Page 9 of Code Mages & Empty Pages
My readers will lap it up.
That evening, I started jotting down a few bullet points for an office romance. People liked those. There was something so hot about a sexy colleague bending you over the MFU or his desk. I imagined wandering hands, his breath shaking with nerves, and a hushed “What if anyone comes in?” whispered against my ear. The guy in my fantasy morphed from a Dragon to a Wolfman with a hot dad bod, just like Luc’s. He loomed over me and ran his hands all over my body.
“I wanted to get you alone for so long,” he groaned as he pressed me against the wall.
No. Not me!
With a huff, I snapped my laptop shut. I’d never minded sharing Hector with my readers. He was never mine to want, and his story had come easily. But Luc… Luc was different. I didn’t want to share him with anyone, not even as the inspiration for a fictional character in my book.
I got up and filled my glass with water from the kitchen sink. I felt like shit again. I guessed it was the memories of Morgan that clung to every nook and cranny of this house and weighed on me like a heavy blanket, suffocating me and making me feel sick.
The meditation videos weren’t helping and the whimsical voice of one yoga teacher I’d found on KrakenVideo made me aggressive. So, I’d just have to wait for my stress levels to lower naturally.
Sex had always helped me unwind.
I should find a fuck buddy.
But not tonight. I put the glass in the dishwasher and made my way upstairs to get ready for bed, still pondering my next story. Perhaps my next MMC could borrow a few of Luc’s traits: the intense aura, the deep rumbling voice, and the way he filled a room. But that was it. The rest of him I wanted to keep for myself.
Just because you’re into your colleague doesn’t mean you need to make him your hero.
But, gosh, it was tempting.
Chapter 4
Luc
It was a long fucking week at the end of a long fucking month.
Dawn hadn’t been part of our team for long, but with her managing tickets our department slowly settled into a rhythm. I was getting used to her laughter echoing across the officeand the way she brought the team together, knitting us all into something new.
By Friday, the rush of new projects and the usual small office disasters had left me more tired than I’d wanted to admit. Still, I found myself looking forward to coming in each morning, just to see what she’d say or do next.
Work was finally done for the week, and both Dawn and Desmond had left already.
Time for me to head home.
I shoved my laptop in my bag and headed for the exit. Balmy air greeted me. I stopped and inhaled the scent of the blooming trees that shaded the courtyard.
It had been unusually warm and dry for the last couple of years, nothing like the gloomy and wet Scottish summers I remembered from my childhood.
So strange.
I walked past the fountain topped with a bronze Selkie, a seal with a weirdly human face and water pouring from its mouth, flippers, and tail. Desmond had made Hector and me cry with his reenactment of the unveiling, when Carson had almost tipped into the pool with excitement over introducing the sculptor to the staff.
The sky turned a dusky shade of blue as I parked in front of my house. Its peace and quiet enveloped me when I stepped through the door. It did me good after the buzz of the office. I dropped my bag in the hallway and kicked off my shoes. On the way into the kitchen I finally found a moment to check Mia’s message that had come in as I’d been driving home.
She’d set up a group chat a couple of days ago and added everyone: Dawn, Harper, her brother Aspen, Hector, and even the Grants.
I skimmed a string of updates about the knitting group and a reminder about game night at her place next week. Therewas a message saying “don’t forget to relax this weekend, you workaholic” directed at me that made me huff out a laugh. I tossed my phone onto the counter. I bet Dawn told her that I’d fixed her dashboard on my day off.
I grabbed a bottle of cider from the fridge, picked up my sleek, new smartphone again and took it to the living room with me. For the first time all week, I allowed myself to relax. I’d probably get online later. Chances were high that Hip or Dante were online. Hip, our Bounty Hunter, practically lived online, and our Arcani, who I knew was at uni, was on whenever she didn’t have lectures.
Then I read through the last couple of messages that had come through.
Mia: Hi everyone, Des and I want to have a picnic in Kalon Gardens. Meet us Saturday at 2 on the field opposite the statue of that Dragoness?
Harper: Lovely idea, I’ll be there
