A Break in Communications

Chapter 14

Anna

Ugh—that tree.

I woke up the next morning back in my own apartment to the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room, perfectly fit into that spot by the side table. Just like Lucy said.

I couldn’t believe she knew the measurements of my living room off the top of her head like that. Of course, the woman seemed to know me better than I knew myself… including that I was into shower sex. Or exhibitionistic, quick sessions getting me off in the middle of a tree farm.

Which was now all I could think of when I saw that tree in my living room. Because that wasn’t mortifying or anything. Going about getting ready, making breakfast in the morning, and getting turned on seeing a Christmas tree dressed up with lights and a ribbon, tinsel on the walls. Who the hell got turned on by tinsel?

Wasn’t really about the tinsel, was more about how Lucy had come back with me last night to help set up the tree, make sure you get your decorations up, and—well, she did. Brought more snickerdoodles and made warm drinks and talked about gossip in my family and in the office while we put up the tree, hung up the decorations. And then just like I’d committed to not letting her, I let her sit with me on the couch, close to my side, and just like I’d committed to not feeling, I felt heat blossoming through me as she laid a hand gently on my thigh—not moving, just settling there, softly claiming me.

And just like I’d committed to not doing, I took off my clothes and let her fuck me.

Or, worse—I didn’t let her fuck me, I let her make love to me. We took our time, relaxed into it, slow movements exploring each other’s bodies, not the breathless heat of the night before but soft, gentle play. Lucy figuring out every little thing of what I liked. Pillow talk in between… not rushing anything. Not a wild tumble of a dozen orgasms one after the other like in the books, but kind of… better? Like doing it solo, just with the added dimension of another person there, both of us dedicated to making the other one feel good.

I’d at least managed to pull my senses together enough to make sure she went home after and didn’t sleep at my place. And I only fell asleep regretting it a little bit, lying there in bed feeling how empty it was there and resolutely not caring that it was empty.

So of course I woke up in the morning and saw the damn tree and it set me back at zero. As luck would have it.

The way we’d gone at it last night… the very fact that we’d kept going at it at all. I was getting in too deep, too fast. I’d been right when I’d said I couldn’t keep having sex with her, and not just because it wouldn’t be fair to her, but because I was—well—susceptible.

I didn’t want to date Lucy Masters. I didn’t want to develop real feelings for her. And if I kept having sex like we had last night, then I’d fall for her on the basis of nothing other than that she was amazing in bed, and that would end up ugly for us both.

Still, when I made eggs in the morning, all I could think was that they weren’t as good as when Lucy made them. Guess it made sense… you’d learn how to make something precisely right for someone you were in love with as much as Lucy Masters was obviously in love with me and I’d somehow missed it for a year and a half.

That poor woman. And there weren’t a lot of things that could make me think poor Lucy Masters.

The drive to the office was miserable today, the roads all icy slush and the rest of the cars on the road crawling as slow as I was through the wintry muck, so I only made it a few minutes early, but I wasn’t the only one held up more than usual—no sign of Lucy when I got into the office. I asked Gloria, stopping at reception seeing Lucy’s desk empty, and she beamed, looking up at me through sleep-heavy eyes.

“Aw. You’re such a cute couple, worrying about each other so much.”

“Uh… uh-huh.” Why was I worrying, anyway? Worried she was breaking into my apartment while I was at the office, maybe. “Just wondering if she came in already and left or something.”

Sean’s voice spoke from behind me, coming in from the elevators and past me. “Good morning, Anna. Lucy just texted a bit ago to let me know she’ll be coming in late. Apparently she slept in late. Didn’t know she was capable of it.”

Oh—uh. That was my fault. I sent her home at one in the morning. Maybe I should have let her stay at my place.

No I should not have. It was only a bonus if it was keeping Lucy out of the office and sabotaging her. What the hell had gotten into me?

“I can let you know when she gets in,” Gloria said, and I shot her a look.

“Gloria, I can see the doors from my desk. I’ll be okay missing the one second you see her first.”

