Forever Lies

10

“Okay, I guess I’ll see you this evening.” I smiled, suddenly feeling awkward, and started to turn when he called my name. “Try to pay attention—I may not be there next time to save you.” With those words, he turned and disappeared into the river of pedestrians flowing along the city sidewalk. My skin tingled with unease at the realization of just how lucky I’d been. Most of the people around me were too absorbed in minding their own business to stop a woman from being hit by a car. Not that they were bad people, they were simply trained to keep their eyes down and thoughts to themselves. That was city life. I’d been three blocks from the Triton building—what were the odds at that precise moment, someone I knew would be nearby, and that someone would be Luca? In a city of millions, the odds were astronomical. I wasn’t sure if I should take it as a sign of kismet or a harrowing red flag. Regardless, the outcome was the same—I had a date with Luca, only hours away. Back at the office, I spent a good amount of time stressing about my impending date. I did far less work than I should have, which wouldn’t have been a problem had I not received an email from my boss informing me he would be back from his trip early. The presentation went well, and I was able to catch an earlier flight. I want to run through the Gold Street project tomorrow morning, so have a progress report ready for me. f**k. Fuckfuckfuck. Roger would be at the office tomorrow, which was bad news on its own, but to make matters worse, I had no idea what the status was on the Gold Street project. At four-thirty in the afternoon, there was hardly time to gather information, put together a report, and still make it to my date with Luca. I could go in early, but Roger often went into the office early, and there was no way I wanted to chance being alone with him in the building. I refused to sit down with my boss the following morning and tell him I was clueless about a project I’d been supervising. That only left me with one option. I would have to cancel my date and stay late to prepare for my meeting. Reluctantly, I took out my phone and texted Luca. Change of plans— I’m going to have to cancel tonight. I’ll text you later. I knew he’d argue, and I didn’t have time to explain, so I turned off my ringer and dove into work. I spoke with several coworkers about where we were in the bidding process and had begun to review the drafts of our proposal documents when I sensed a presence in the doorway of my office. My eyes rose and took in all six feet and change of an angry Luca leaning against the doorframe. His casual stance was not to be confused for indifference—a storm raged in his obsidian eyes. I sat motionless, eyes wide, hands frozen over my keyboard. “How did you find me?” I asked, stunned. “The elevator—you said you worked at Triton, remember?” Of course. How could I have forgotten? My eyes danced around the room as I stood, at a loss for words. He’d come because of my text—did he plan to argue with me? There were no private conversations in my office, and Luca didn’t do subtle. Panic had me surging forward to grab Luca’s hand him down the hall toward one of our private conference rooms on the interior of the building. Pulling him inside, I closed the door behind us and rested my back against it. “What are you doing here?” I hissed quietly. He stalked to where I stood until we were toe-to-toe, his hand reaching out to clasp the back of my neck. “Don’t you know it’s rude to send a text like that, then disappear?” “Don’t you know it’s rude to show up at someone’s workplace uninvited?” I shot back. “I’m not letting you back out tonight.” “My boss is coming back early from a trip, and I have to prepare for a meeting we’re going to have in the morning.” His blazing eyes narrowed. “Go in early.” “I … I can’t.” He scrutinized me to cipher out what I was leaving unsaid, but I kept my lips tightly sealed. “We’ll push dinner back an hour.” He gave me an expectant look, demanding I concede to his terms. This man I hardly knew had sought me out in my office and was insisting I have dinner with him—everything about the situation implied I should walk away—not just walk, run. And yet, in my twisted mind, it was the sexiest thing a man had ever done. The little warnings voiced in my head were lost in the tornadic winds of lust he conjured inside me. A part of me was starving for whatever it was he offered—escape, protection, explosive desire. I’d been with men before, but no one like him. Nothing even came close. He was a tsunami, and my small island had no hope of surviving his battering effects. Head still cupped in his large hands, I nodded my acquiescence. His eyes sparked in response, pleasure radiating from those dark depths. My chest swelled with warmth at the knowledge that my surrender had brought him such satisfaction. I had always been eager to please, but that side of me became all-consuming when I was around Luca. His thumb traced a path along my jaw, came around to my chin, then lifted to pull gently on my bottom lip. My eyes were transfixed on his face while his gaze stayed glued to my parted lips. I could almost see the thoughts as they passed behind his expressive eyes, and I wondered what he’d decide—to kiss me, or not to kiss me. I was shamefully tempted by the former. “I’ll come by the office and pick you up,” he said as his hands fell away. Not to kiss. Too bad. “No, I’ll meet you there.” Some small portion of my self-preservation instincts managed to overcome my desire to please. “Stubborn, aren’t you?” “Not normally—you seem to bring out the best in me.” He stepped back with a wicked grin. “Eight sharp, be there.”