed potatoes.
Orion grunts bitterly as he slouches lower in his seat. “Now she’s pretending to be the common folk?” he says under his breath.
Guests laugh. Amusement swirls through the air as Treasure tells us how Achilles claimed he’s never eaten at a casino buffet. He had never visited Las Vegas period until their pre-Christmas vacation. Apparently, they’ve made that a thing, pre-Christmas vacationing, and Orion snorts disparagingly about that too.
“I said to him that he didn’t know what he was missing,” Treasure exclaims. Her eyes dance in their sockets as if she’s the happiest girl in the world.
Achilles Lord nods while chewing as if he relishes the taste of food that his bride-to-be just fed him. I’ve known Achilles for a while and I’ve never seen him so easygoing. He and Treasure are proof that opposites do indeed attract and change each other for the better. However, it’s abundantly clear that Orion doesn’t see it that way. He’s been muttering jabs at the couple ever since she and Achilles arrived for dinner, arm in arm, cameras flashing, and guests clapping.
Lips hinting at a snarl, he whispered, “Who do they think they are? The king and queen of the Vegas Strip?”
He’s definitely still aggrieved that Treasure chose his brother instead of him. I mean, why wouldn’t she? There are three Lord brothers. It’s a toss-up between which is the better choice when it comes to Hercules and Achilles. I guess it depends on what a girl likes in a man. Both are tall and gorgeous. Hercules is just so pleasant and good-natured. I love it when he visits our dungeon of an office. He never fails to ask about my father. Hercules is seated at the table with us along with Paisley. As we mingled and casually strolled around the high-class buffet to taste dishes and program an order for whatever we choose to be plated and brought to us by servers, Hercules once again asked how my father is doing. Of course, Orion looked confused by the question. I keep forgetting that he never cared to know about my father’s accident. He’s never concerned about much past a five-foot radius from himself.
“What’s wrong with your father?” Orion asked minutes later as we took our seats.
I just shook my head. I would’ve explained, but I became too distracted by the heavy hitters who were taking seats at the table with us. If I lean forward and stretch my arm really far, I could reach out and touch Heartly Rose Grove and Xander Grove. Oh my God, Heartly, Paisley Grove’s mother, who is a famous model turned tech guru is more stunning up close and in real life than she is on any magazine cover. And Xander Grove appears just as graceful and mysterious in person too. I’m at the VIP table, that’s for sure. I’m also seated among Leo and Londyn Grove, Treasure’s parents. And Max Grove, who has brought a date. I think she’s his date. Max Grove seems as graceful as his father, but he’s more buttoned-up and I detect that he might also be a miserable kind of guy. It doesn’t look as if he and his date are at all romantically linked. I’m trying not to stare, but I think he keeps gazing at another guest who’s seated on the opposite side of Orion. Her name is Lake Clark and she’s an artist. I’ve actually known Lake for years. We’re pretty okay friends. We’re not the closest of friends, but she has invited me to many of her famously fun parties.
There are other people at the table that pique my interest too. For instance, Treasure’s grandmother Leslie is seated next to Achilles’s grandfather Hugo. I recall how last year, Orion gusted into the office railing about how his grandfather had been carrying on with Treasure’s grandmother for years. I didn’t see why that was such a bad thing and that comment was stuck on my trembling lips after Orion asked, “Isn’t that fucking crazy?” I wasn’t certain he really wanted me to answer that question or if he was just blowing off steam. It’s hard to tell with him.
However, I’m also sitting at a table with Orion’s father, Chris. I heard that he’s rarely around the family because he owns several bars on several tropical islands. He has a date too and she’s not Marigold, the Lord brothers’ mother, who also joins us. Marigold is with a young man who’s probably my age. Chris’s date’s name is Caroline. They make a handsome age-appropriate couple. Orion’s cousin Nero is also seated with us. He used to come around the office more, usually on Fridays around the time Orion left for the day. It’s been nearly a year since I’ve seen Nero. I’m thinking that might have something to do with his date. She’s pretty and seems to be friends with Paisley Grove. The two of them haven’t stopped chatting intimately since taking their seats beside each other. Basically, I’ve sat at my fair share of wedding tables, but this one is by far the best ever and can probably never be topped.
At the moment, my head feels slightly woozy. Since Orion has been such a Bitter Barry, I’ve been consuming a lot of tasty blue cocktails called the Great Blue Sea just so I can tolerate him. He’s called the entire method of picking buffet dishes and then having servers to bring them to our table showy. He also said the food was flamboyant and that Treasure will never change. Well of course the process is showy and the food flamboyant! Achilles is a billionaire! I’m a hundred percent certain he’s still in love with her, which sort of obliterates my belief that he can never love anyone but himself.
I think Orion wants me to say something about the comment he made about Treasure pretending she’s the common folk.
“This is by no means a common buffet,” I say. I’m not sure but that might have come out just a tiny bit slurred.
