Page 95 of Songbird: Black Kite
Wren
Present
Thiswasagoddamndisaster.
Not only was Hawk somehow still in town—despite the fact that I’d basically told him where to shove it the other night—but now he was here, at my freaking office, in a pissing contest with my boss.
I was so angry I could have spit nails, but like I always did, I swallowed my outrage and smiled.
Ialwaysfucking smiled.
“Daniel,” I said, stepping away from his hand and moving to my desk. It didn’t look like Daniel had recognized Hawk, which meant I needed to get him the hell out of the office before he did. “I apologize. I had no idea Mr. Jameson was going to be here today.” Turning a pointed glare at Hawk, I added. “Hereallyshouldn’t be here.”
“Oh?” Daniel said, pulling his hand back from Hawk’s grip and discreetly shaking out his fingers. “And how do you two know each other?”
“We go way back,” Hawk said, licking his lips suggestively. God, I could throttle him. “Wren and I are old friends, aren’t we, Bird?”
I was going to kill him.
“I haven’t seen Hawk in a long time, Daniel. He surprised me with a visit the other day, but I was under the impression that he’d left town.”
“Nah, babe. We have so much catching up to do,” Hawk cooed, adding a wink for good measure. “I’m here to take you to lunch.” He gave me a look that had my thighs clenching against my will before he turned to Daniel and said, “Wren knows how much I like to...eat.”
The silence was deafening, and I could feel my face heating at the implication, but for the fucking life of me, I couldn’t find a way to speak. My voice and my brain were locked, tumbling back in time to that night on the bus when Hawk had done exactly that.
Fuck, the number of times I’d relived that night in my mind. First with excitement, then with sorrow, and eventually just on the nights when I wanted to torture myself withwhat ifs.
When the pause had gone on for a sufficiently awkward amount of time, Daniel finally cleared his throat.
“Well, I’m sure Wren would be happy to, uh, eat with you. In fact,” he added, his smile brightening as he turned my way, “it’s Friday. Why don’t you take the rest of the day, Wren? You’re always working so hard, you deserve an early start to your weekend. Go with yourfriend, have a nice time. And then when he’s gone...” he turned back to Hawk, looking him up and down, taking in his faded jeans and plain black t-shirt, the long hair and general air ofdon’t give a fuck. It was so different to Daniel’s well-put-together wardrobe of khakis and a plain white button-down with a tie. “When he’s gone, we’ll carry on like we were, alright?”
Fuck, the unspoken words in this conversation could rival any Regency Period drama. It was like a duel between these men, each saying what they were after without actually saying anything at all.
And I was the prize in the middle.
Well, that wouldn’t work for me.
“Really, Daniel, that’s not necessary. I’ve got so much to do this afternoon, and Hawk and I said all we needed to say the other night.”
I realized what I’d said a moment after the words had escaped my mouth, and where Daniel’s face fell, Hawk only smirked, pulling his lower lip between his teeth in an attempt to keep from laughing out loud.
“I’ve really got so much more to say, babe,” he said, his voice low and teasing, and I felt it in my pulse. “Let me take you out. Your boss over here insists, don’t ya, Danny?”
“Of course,” he replied, but his face gave him away. He hated the fact that I might be going somewhere with Hawk, a man who was the exact opposite of everything Daniel represented.
But I couldn’t possibly explain that I’d already gone there once. I’d let the bad boy sway me and given in to the fantasy.
Never again.
“Alright,” I said, defeated. “Let me get my things.” Moving quickly, I shuffled all the loose papers on my desk into a big pile, cringing at the thought of all the work I’d need to do on Monday to sort them out again. But it was more important that I separated Hawk and Daniel as soon as possible. I couldn’t have Hawk’s careless words ruining things for me. I needed this job.
Once my desk was sorted, I headed back to the break room, depositing my coffee mug in the sink and pausing to glance at my reflection in the large mirror hanging next to the inspirational poster of a kitten dangling from a tightrope.
Good grief, I looked a mess. My cheeks were flushed, my eyes wide, and my pupils blown. What the hell was the matter with me? It was only Hawk; I’d met him before. And even though he was one of the biggest rock stars in history, he was still just a man.
But, God, he was a beautiful man. I’d tried to ignore it when he’d been standing on my porch, focusing instead on my shock and anger. But later that night, when I’d been alone in my bed, I’d allowed myself a few moments to think about how good he had looked. How unfair it was that he’d aged so well, his heavier stature making him broad across the shoulders, with thick arms and a narrow waist. His face was lined, but in a way that only made him more desirable and distinguished looking.
Glancing at the mirror again, I studied my own face, the fine lines around my eyes only serving to make me look tired. My hips were wide, the softness in my middle evident even after all the years of trying to lose the baby weight. My breasts were still small, but they definitely hung a little lower than I’d like, and while I was still what I’d considered pretty, there was no way I could live up to the one image Hawk would have of me in his mind. The tight little vixen in the fishnets looking for adventure.
