Page 70 of Fifth Avenue Fling

If only you knew.

I meet her eyes and wave her off. “No.”

She walks off, leaving me with an unsavory image of a naked Clodagh doing woodwork in her bedroom.

SIXTEEN

Clodagh

Send a bouquet to Maria Taylor. Florist on Fifth.

I stare at the text message from Killian with a strange pang of annoyance, practically hearing his gravelly voice say the words in my head.

He was especially distant this morning, talking to me in a businesslike way. Like he wanted me to understand that yesterday’s bathroom interlude meant nothing. It’s not like I expected us to ride off into the sunset together in a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park.

What should I write?I message back.

I’m certain that Maria Taylor was the woman I saw him with in the hotel. She was dark-haired, maybe Latino, and had legs for days. An absolute stunner. A perfect match looks-wise for him.

I bet she’s touched his massive cock.

I get a mental image of the woman from the hotel chirpily saying, “It’s super hot here, so I’m going to get more comfortable,” while he masturbates.

Ugh.

Am I jealous?

Why am I torturing myself? I feel a cold sore coming on from the stress.

My phone buzzes with a notification.

Killian: My name? Use your initiative.

Jerk. He could have given me some context. Is it her birthday? Is he apologizing for something? I didn’t take him for a romantic. Then again, it’s not very romantic when you get a bouquet from your love interest’s nanny maid. I wonder how many rich guys actually send their own gifts.

I’ve never even gotten flowers from a guy before.

I dial Sam’s number. I was only half bluffing when I said Sam and I should date. He’s a great guy. A part of me wanted to see if Killian would be jealous. That way, I would know if this weird sexual tension between us is real or imagined.

My attempt failed miserably.

Sam answers on the third ring. “Clodagh,” he says warmly. There’s traffic in the background, so he must be outside.

“Hey, Sam. I need some help. I’m sending Maria Taylor flowers from Killian. Can you message me her address?”

“Sure thing, I’ll do it after the call.” He sounds a little out of breath, like he’s walking.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No, I’m just leaving Teagan’s school after my shift.” A siren goes off in the background.

“You have to wait outside the school?”

He laughs a little. “When you say it like that, it sounds worse than it is. But yeah, a few of us take shifts while Teagan is in school.”

Jeez. What a strange life.

“Er, so Killian didn’t give me any context, so I don’t know what to write on the card. Are they in a relationship?” I ask casually.

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