But there was somebody else who made it in before Lucy, and of course, that someone made a beeline for my desk, where I was immediately at work sorting through the communications backlog from the weekend. Kelcey stood on the other side of my desk, hands clasped at her waist, beaming, for ages waiting for me to acknowledge her, and I was perfectly content to pretend she wasn’t there, at least until she started tapping on the desk for my attention. Rhythmic, steady, slowly increasing in volume. It was about a solid minute of her tapping before I finally snapped, swatting her hand away from the desk and looking up at her.

“Christ, Kelcey, use your words like a civilized adult if you want something.”

She glowed. “Good morning, Anna.”

I scowled. “What do you want?”

“Did you and Lucy have a good weekend?”

She’d had a good weekend, judging by the… pep in her step. Lucy had broken the bad news that Veronica had gotten her hands on Kelcey’s number and was going gold-digger on the woman, and I almost felt sorry for Kelcey. Almost being the keyword.

“Tell me what you want or I’m going back to work now,” I said, and she scratched the back of her head.

“The invoice is in for the lights for the holiday party and it says six hundred instead of the adjusted number. What should I do?”

Ah, dammit. I looked away. “I’ll, uh… I’ll handle it. Please forget about the lights and go to do your regular work.”

“Bleh.” She swayed, clearly still wanting to say something. I didn’t want to hear it. She’d dressed up a little more than usual, with a swishy little short skirt that was probably not one hundred percent business casual, and a bow clipped into her hair that was definitely outside regular office attire but not exactly something we could pull her up on.

Finally, I gave up, pushing my chair away from the desk, turning and shooting her a look. “Kelcey, I’m going to tell you right now that my sister doesn’t date women.”

The point sailed over her head, because she beamed and covered up a giggle that, if it weren’t Kelcey, would make me think she was drunk. “Actually, we kind of went on a date last night…”

“Hence why I’m telling you this. She’s doing this because she knows your family has money, and she’s just trying to get you to spoil her with money and have fun with you before she leaves.”

She puffed out her cheek, scrunching her face at me. “But she said I was really cute.”

Well, didn’t that just solve the whole thing? Fool I was for doubting them. With that level of commitment, I had to plan some time off work or I’d miss their wedding. “Yes, she told me you’re cute, too. Also that you’re dumb and that she’s not interested in anything serious with you.”

She put her hands on her hips. “I’m not dumb.”

If she was actually a clever thinker somewhere deep down, she was a master at hiding it. “Take it up with Veronica, not me,” I said, turning back to the computer. “Or better yet, don’t. Have enough self-respect to leave that whole thing alone. Now, do you think you want to go get to your work?”

She hunched her shoulders. “What doesn’t she like about me?”

Because when I went into work in the mornings, the number one thing I wanted to do was talk to my coworker about her budding romance with my sister. That was a dream come true. I was so happy I could cry. “That you’re dumb. And a woman.”

“I’m not dumb. ”

“Kelcey, you kept refilling the coffee machine when it was overflowing onto the floor. Speaking of, did we get it replaced yet?”

“I wouldn’t have gotten the job if I were dumb.”

Poor girl had never heard of nepotism. Did she really have no conception that she’d been hired so that her grandfather would give us more contracts? She thought she was here for her clever mindset and diligent work ethic? I didn’t want to be the one to have to crush her dreams. “You were… probably… hired for your charm,” I said. “You know, not everyone’s a master… clever… strategist. We’ve all got our strengths.”

“Yeah?” She lit up so bright I regretted throwing her a bone. “So I should just lean into that and win over Veronica that way?”

“No—” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Kelcey, you can do what you like, but I’m just warning you right now that it’s going to suck for you if you get involved with Veronica.”

“She’s so cool though. And she’s so smart and so pretty…”

This girl was the definition of down bad. Would write a blank check for Veronica. And then I’d have to hear her crying about Veronica dumping her and asking if I could convince Veronica to give her another chance…

All because of that damn holiday party. And my damn mom refusing to understand she wasn’t supposed to be there.

“As long as you’re fine with dating a woman who talks to her sister about how dumb you are and how she’s not interested,” I said, waving her off, “then have at it, Kelce.”

“I can win her over. I’ll show her I can be pretty smart. And charming.” She puffed out her chest, spinning on her heel, and she strode away, looking for all the world like she’d just had a great interaction that had confirmed all her previous beliefs. I’d have better luck convincing a wall to move out of the way. Jesus Christ.

