My face felt numb from all the smiling I did, trying to make it seem like nothing was the matter when I was really screaming on the inside. Even my right eye started to twitch - something that had rarely happened before, no matter how angry I became.
Gage nudged my arm, quietly hissing for me to introduce him when Carlita was still a fair amount of space away. I needed to tell him to stay away from her, and I needed to do it now, but it was too late as the wide-eyed devil skipped over to us from across the lobby. She tackled me in to a hug, squeezing a little harder than necessary and causing me to stumble back a bit. My arms remained pinned to my sides as she embraced me. Pulling away, her bright red lips formed into a pout, like that was supposed to make me feel bad.
I didn't.
"Aren't you excited to see me?"
I tested the words delusional and demented in my head, demented seeming like a better fit for her.
"I guess I am now." It wasn't a good kind of excitement, either. "What are you doing here?"
Carlita clapped her hands, bouncing on her feet. "My boss told me that Monty was assembling a team for the trip and asked if I wanted to go. How could I have said no to that, Aubrey? Plus, I knew you were going to be here!"
Oh, really? That's funny because I never told your crazy ass!
"Is that so?" I squinted, challenging her. For a brief moment, I saw a flicker of panic in her brown eyes, but it vanished as she most likely tried to come up with a lie to back up her story. "Weird, I don't remember telling you that I was coming here." The last part was a mumble, yet still loud enough for her to hear.
Though already failing, I didn't want to get Gage involved in our little 'situation' any more than he needed to be. We would all be working together on the trip, and their contact needed to remain at a minimum. If she found out who he was, she would no doubt use that to her advantage, and he wouldn't even know what hit him.
"It doesn't matter now." She waved her hand in a shooing motion, focusing her eyes on a practically drooling Gage. The bile in my throat was ready to surface at any second if those two kept it up. "And aren't you going to introduce us?"
"Carlita, this is Gage. Gage, this is Carlita who designs for the magazine."
I keep it short and simple, moving closer to Gage in a protecting manner as Carlita batted her eyelashes at him. Looking up at him, I knew that my plans of getting him away from her were useless as he smiled right back, completely oblivious to my stance and the evil that was beneath her exterior.
"Are you two here together?"
Technically, Gage and I did come together, but with the matching attraction in her eyes that mirrored his, I knew she meant it in another way.
"Yes," I replied at the same time he said, "No."
Her eyebrow rose while looking between the two of us. Oddly, I felt hurt as he took a step away from me and closer to her, laughing as he did so.
"No, we're definitely not together in that way, if that's what you mean. I've just recently met Aubrey, and we're friends. That's it - nothing more."
Thanks, man. I feel the same way too, especially after that kiss that got me all hot and bothered the other night.
"Good to know." Biting her bottom lip, Carlita peeked up at Gage, an innocent look on her face. "In that case, would you mind helping me bring my bags up to my room? They're just too heavy for me to carry all by myself."
Bullshit, how did she get them there in the first place? And she would only be there for a weekend, not the whole week. The amount of luggage she had was ridiculous. She was good, and I needed to start writing down tips from her and Serene on how to have a guy tripping over his own feet to do things for me.
"What kind of man would I be if I didn't help a woman in need?"
I knew the answer, and it was the type that didn't help me with my bags when we first arrived - in other words, an asshole.
Brushing her hair behind her neck, Gage removed the strap from her shoulder to sling over his own. The bitch blushed, actually ducking her head so he couldn't see the color in her cheeks, but I saw - a scowl forming on my lips the longer I looked. Her two suitcases were taken in his hands as he headed toward the same elevators he and I were aiming for, prior to her arrival.
"Aubrey, are you coming?" His deep voice echoed through the lobby, snapping me out of my thoughts of snapping Carlita's neck.
Did I want to be in a small space with them while they gazed dreamily into each other's eyes? Hell no, I didn't.
"You guys go ahead. I'm need to go outside to make a phone call."
"Okay." Carlita turned, facing me while her back was to Gage. Her tone was soft and sad, but a devious smile turned at the corner of her lips. She winked at me before spinning around and waving over her shoulder. "See you later."
If only Gage knew how to read body language, I wouldn't have been standing outside by myself, and he wouldn't have been flirting with the spawn of Satan. Mentally, I wished him luck. He was certainly going to need it.
Leaning against the marbled entrance of the hotel, I scrolled through my phone, stopping at Alana's number. She and her 'bestie' had some explaining to do.
