Page 2 of Scorpion
“Guys like him are all the same,” I say, watching as the rat of a man slides back into his cubicle. “Jealous and possessive over people that have no interest in them.”
“Are you sure you’ve never met him before?” Lilah asks, and I can hear the smile in her voice. “It’s like you know him.”
“I just know the type,” I assure her, giving her hip a squeeze. It’s then that I realize that I’ve been holding her againstmy side this entire time. Reluctantly, I let go and say, “He’s probably not going to back down immediately. His ego’s too big to accept that his presence isn’t wanted.”
“I hate that you’re right,” she says, clicking her tongue and taking a tiny step away from me. She’s still within my grasp, and I fight the urge to bring her back to me. “And, I hate to ask this, but will you be back when I get off work at five?”
“I can be,” I reply. I’d do anything she asks, a realization that damn near bowls me over. I barely recognize myself around Lilah, and I think that’s for the better. “Is there something going on?”
“No, no,” she says quickly, an attempt to quell worry that I wasn’t even aware I was showing. “I’ve just never seen Dan react that way. I’d just feel more comfortable if someone was here to walk me to my car, is all.”
“Consider it done,” I tell her, keeping my face as neutral as possible.
Dan’s the only person we’re trying to convince of our “relationship,” so there’s no need to show how excited I am about spending more time with her. The only reason I’m here is because a man’s being too pushy with her; letting her know how much I want to see her again would probably scare her away. Shit, I might as well be a fucking teenager with a crush. The effect this woman has on me is baffling.
“Good,” she says, blessing me with a soft smile that shows off her cute little dimple. Then, she stands on her tiptoes and presses a light kiss to my cheek. When she pulls away, her face is bright red, and she murmurs, “Thank you for the flowers. They were a nice touch. And… no one’s ever gotten me flowers before.”
“Then I’ll get you flowers every time the bouquet on your desk starts to wilt,” I say, tucking a strand of silky, blonde hair behind her ear. If she’s okay with kissing my cheek, I think touching her hair is a safe move. “You deserve to have flowers.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” she says, her voice low and conspiratorial. I’m nearly overwhelmed by the urge to lean in and kiss her properly again. I’m already addicted to the taste of her lips. I have to remind myself that we only did that for show. “Anyway,” Lilah mutters, breaking the spell she had on me, “I should get back to work.Throttle gave me your number in case anything goes wrong, but I’ll text you so you have mine.”
“Of course,” I say. Then, because I’m a weak man when it comes to Lilah, I give into my urge and press a kiss to her lips. Before I turn around and leave, I say, “See you after work, babe.”
I feel her eyes on my back the entire walk out to the parking lot, and I can’t keep the self-satisfied smirk from taking residence on my face.
Chapter 2
Lilah
It’s probably too early to tell if this ridiculous fake dating plan my brother and I schemed up actually worked, but somehow I’ve gotten through the rest of my day without any intrusions from Dan. Normally, he’s at my desk once every hour, sometimes more than that. He’s always got something to say, even though usually it just creeps me out.
I think that it helps that Scorpion played his part so well. When he showed up with flowers, I couldn’t stop myself from seamlessly falling into the role of girlfriend. That kiss was pure instinct. What else are you supposed to do when the hottest man you’ve ever seen shows up and gives you a dozen roses?
Although, the more I think about it, the more I realize that it shouldn’t have been so easy to get Dan off my back. He’s overbearing, and he’s never taken no for an answer before. I figured he’d come back to me at least once to interrogate me about Scorpion and insist that he’s the better option. Instead, he’s stayed far away.
I’m not complaining by any means. This is definitely the best day of work I’ve had in a long time. But, as I start packing up my things, I begin to feel a little silly about asking Scorpion to come meet me after work. Dan might be a creep, but I highly doubt he’s going to accost me in the parking lot hours after meeting my boyfriend.
Selfishly though, I’m looking forward to seeing Scorpion again.
When I’m nearly done logging out of my computer and shoving my water bottle into my backpack, someone approaches the desk. I turn around, wondering if a last minute client has wandered in. I groan internally; some idiot who doesn’t know the meaning of “Hours: 9:00-5:00” is the last thing I want to deal with right now.
Actually, I take that back. A last minute client would be preferable to Dan, who’s standing right in front of me with an ugly look of determination on his face. The customer service smile I was wearing immediately drops, and I stare at him, waiting for him to say whatever nonsense he’s thought up.
“Who the hell was that guy?” he asks, puffing his chest up and staring at the roses on my desk as though they’ve personally wronged him.
“Scorpion?” I ask, unable to keep the annoyance out of my tone. “I told you, he’s my boyfriend.”
“Bullshit!” Dan cries, throwing his hands in the air. I slink back, reaching into my bag for my phone. “How did you even meet?”
“My brother introduced us,” I say, managing to keep my voice from wavering with fear. “He’s a member of one of the local motorcycle clubs.”
“You and I both know you deserve better than some meathead,” he spits. Before I’m able to counter, to come to Scorpion’s defense, Dan continues. “When did you start dating? And why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it was appropriate to bring personal business into the office,” I say, straightening up. “And, we’ve been dating for a few–”
“You know I’d treat you so much better than that thug does,” he says, a scary sort of fire in his eyes. I glance around the office, wondering how the two of us ended up here alone. Was I really so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice? “I could take you out on nice dates, give you flowers nicer than those. They look like he got them at the goddamn grocery store.”
“It doesn’t matter where he got them,” I say defensively. “He saw them and bought them for me. It’s the thought that counts. Not how much money he spent or where he got them. I don’t care about things like that.”