I got back to my computer for about fifteen seconds before Rickety Rick appeared at my desk, grim-faced, clutching a tablet like it was an ancient cursed Egyptian tablet instead of an iPad. I suppressed a dry smile, instead waiting for him to speak, and he started off with a tiny, gravelly whisper of hey , and I pretended not to hear him. He got a bit louder, and a bit louder, until he was clutching the tablet so hard I thought he might actually break it and was almost at regular speaking volume, so I looked up, sliding my chair back a bit.

“Oh, Richard. Something I can do for you?”

He handed the tablet to me, speaking in a low rasp. “This thing needs to be unlocked.”

“Right, that seems standard. Any issues?”

He stared blankly.

“So, we’ve forgotten the password,” I said. “What’s the recovery email?”

“I don’t have one of those. I know the password. I remember it. It’s saying it’s wrong.”

So, he’d forgotten the password and didn’t want to admit it. I was so shocked I might have fallen from my chair. “Sounds like a technical problem on the tablet’s side,” I said, handing it back to him. “You’ll have to take it to IT. They’ll know what to do.”

He shifted uncomfortably, not taking the tablet. “I can’t do that.”

“I can… ask Kelcey to take it to IT.”

“It’s not the company computer. It’s mine.”

He was asking me to fix his personal device. I forced a smile. “Great to know. How about you take it to the Apple store?”

He shook his head, ashen-faced. “We can’t do that.”

And the only way the situation could have gotten better—Lucy appeared at our side, taking the tablet from my hand with a pointed smile at Rick, and with a few swift taps, she unlocked the tablet, tapping the home button and handing it back to him. “It’s a five,” she said, “not an S. Good luck with work today, Richard.”

He went bright red, taking the tablet back and shutting it off instantly. “I tried that,” he said, but he turned away, apparently satisfied, and walked away a little too quickly. I shot Lucy a look, folding my hands in my lap.

“How the hell do you know his personal device’s password, Masters?”

“It’s not his first time.”

Right. Guess that made sense. “Any clues on why he couldn’t take it to the store?”

She leaned against the desk, kicking one foot up over the other, inspecting her manicure. “Didn’t want them to see the page he had open, I imagine. College girls. I’ll let your mind fill in the rest.”

“Ew.”

She smiled slyly at me. “Had a good morning, darling?”

I woke up with the bed feeling empty, got hot when I saw the tree and thought of you, and breakfast didn’t taste the same when you didn’t make it. Seriously, what the hell had happened to me over one weekend? I turned back to the computer. “Not used to seeing you in late. Slipping on job performance, Masters?”

“Ah… had a wild weekend. Stayed up late last night. Don’t regret a thing, though.”

Why I’d decided to take a shot on that subject, I’d never know. I felt my face prickle, and I kept my head down, focusing on the work. “Mm-hm. I hope you’re not planning on making a habit out of it.”

She smiled wider. I’d made another mistake. “I’d actually love to, but we’ll have to see.”

“Uh… uh-huh. Right. Well, if you let your job performance slip, that’s your own problem,” I mumbled.

“You hear from Kelcey?”

Thank god she’d offered me an out. I didn’t normally have my foot in my mouth. Lucy had just been getting a different side of me lately… Masters had. I was trying to correct myself. “She came over to me to try making small talk, and I decided to try crushing her dreams. Didn’t go too well. Told her how Veronica is just looking to bleed her dry and that she told me how Kelcey’s a dumbass she only wants for her money, and Kelcey basically said oh, cool, off I go to change her mind. ”

“Can’t fault Kelce on persistence, I guess.”

“I can. She’s too damn persistent.”

“It’s kind of charming, though. Maybe I just empathize,” she said, inspecting her nails again. “Prestons, ever unattainable.”

“Uh…” How did I not have a response to that? I felt my face prickle. “Lucy—Masters, this isn’t the time or place.”

“Well, just name the time and place and I’ll be there, sweetheart,” she said, pushing off from the desk with a wink, but I knew her expressions well enough to know her heart wasn’t in it.

We couldn’t do this kind of thing. I was stringing the woman along, no better than Veronica. I needed to give her the dignity of a firm break. Not one more concession, not one more… stolen moment… flirtatious remark… anything.

I had a job to do. And I was focusing. And Lucy wasn’t distracting me.