Page 15 of L.O.V.E

I’d be damned before I ever let her know she’d shaken me again. My body trembled with the vile poison filling my soul. Swallowing the bitter taste on my tongue, I turned my attention to my date where it belonged.

As far as I was concerned, Cole and Victoria no longer existed.

My office door opened with an ominous, slow creak.

“Sorry to interrupt.” Gabriella, my coworker, apologized from behind a bouquet of flowers that seemed to float off the ground, so large I could barely see her black heels, tan legs, and wobbly ankles beneath. The scene would’ve been funny if not so creepy.

“What the actual fuck?” said Morgan, my favorite, and might I add, gorgeous and feisty client, her head tilting at an odd angle. She owned a chain of “bikini” coffee stands and had recently decided to expand into other business ventures.

The imposing display started to topple. Morgan and I shot forward, arms out, hands grasping, trying to find purchase, something solid to steady the tumbling flow of sunflowers, mums, gold poms, and orange roses.

We only made the situation worse, startling poor Gabriella. She screamed. I cussed. Morgan laughed. The bouquet fell to the floor, a morbid, though sweet smelling, pile of pick-up sticks.

Dropping to a squat, I rubbed my aching temples. “What am I going to do about him?” I studied the hodgepodge selection.

“File a restraining order.” Gabriella pulled a rose out of the pile and brought the petals to her nose.

Morgan grabbed my elbow and helped me stand, giving me a motherly glare. “Ditto. Do it now. Don’t wait another second. He needs to stop.”

“Yeah.” I nodded like a maniac, gnawing my thumbnail. “Didn’t want to, but he’s leaving me no choice.”

Digging for my phone, I heard, “Nats! Baby! Fuck. Let go of me. Goddammit!”

Glass shattered. Grunts, smacks, and profanities followed.

My face heated. Head pounded. I peeked my head out the door, but Timothy, our astute head of security, ordered me to stay in my office. Like a cliché movie scene come to life, four—yes, four—men dragged Holden out the front entrance.

“Nats! I love you. Give me another chance. Please,” echoed through the building and most likely down the block in every direction.

“Oh, honey.” Gabriella pulled me into a tight embrace that I savored for a good thirty seconds before letting go to clean up the mess on my floor.

I could no longer tame the shake in my hands. Besides giving me gray hairs thirty years too early, that psycho was going to get me fired.

“You sure you don’t need a few days off? I’ve got air miles I’ll never use. Take a mini vacay. Get away from that nutjob for a while.”

“What? And give up all this attention?” I joked, feeling not one lick of humor. “I can’t. I have a date tomorrow.”

“With that ginger hottie you told me about?” Morgan asked, gathering her coat and briefcase.

“Yes,” I mumbled. I should have felt tingles at the thought of my date with Martin. Instead, I rubbed my temples.

Janet, my boss, came through the door, her suit impeccable, her smile sincere. “You okay?”

I nodded. “I’m sorry about the disruption.”

“We’ll meet with HR tomorrow. Talk about steps we can take to keep him from coming back. Take the rest of the afternoon off.”

“I’m fine.” I waved her off. “Besides, I’ve got two more meetings today.” Holden was not going to ruin my day, or my numbers for the month.

Janet studied me before nodding. “Okay. If you’re sure.” With an approving smile, she headed down the hall.

I made quick work of the mess, swallowed a cocktail of pain relievers with lukewarm coffee, then collected my scattered nerves and landed two new clients for the bank, wooing them with numbers far more alluring than our competitors.

The pink-haired barista slid the Pumpkin Spice Latte across the counter with a pretty smile and a syrupy sweet, “Enjoy.”

I shoved five bills into the tip jar because I liked her hair, and the world needed generous tippers.

I also felt extra spectacular because my last date with Martin had gone well. The man was pretty to look at. Polite. Respectful. We had shared great conversation over drinks at a fancy bar downtown, a romantic but chilly walk along the pier, a ride on The Seattle Great Wheel, where Martin held me close, then a hot kiss at my front door. And much to my surprise, he hadn’t tried to get in my pants.

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