AstonWe wound our way past the trash cans, fake plants and other last minute shoppers until we got back to Tiffany’s car. She paused as she was getting in. “We’re not giving up yet, you know.”I nearly started crying in frustration. “Every place is closed Tiff, come on. Please, let’s just go.”“We’re going all right, but you’re not going home. We’ll find something for you to wear at my place. I have some killer dresses.”“Okay.” I groaned. Going to her house beat wandering around in malls. Besides, I wasn’t going to change her mind. I would be home and crawling into bed much earlier if I played along. And honestly, I really did want to look nice tomorrow, despite all my protests about finding something to wear. I thought I looked good in the clothes I wore to work and happened to think the dress I wore to our first dinner was a knock out, but now Tiffany had the idea of wowing him stuck in my head. Nothing I owned was exactly ‘wow’ material.Going through Tiffany’s closet would be a
BLAKEWaiting for Aston in the lobby, my palms were slightly sweaty and my heart was beating too fast. It surprised me that I was nervous. I didn’t get nervous. Not anymore. I certainly hadn’t been nervous before a date since high school.Still, I wasn’t even sure that this was a date. I kept telling myself that I was getting to know Aston because that’s what I’d promised Dad I would do. But deep inside, I knew asking her out again had nothing to do with my promise to my father.I asked her out again because I wanted to spend more time with her, but I didn’t know what that meant. I was determined not to worry about it tonight. I was leaving it at two people who enjoyed spending time together.Exactly at 7, Aston walked into the lobby. I’d thought my heart was beating fast before I saw her, but that was nothing compared to what happened when she finally appeared.She was wearing a dress that seemed like it must have been designed to test the strength of my heart and the control I had o
BlakeAston beamed up at me. “I adore this place. It’s so cute. I can’t believe I didn’t even know it was here. You were right, I haven’t been here before.”The waiter showed us to a small, round table near the only window in the place. “Please, have a seat. I’ll be right back to take your order for drinks.”He placed two square menus down on the table, then left to fetch the complimentary plate of nachos they put on the table. “You like it?”Aston nodded, her eyes darting around as she took it all in. “It’s adorable. I love it. How did you know it was here?”“I told you, I used to come here with my mom.”“So she told you about it?”I nodded. “She found it one night while she was taking a walk. We never ate tacos anywhere else if we were in California.”“Where is your mom now? Does she live around here?” It made sense that only someone who lived in the area would find a place like this, but my mom had been lucky enough to see people leaving when she walked past.I wondered if that kin
ASTON“Tell me everything about last night.” Tiffany demanded at lunch time. She carried a paper bag with the logo of a Chinese place nearby on the front. “I brought food, so you don’t have excuses to get out of taking our entire hour to give me every detail.”I smiled coyly, winding a lock of hair around my finger. “Details about what? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”Throwing me a mocking glare, she heaved into a chair. “You already forgot I loaned you that smoking hot red dress for your big date?”I rolled my eyes. “It wasn’t a big date. It was just a date.”“You didn’t seal the deal with Blake?” She pouted, disappointment shining in her eyes.Remembering how much I wanted to ‘seal the deal’ with him was slightly embarrassing. “Seal the deal? Do you people still use that?”“I’m taking that as a no.” She cracked her chopsticks apart and picked up a carton of food from the bag. “You wouldn’t be so grouchy if you had done the deed.”Her eyes widened. “Unless—unless it was a
AstonTiffany glanced at the clock on my wall and jumped up. “Look at you, overthinking it again, right? Next time, just take the opportunity when it presents itself. Okay?”“Okay,” I said, determined that on our next date I would find out once and for all if he did want to kiss me back. “Are you walking back to the lobby now?”She nodded, sighing deeply. “Sadly, I have to get back to work.”“I’ll walk with you. I need to check up on a few guests before I go to my meeting with the IT department.”“The IT department?” Tiffany asked, looking confused. “We have one of those?”I gave her a sidelong look. “Calling it a department may be a stretch. We do have two IT guys who work in the office behind the business lounge. You honestly didn’t know?”She shook her head. “That feels like something I should have known. Do you know how many times I’ve taken my cell phone to the shop for them to help me? If I’d known we had our own nerd herd, I never would have done that.”My reply died on my tong
BLAKEMotherfucker. I was going to ring my damn brother’s neck the second this plane touched down. Fuck being mature or professional. I was knocking him on his ass before the sun set on Florida today. He was crossing a line he shouldn’t have crossed at this time.When I woke up this morning, I was actually happy for the first time in a long fucking time. And then I checked my emails. The fucker knew I was in California, but I wasn’t letting him get away with what he was proposing now.My rage kept simmering until I reached my father’s office. I knew he and Danny were in a meeting, but I didn’t give a fuck what I was interrupting. I burst through the doors like a hell hound on fire.“What the fuck are you thinking?” I asked, as I stepped into my father’s office. My gaze zeroed in on Danny’s. While he looked surprised to see me, he didn’t look surprised by the hostility of my question.“I’m thinking about what’s best for this company. What are you even doing here?” Danny had the nerve t
Blake“Oh, I’m going to destroy it?” Danny yelled. “If there’s anyone who’s going to be responsible for the company’s downfall, it’s your lying ass. We’re going to get sued for millions the way you’re running your mouth about good people stealing from us.”“Let Dustin try to sue us. I know I’m right. Soon enough, you’ll know it too. Mark my words. If anyone is going to lose us millions, it’s you for proposing to cut a branch that’s doing well and costing us good people who can help us make more money unless you fire them for no good reason.”“It’s for a great fucking reason. Our expansion is the best reason to get rid of people. It’s us or them, Blake. What don’t you understand about business? You stay ahead of the curve, or you’re out.”“Yeah,” I snorted. “I get that, but we’re already ahead of the curve. If you start treating employees like chess pieces instead of people, you’re in trouble. Callously cutting people from a branch where they’re still needed? That will get us in real t
ASTONLying in my bed last night, I decided to put Blake behind me. The chances were overwhelming that I would never see him again, despite him saying he would be back soon. In the months since I started at the McAllen Group, this was the first time he’d been in California. It could be months before his business brought him back.As hard as it was, I was going to have to relegate him to the far recesses of my mind, and pull him out as a fond memory from time to time. No doubt I would be seeing him in my fantasies on the occasions I brought my vibrator out to play.But I couldn’t spend my days thinking, wondering or wishing things were different. I had work to do. The furniture I had procured last week was arriving today and there were lots of special guests checking in, not the least of which was the elderly couple standing in front of me in the lobby.The man was slightly hunched over, but he beamed at his wife like it was their wedding day. “It’s our sixtieth wedding anniversary thi