Page 65 of Empowered
Chapter 15
It had been years since Sarah had someone she considered a real boyfriend. Let alone a boyfriend she wasn’t supposed to tell people about.
Because, hilariously enough, there was a time in college when she dated a professor’s assistant.How do you think we met?Technically, it wasn’t allowed. For three months, Sarah and Brad snuck around having sex in coat closets and their apartments. Sneaking around with Lucas was a different beast to tame, however. Besides, it wasn’t like their relationship wasforbidden.It was simply in their best interests to keep it out of the press and away from the Monroes’ eyes. Everyone in the know agreed that Mr. Monroe would not be impressed with the inter-office romance, although he wouldn’t do anything to stop it – both as a courtesy to one of his best friends, and as a way to stay out of Sarah’s personal life.
Too bad it was so damn hard keeping their flirting, stolen kisses, and text messages to one another away from everyone in the central office at Monroe Industries. Alice Monroe was increasingly nosier the more pregnant she became. By the beginning of April, she was well into her third trimester and sending her personal assistant on the strangest food runs she could cook up. But since they were during work hours, Sarah didn’t complain. She did a lot of the Monroes’ grocery shopping every week, anyway.
So that’s how she ended up at the local grocery outlet one fine Wednesday afternoon, a list on her phone in one hand and texts to Alice Monroe’s driver on a different phone in her other hand. The driver would ensure the week’s worth of groceries would make it to the Monroes’ large penthouse by the time they arrived home later that evening. Sometimes that required calling in a delivery van to make the transfer, but usually Sarah and the driver could cram it all in the trunk of Alice’s personal car.
As her pregnancy advanced, the need for a van became more frequent.
Sarah was down the second aisle, basket already half full of quinoa and fresh vegetables, when she received a new text from her employer.
“I need the stuff, please.”Sarah rolled her eyes to read it. A few seconds later, she received a follow-up.“The good stuff, Ms. Clayborn. I’ll tip you nicely if you sneak it to me the moment you get back.”
Sarah stopped in the middle of the aisle and responded with her usual dry wit.“It would be my pleasure to keep you in good spirits, Mrs. Monroe.”That meant going behind Mr. Monroe’s back, because nobody was more involved in his pregnant wife’s diet than Damon Monroe. The poor woman couldn’t have a midnight Taco Bell run without him negotiating one chalupa instead of three sets of #8 crunchy tacos, extra cheese.
Sarah wroteThe Hostess With the Mostestat the bottom of her shopping list. Zingers, right? Or was it Twinkies?
The overhead lights in the outlet shined with such intensity that she thought she was seeing things when she peered through a stack of laundry detergent and saw Lucas’s face.
“Lord!” Sarah dropped the large bottle of Tide into her basket. “You scared the bajeesus out of me. What are you doing here?”
“Same as you, my angel.” His grin matched the look on Mr. Clean’s face. “Picking up a few things. Except I don’t have an assistant to do it for me right now.”
“I’m sure you could fix that.” The executive temp agency had sent over a few men and women to help fill in the gaps now that Lucas Blackbourne did work in the main office. He had yet to hire a permanent addition to the office. Now that Sarah knew why he was in town, she understood his hesitation. At any moment he might decide it more beneficial to go back to Denmark, with or without his son.
“Nah.” Lucas tossed something into his basket. “I’m hosting a special guest at my place tonight, and I want to make sure I know exactly what’s going into his little stomach.”
Sarah remained on the other side of laundry detergents even though a woman with three kids grumbled behind her. “Your son’s coming over to your place tonight?”
“Yup. We’ve having a sleepover complete with Captain Crunch,” Lucas showed her the small box of cereal, “and all the Lego movies we can stand.”
“I see. Guess that means no sleepover with me, then. Darn.”
Lucas considered that statement with only half the grin from before. “Actually, I had wondered about inviting you over as well.”
“Excuse me?” Sarah couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Why not?”
“Well…” She lowered her voice, hoping he could still hear her over the echoing Melissa Etheridge music blasting on the store speakers. “We only started dating recently, and I dunno if it’s a good idea for someone as young as him to…”
“I’ve already cleared it with his mother.”
“You… have?”
“Well,I told her that I am seeing someone right now and it’s kinda-sorta serious, so at some point it might be good for Victor to be around her, and…”
“She didn’t have a problem with that?” The woman Sarah had seen looked uptight enough to start her own line of turtlenecks. There was no way a young mother like her was okay with her small son meeting dad’s new ho-muffin so early in a relationship. Sarah would’ve been shocked if Jill Blackbourne signed off on that. Hell, most mothers wouldn’t want their exes dragging in fresh relationships when a young child was involved. Engaged? Maybe.Maybe.“I find that hard to believe.”
“I’m not saying she doesn’t have any problems,” Lucas said. “But she doesn’t get much say at all, really. It’s my night with my kid this week, and I might like him to meet my sweet and beautiful girlfriend.”
“Okay, you’re laying it on a bit thick.” Sarah pushed her basket around the corner, finding Lucas with his own basket full of junk food and a smattering of pre-packaged salads.God help him. What is he doing here?Poor Victor. Shit, poor Jill! She’d be getting back a child who was nothing more than a bundle of sugary energy and a few new cavities. Was Lucas a parent or a goofy grandpa spoiling his progeny?
“Will you come over tonight?”
Sarah studied the contents of her basket, neatly divided betweenFood for HomeandFood for the Office.One pile was almost smaller than the other. Both were going on the same couple’s credit card for their accountant to deal with at the end of the month. “If you promise to feed me something other than Captain Crunch or Lucky Charms.” She held up finger to her boyfriend’s lips. “No, notthateither.”
