Page 1 of Dating the DILF
My eye twitches as an unmistakable aroma fills my office and my nose perks up, ready to hunt down the source with speed and efficiency that would rival a bloodhound. Because what theactualfuck.
I’m on my feet before I have a chance to second-guess myself, and when I cross the threshold into my outer office, I have to tamp down a snarl.
“What is that?” I hiss.
Adelaide, my assistant, freezes, her hand halfway to her mouth and her eyes wide. Taking a moment to compose herself, she exhales a quiet breath as though preparing herself to go to battle.
“It goes by many names, Charlie.” She furrows her brows, considering me seriously. “Java, Joe, Jitter Juice, Energy Infusion, Rocket Fuel… but I generally refer to it as coffee.” She draws the word coffee out slowly, before wrapping both her hands around the paper cup and lifting it to her mouth and taking a long sip.
I bend down, squaring my hands on her desk, and lean forward. The delicious hazelnut scent is practically screaming my name, begging me to come closer. Which I do, much to Adelaide’s horror, who is about to topple backward as she attempts to put distance between us.
“I thought we were giving up coffee?” My voice comes out as an annoying whine, and if I was paying attention to anything other than the delicious nectar in her hands, I’d probably hate myself a little for that pathetic display. But my two-day-caffeine-free brain is far too distracted.
“Oh,” she startles. “I mean I kind of assumed thewepart was more rhetorical. I figured my part of the ‘we’ was more cheerleader-esque. You know, to supportyouto give it up, because…” She pauses to take another sip of her drink, her eyes rolling back in an excessive display of coffee-induced ecstasy that I really don’t appreciate. “I don’t want to.”
I stand upright, silently pondering where I could hide a body. More specifically Adelaide’s body. She’s pretty small, so it wouldn’t need to be a large space. Perhaps in that manky storage cupboard up on the sixteenth floor? Nobody ever uses it. Of course, I do need her for the Thompson meeting at eleven, so taking her out would have to wait until after that…
“Charlie!” Adelaide flips her long blonde hair over her shoulder and glares at me in exasperation. “You’re planning my murder again, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Dragging my eyes away from the coffee in her hand, I pin her with a look of, what I hope is, polite indifference.
“You look constipated, stop that.” She smirks at me and I slump down, leaning against her desk and sighing with defeat.
“Can you get me a coffee, please. An Americano with two extra shots.”
“I’m sorry, what? I didn’t quite catch that.” Adelaide turns her head to the side and lifts her ear in my direction. My jaw starts to ache, and I realize I’m clenching my teeth.
“Go and get me a coffee, Addy, before I fire your ass for being literally the worst cheerleader in the whole goddamn world.”
I head back to my office with her laughter ringing in my ears and settle myself back behind my desk just as the internal phone line rings.
“Charlotte Reed.”
“Charlotte, Mr. Erickson wants you to meet him and Kendall at seven tonight, to go over the Ultra Bond acquisition with them.” My boss’ no-nonsense assistant brusquely greets me. “Their plane gets in from New York at six and they’llcome here directly.”
I hold in a groan, knowing there is no way Louis and Kendall will make it here by seven and I have lost any chance I had of getting out of here before nine tonight.
“Of course, Helen. Conference room three?”
Minutes later I am pulling up the Ultra Bond file to make sure everything is ready for tonight, when Adelaide walks in holding a steaming coffee cup and a small bag that promises some kind of pastry deliciousness.
“I got you a cheese danish while I was there.” She throws the bag on my desk and hands me the cup before grinning at me. “Tim says hi, by the way.”
I ignore her, and the third-degree burns I’m currently inflicting on my throat as I gulp down my coffee.
“Isaid,Tim said hi.” Adelaide’s usually melodic southern drawl takes on an annoying lilt.
“That’s nice.” Tim is one of the young—emphasis on young—men who work on the coffee cart that makes the rounds through our offices. He might possibly have a small crush on me, and he really is very sweet, but I haven’t been interested in college boys since I wasincollege.
Adelaide flops into the chair opposite my desk while I lean back in my own chair and quirk a questioning brow at her.
“I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be preparing an affidavit for me right now.” I tuck a strand of my brown hair back into the ponytail it has come loose from.
“You were the one who interrupted me, but whatever. Just hear me out.” I sigh, resignedly, and give her a nod to continue, knowing she won’t let this drop until I do. “I know he’s young, but he’s legal.”
I wait for her to go on, but she gives me nothing else.
“That’s it?” I snort. “That’s your whole spiel?”
