Page 45 of Tormented Bastard
I usually did it fully clothed, though, in my business suits that were my armor. Without it, I was nothing more than a clumsy girl not sure of what to do next.
Backing away, I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “I’ll just go make some coffee.”
I moved quickly into the kitchen and went through the motions of brewing a pot of coffee. Then headed upstairs to put some actual clothes on, grabbing my phone to check my messages when I got back downstairs. When I made it back to the kitchen, it pinged from my back pocket. It’s a wonder it wasn’t in pieces after seeing all the texts and emails that had blown it up.
As the scent of coffee filled the air, I scrolled through my phone. I had a million messages from Katie about things at the office and her headway on finding a speaker for the event. Her emails had started a bit panicked and grew more panicked until she threatened to come down here and find me to make sure I wasn’t dead. Then they became resigned to the fact that she couldn’t get here anyway and I was either dead, had no cell service, or I was tied up with Chase.
She had no clue how she nailed it with her last comment.
I laughed and decided to put her out of her misery.
Eden:Hey, Katie. I’m alive and fine. The storm is dying down here but the bridge is still closed.
Katie: Oh thank God! So you’re alive and have cell service. Which means one thing.
Eden: Stop
Katie: You were tied up with Chase, weren’t you? And I don’t mean you were having a conversation.
Eden: When you say tied up, what do you mean?
Katie: Giiirrrllll….
I laughed,but I wasn’t ready to give Katie details just yet. Because I wasn’t sure how this was going to go. If it went the way it had to go, I wasn’t going to be ready to give details to anyone. Maybe ever.
Eden:Okay, let’s get back on track here.
Katie: Party pooper.
She textedme some updates on a few of the other contracts we had going, and I gave her direction on how to proceed on a few things.
Katie:One last thing. Did you check your email in between sex sessions? Probably not, but anyway, Marketing sent something to you.
I rolledmy eyes but couldn’t stop the grin. I also had to keep this conversation on track.
Eden: I’m checking now.
I switchedover to my email account and clicked the inbox icon. When the number next to it was in the three digits, I sighed and my shoulders slumped. I clicked on it and scrolled through until I found an email from the head of marketing. When I read it, I rubbed my forehead hard, trying to ward off the impending headache.
Hi Eden,
The deadline to get the brochures and other marketing materials out for the Pediatric Ball is quickly approaching. The drop dead date is in three days, unless we pay extra to do the express run with the printer. Can you send me the lineup of speakers ASAP? I’d like to save the department some money.
There wasthe headache I knew was coming.
“You okay?”
I looked up from the screen to see Aubrey leaning against the counter by the coffee station. “Uh, yeah. It’s just work.” I shut down the screen and laid the phone on the bar. I couldn’t deal with any of that right now.
What the hell was wrong with me?
Aubrey nodded and took two cups from the mug tree. “Yeah, I recognize the look.” She poured two cups and brought them over to the bar where I stood, sliding one over to me. “When I worked in law, I had that same look you have after looking at your email.” She paused to sip her coffee, a tendril of steam rising and dissipating into the air. “I also recognize the other look.”
“What look?”
“The one of a woman who is in love with a man she thinks she has no future with.”
I made the error of sipping my coffee just as she spoke. I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from spitting coffee into her beautiful, but obviously crazy, face.
