Page 39 of Coldhearted King

“He did.”

Alex nods. “Do you think Cole is wasting any time worrying about whether he acted professionally? Do you think he’s sitting at home right now, worrying about facing you tomorrow?”

“Probably not.”

“Not a chance in hell, actually. The man’s probably jerking off and planning what he’ll do to you the next time he gets you in his office.”

“There won’t be a next time. He even said it was just a revenge thing.”

Alex tips her head to the side and smirks. “Ah, my poor, naïve friend. You actually believe Cole went down on you out of the goodness of his heart? Because he’s some kind of sexual good Samaritan?”

I snort out a laugh.

“No, my dear. That man’s probably been dying to get another taste of you since you walked back into his life.”

“You mean after he stopped believing I’d only slept with him to gain an advantage with our proposal?”

“Well, yes, after that. But he obviously wants you. And if I were you, I’d take advantage of it. Next time he gets you alone, tell him you want the full meal, not just the appetizer.”

“I honestly don’t think that’s going to happen. He has access to the most beautiful women in New York. Why would he risk a secret workplace hookup with me?”

“You doubt yourself too much, Dee. And any man who doesn’t think you’re worth the risk is a fool you don’t want to be around anyway.” Her voice softens. “Don’t let the assholes in this world impact your opinion of yourself, okay?”

I give her a grateful smile, knowing she’s not just referring to Paul. A few months after we moved in together, I confided in her about my father—small-town royalty, whose family company owned most of the businesses in town. Mom fell for him, believing he felt the same way about her, until a faulty condom proved otherwise. He walked away, telling her she’d been fun, but he didn’t want a kid, especially with someone he was “slumming it” with. Not that Mom said it quite that way, but it wasn’t hard to read between the lines.

He rejected herandme, then went on to marry a woman from an equally wealthy family and have two sons—half-brothers I doubt even know I exist.

Not that I care about my father. After all, why would I want anything to do with a man who would leave an eighteen-year-old girl to raise his baby all on her own? At least, that’s what I told myself when I was growing up. But every now and then, when I saw how tired Mom was and how hard she worked to provide for me, I wondered why he hadn’t wanted us.

Alex’s voice snaps me back to the present. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens, but I bet Cole will call you to his office first thing tomorrow for a repeat performance.”

I shake my head, but Alex just grins and walks away. I look down at the schematic on my screen, but my mind isn’t on work right now. Could Alex be right about Cole? And if she is, what exactly will I do about it?

The next day at my desk, my pulse leaps at every email notification, every ring of my phone. I half expect to be summoned to Cole’s office, and I’m not sure if I’m dreading it or anticipating it. I get a few emails from Paul, including one letting me know the King Group has nominated our concepts for the H+ Architectural Design Awards, which, even with my current emotional turmoil, has me feeling a swift rush of pride. His correspondence has been completely impersonal and related to the project, so he must have finally accepted that I’m not interested in anything he has to say.

When the end of the day arrives and I haven’t heard or seen anything from Cole, a chaotic mix of emotions swirls inside me. Apparently, Alex was wrong. I should be happy about it, so why does disappointment sit like a lead weight in my chest?

That evening, when Alex gets back from teaching her classes, she asks me what happened at the office. When I tell her nothing, her face falls. Then she says he probably doesn’t want to appear too eager, and she’s sure he’ll come looking for me tomorrow.

But she’s wrong again.

I don’t see him or hear from him all week. By the time our Friday team meeting rolls around, I don’t know if I’ll even be able to look him in the eye. I’m embarrassed, angry, and—stupidly—hurt. I let Alex’s words get to me, and now I’m questioning if that’s because a part of mewantsCole to want me.

When I walk into the conference room for the meeting, I keep my eyes away from the man sitting at the end of the table, determined to conceal how much his radio silence has bothered me. I sit as far from Paul as I can, noticing Philippa’s absence once more—she hasn’t been here all week, much to my relief—and open my notebook, pretending to jot notes until he starts the meeting.

My eyes jerk toward him when he finally starts talking, because it’s not Cole’s voice. The man addressing us is Cole’s brother, Tate.

“Good afternoon, everyone. Cole has asked me to take today’s meeting since he’s unable to attend. We’ll proceed the same way you usually do, beginning with a rundown of your individual projects. We’ll start with you, uh...” He looks down at his notes. “Robert.”

I’m distracted while Robert speaks. Where is Cole? Surely he’s not avoiding me. I can’t imagine a man like Cole would ever stoop to avoiding a woman, especially since he probably hasn’t spared a thought for what happened in his office on Monday at all.

I release a quiet breath. I’m thinking about this way too much, which is just a sign that I should never have let that happen. It’s messing with my head and making me lose track of my priorities.

By the time Tate gets around to me, I’ve pulled myself together and I give a clear, concise report. Tate nods, his eyes lingering on me longer than comfortable. I squirm internally under his scrutiny. Is it possible he knows something?

He finally continues, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

I need to put Cole out of my mind. What happened was an aberration, and nothing else is going to happen between us. Alex was wrong, and I’m happy about that because now I can move on and forget it.

---