Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
God, I’m such a dick.
After the show was over, Lucas and I were walking to the car in the parking lot when my phone buzzed with a text.
Cindy.
Now there’s a name I hadn’t thought about in a while. It’d been a few months since we’d had any contact. Cindy was a flight attendant I’d met on a business trip last year. She lived on the east coast, and we’d hooked up a few times—twice while I was in New York City and once while she was out here. Apparently she was in town tonight on an unexpected layover and wanted to know if I could go out. Go out meant a quick dinner and then staying in her hotel room all night.
It was probably exactly what I needed.
A sure-thing good time.
Simple. No complications.
Relief from some pent-up frustrations.
Yet I tucked my phone into my pocket and didn’t immediately text back.
I’d call her after I drove Lucas home.
But after I dropped him off, I knew I needed to take care of something before I made plans with Cindy tonight. I owed Annalise an apology, and that should come before my good time. So I drove to the office. It was nearly five o’clock, so I had no idea if she’d still be there. She’d probably come in early this morning to get a jump on the day. It was Saturday, after all. Yet I took the drive over anyway.
The area around the office was commercial and became a ghost town on the weekends, even more so at night. So the closer I drove, and the more empty parking spots I passed, the less I thought she’d still be at the office. Until I hit our street and saw a sole car in the parking lot—one that looked exactly like mine.
***
The lights were off in the reception area until the motion-activated system flickered them on. A few people had been working earlier today in various departments, but as I passed through the hallways now, the entire floor seemed to have emptied out. Every office was either dark or had the door closed.
Except for one.
Light streaked the hallway carpet from an open door at the far end. But it wasn’t until I got two doors away that I heard any sound.
I stopped in place, hearing a voice. It took me a few seconds to realize it was Annalise. She was…singing. It was a vaguely familiar country song I’d heard a few times—something about losing your dog and best friend—but, damn, her voice was good, like a sweet angel, with a little vibrato devil soul aching to come out. It made me smile.
I wanted to listen more, but I was even more curious to see what she looked like while she sang. So I walked the few steps to her doorway.
Her head was down, her nose buried in a file cabinet, and earbud wires dangled from her ears. She didn’t immediately notice me. I could only see her profile, but it gave me a brief chance to watch her. And I was awestruck by how beautiful she looked.
She had on jeans and a white button-up shirt, and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Yet she’d never looked more gorgeous. The lack of a fancy business suit and blown-out hair allowed the focus to be just her. Some people needed all that window dressing. But not Annalise. Her beauty came from the flawlessness of her porcelain skin, the smooth curves of her body, and eyes I knew lit with fire. And that voice…I was completely transfixed.
As I stared, she craned her neck a little more to thumb through some files, and the movement must’ve caused her to catch a shadow in her peripheral vision.
Her head whipped up, eyes went wide, and singing cut off mid-word.
“Oh my God!” She stood and ripped an earbud from her ear. “You scared the shit out of me.”
I held my palms up. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She put her hand over her chest and took a few deep breaths. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Not long.”
“I guess I had the music too loud, so I didn’t hear you.”
Or I didn’t say anything so I could keep looking at you. To-may-to. To-mah-to.
“What are you doing here?”
“I stopped by to talk to you.”
She shut the file cabinet drawer. The initial shock had worn off, and her voice went flat. “I’m all talked out. Just go away, Bennett.”
I stuffed my hands into my pockets and took a step into her office. “You don’t have to talk then. Just listen. I’ll get out of your way when I’m done.”
She wore a mask of indifference, but said nothing—apparently this was my opportunity.
I cleared my throat. “I didn’t lie in the hotel room. I do think you’re beautiful, and I was jealous of that guy’s hands on you.”