He was relieved to see Aubrey at her desk. He stopped in the doorway of his office and turned to face Lisa. “I had a great time at lunch today.”
“So did I. It felt like old times.”
“Oh,” he said, clenching his teeth. “It definitely did.”
“It’s like—”
“That’s why,” Elijah interrupted, hoping that his voice was loud enough for some people in the office to hear, “I need to tell you that I’m seeing someone right now. I’m happy to show you around the city over the next day or so, but I have someone that I’m interested in, and I hope you can understand that.”
He didn’t look to Aubrey but watched her reaction in his peripheral vision. She continued typing and staring at the monitor as though he hadn’t said anything at all. If she had heard anything, she wasn’t letting on.
“Oh,” Lisa said and shrugged. “I can’t say I’m surprised. You always did move on fast.”
“So, are we good?”
“I mean, you broke off our engagement only six months ago,” she said, her voice sharp. “But it happens, so we’ll just have to be good since our families are working together.”
He wasn’t expecting such a casual response. Elijah had fully braced for her to slap him across the face or storm out of the building. He couldn’t help but wonder if it was because their parents were working on a merger that caused her to react well.
“I’m glad to hear that. You still have my number, right? Text me tomorrow, and we’ll meet up somewhere.”
“Sure. I won’t be up early because I’m going out tonight,” she started, “I’ve been invited to this club, and it’s supposed to be really fun. But Rachel—”
Elijah took a deep breath and listened with a stoic expression as she continued. He was grateful that he had made the right decision six months prior. Finding out she was cheating ended up being the best karmic gift of his life.
Chapter Nine
Aubrey
So Elijah was seeing someone on top of still being in contact with his ex-fiancee. That was a string of events that Aubrey hadn’t foreseen when she’d made out with her boss. It hadn’t been that long since she’d been in the office, but having seen what Elijah was like outside of work had given her some hope that maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t a complete ass. Clearly, her initial impression of Elijah was the right one.
She kept her eyes on the monitor ahead of her as she reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. She’d had a bit to drink the night before, but not enough to lead to a full-blown hangover. Considering the situation she’d been in and seen at work, it was definitely enough to have a few drinks and wallow.
She tapped on her messaging app and started texting Martina. She desperately needed the company to get out of her own head. There was no better company than Martina, who she spent most of her time with anyway.
Drinks tn?
She placed her phone next to her mouse and waited, hoping that Martina would be game. They tended to work out their job-related issues with alcohol and dancing. It wasn’t the best approach, but it worked.
Yasss. U ok?
Not really. Where r u thinking?
She glanced up towards Elijah’s office and tapped her foot against the ground. He appeared as though he didn’t have a problem in the world. He was smiling as he typed into his computer, probably a comment on another girl’s picture or sending an email to an old flame.
Her phone vibrated in her hand, causing her to jump. There was no reason to worry about it anymore. After that evening, he would no longer be her problem. They were just colleagues, and he was her boss. That was it.
Wanna go to the Ace?
The last time they’d went there, they’d decided to start a tequila train. Nothing but blackout memories from a night that may have been fun. That definitely worked, considering the situation.
For sure. Get ready at yours?
Kk. Wait for me after work then.
K.
She glanced down towards the end of the room and smiled at Martina, who made a drinking gesture and winked. Even if her day had been awful, her night would be full of excitement. Possibly tequila.
That night at the Ace, the music felt as though it was reverberating inside her chest. Aubrey took another shot and beamed at Martina. The world felt as though it was spinning, and she felt a warmth in her chest that raised the more she drank, and her limbs began to tingle. She loved this feeling and couldn’t wait to bring it to the dance floor. She wanted to bottle that feeling and take it with her everywhere. Especially to the office, where she’d have to see his smug, gorgeous face every day.
“This is exactly what I needed.”
Martina took her shot and slammed the glass onto their table. “I know, right? I still can’t believe he’s such a sleaze.”
There was a sense of hopelessness attached to the idea that he was only using her. It had only been a couple of days, but she’d liked the side of him that she’d seen during dinner. He seemed genuine, kind, and a gentleman. Seemed being the imperative word. “Whatever. It’s not like it’s a serious option for me, anyway. It was just a kiss.”
Martina raised her eyebrows. “Doesn’t seem like just a kiss to me.”
“It’s fine, really,” Aubrey said and leaned forward as the server passed. “Can we get two tequila shots on my tab?”
The server smiled and walked back to the bar with a tray full of empty glasses. She could see couples and groups of women dancing on the dancefloor as the music pumped through the speakers above them. Lights flickered all throughout the club in a variation of colors.
“I think you should just tell him how you feel about it so that he doesn’t bother you at work anymore. I mean, all those emails the first day? He was obviously trying to get under your skin. Don’t let him!”
Martina was right. She should tell him how she felt. Not only had he used her to cheat on another girl, but he was hanging out with his ex-fiancee when he was seeing someone. It was inconceivable that someone who’d seemed so nice over dinner could be such a jerk.
Aubrey brought her phone from her purse and placed it on the table in front of her. “I’m going to call him and yell at him!”
“What was that?”
“I said, I’m going to call him and yell at him!”
Martina’s eyes widened, and she started laughing at the thought. “That would be hilarious. He totally deserves that. Are you going to call him right now?”
“Well, he sucks,” Aubrey said, and could only imagine how he’d respond. She wondered if he was the cowardly type who would immediately hang up once she told him exactly what she thought of his actions. The lights in the club caused the world to spin even faster as she tried to keep her phone in her hand. “And yeah, he totally deserves to get told off. I’m doing it right now. I need this. I am no man’s side chick.”
Martina leaned towards her and tapped her on the back. “You totally do. He’s fucking awful.”
Aubrey nearly dropped her phone as she lifted it to her face. She opened her work email and sifted through, nearly replying to an email, which caused her to giggle to herself. She found his number attached at the end of one of the six emails that he’d sent her the previous day. She tapped it and put herself on Facetime so that she’d be able to see his reaction.