Page 28 of Forbidden Desire

“Thank you,” I say, looking at both of them sincerely. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Of course,” they say in unison.

Sadie takes a sip of wine before looking at me warily.

“What?” I ask.

“Anything new with Mr. Billionaire?” She raises a brow.

“His name is Marco, and no. He’s myboss.”

“He’s also Josie’s dad…” Beth reminds me.

“He doesn’t know that. He will never know that.”

“Maybe the two of you could…” starts Beth before I shoot her a look. She grabs my hand before continuing. “I’m just saying, you two had something once before. Maybe this whole thing is meant to bring you back together again.”

Of course, it’s Beth who is thinking that we can have some wild happy ending. She’s a hopeless romantic. I swear, she’s theperfect person to own her own flower shop. She fits the role so well, pouring herself into every single arrangement, whether it’s a wedding or simply just a way for a boyfriend to surprise his girlfriend. She loves feeling a part of someone’s happy ending.

“It was one stupid night together. It didn’t mean anything.” I shake my head, knowing I’m lying to my friends and myself.

“Just be careful,” says Sadie seriously. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

She and Beth are so opposite of each other. She’s the more logical of the two. It must be the accountant in her, looking at everything logically, calculating the outcome of every situation, whether it’s in life or numbers.

“I’m fine,” I say. “I’ve got it all under control.”

I look at them tersely, hoping I’m convincing enough. They both nod and I know they’ve thankfully dropped the subject. They mean well, but I’m too exhausted to talk any more about Marco. I’m just glad I have the weekend to recoup before another work week of working alongside him. I hope it somehow gets easier.

Chapter 16

Marco

As I sift through my emails, there is a knock on my door. I straighten slightly in my seat, hoping it’s Erica. I have barely seen her all morning. She told me she needed to work on her column, and since I promised she would have time to, I obliged, taking on my list of things to do solo. I wonder if she’s avoiding me after our night alone here in my office, when we finally talked about the night we shared together. It’s nice to know I’m not crazy.

“Come in,” I say, quickly running a hand through my hair, but am disappointed when my assistant pops her head in.

“Mail day,” she says as she holds up a stack of envelopes.

“Thank you, Jessica,” I say, gesturing to an empty space on my desk.

She begins to sort through the mail, as she always does, placing the more urgent ones on top.

“Hmm, this one is postmarked from two weeks ago. It must have gotten lost.” She pulls the envelope from the pile and hands it to me. I already know what it is from my name written in smooth calligraphy.

“I was wondering about this,” I say, sliding my thumb under the envelope’s seal and folding it open.

I pull the gold cardstock from the envelope and read over the details for this year’s Conservatory Ball. It’s one of the year’s biggest charity events, and anyone who is anyone from Manhattan’s elite attends. It’s the perfect place to schmooze with potential business partners, and the perfect place to take Erica on a pseudo date. I’ve been waiting for weeks for the invitation, so I could somehow convince her to join me.

“Should I RSVP for you?” asks Jessica.

“Yes, please. For two.” She nods before walking out the door, closing it behind her.

I read the invitation over again. The ball is in four days. I have four days to convince Erica to come with me. I know it’s not going to be easy, but I am her boss and her job does require her to accompany me to certain things. I just have to spin this ballas a business event, rather than the extravagant affair it really is. Ball gowns. Tuxedos. The whole nine. It’s the perfect place to see if there is still something between us. She said she wants to leave the past in the past, but I can’t shake her.

I take the invitation and walk next door to her office, knocking on the door.

“Come in,” I hear her say.

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