"Hey, sis, how's the trip going?" She chirped, picking up on the second ring. In the past few days of my sister's return home, the tension in our relationship subsided, and the two of us became more comfortable with little things such as calling each other on the phone.
"Oh, it's going great, sis," I hissed. "I thought you said your BFF took care of everything with Carlita, so tell me what in the hell she's doing here!"
"No way," Alana gasped, her breath coming out in a whisper. Shuffling and mumbling came through the end of her line as I waited for her to continue speaking. "Hold on, Elle is right here. We're at the nail salon getting mani-pedis. I'll hand you over to her."
How cute. They're being pampered while I'm ready to rip my hair out!
"Tell me what's going on, Aubrey." Elise demanded, her usual straight to the point mode in effect.
"I thought you had everything with the work situation under control! Carlita is here in Boston. What am I supposed to do?" Realizing I was drawing attention to myself from people passing by on the street, I lowered my voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. It's not your fault, but I just don't know if I can keep my cool with her around."
"Relax," She soothed, like a mother trying to calm a hysterical child. "she won't be around much longer when I turn in what I found on her, and don't let her get under your skin. You're stronger than that. You are there for your job, nothing else. You don't have room for distractions. Remember that."
Though she couldn't see, I nodded, taking in her words. My sister was right next to her, but sometimes Elise felt more like my family than Alana did. She always knew the right things to say. Like me, my sister wasn't good at comforting or trying to calm people down. Even if it wasn't the best thing to be proud of, we at least had that in common.
It felt as if I already had an imaginary strike from Monty when he saw me comforting Gage, and I needed to work extra hard to get back on his good side. Speaking of Monty, I wondered if Elise knew anything about what happened to Gage's father.
"You're right. And thanks, I needed that."
"Anytime."
"Hey, before you hang up, I need to ask you something." For some reason, I covered the mouthpiece of my phone like my hand would shield people from hearing me speak. Looking up, I realized that everyone on the busy street was absorbed in their own little worlds, not giving a damn about me. To them, I was just another girl on her phone. It was safe to say that I was becoming paranoid.
"Okay, what is it?" Elise's voice hardened, making me imagine her with furrowed eyebrows and her blue eyes shining intensely - the look she got whenever she was curious about something.
"Do you know anything about Sebastian Xander?"
"Umm," She huffed, dragging out the word and sounding genuinely puzzled. "just that he passed away a few years ago in an accident. You could probably look up what happened to him, and if you want, I can ask around the office for you."
Instead of working for a little magazine, the woman should've become a detective. She was amazing at uncovering information. I cringed, imagining what kinds of things she knew about the people we worked with, including me.
"The internet will probably sugarcoat it. And no, that's okay, I'm sure I'll find the answer soon enough." If Monty provoked Gage any more than he had already, who knew what kinds of things would come out? Since it was a touchy matter, I didn't want to boldly ask him.
"Hmm, I'm kind of bummed that I didn't get invited to go on this trip. It sounds like some crazy things are going down, but don't worry too much about Carlita. She's crazy, but I doubt she'll try anything with Monty around. She's not that stupid."
"I hope you're right, and you should've seen what happened at lunch." I snorted, picturing Gage as he was ready to lunge across the table to attack his uncle. "Monty's nephew is here and I just know that this trip has already taken a turn for the worst."
Elise breathed out a deep sigh as Alana's voice came through in the background. For a minute, I forgot about my sister as I thought of the recent events that occurred, walking aimlessly through the streets of Boston. I didn't know where I was going but made sure not to veer too far away from the hotel.
"I can't even begin to imagine," she laughed. "I'm going to hand you back over to your sister now. Call me if you need anything else."
"Alright, talk to you later."
"Jeez," Alana said, exasperatedly. "I was starting to think that you two forgot all about me."
I imagined my sister rolling her eyes while flipping her thick hair over her shoulder. It killed her to not be the center of attention, and I found her irritation highly entertaining.
"Aw, are you jealous?"
"Don't be ridiculous. And while I'm relaxing, you go have fun with your best friend who may or may not be trying to get rid of you. See you when you get home... that's if you make it 'til then." She mumbled, her voice playful.
She hung up, not even giving me time to think of a good comeback. "Dammit," I muttered, but a smile played on my lips. Since I had the rest of the day to myself, I thought about searching for a nice, upscale nail salon where I could also relax, but my legs had other plans.
The sound of chatter, silverware clinking, and the aromatic smell of coffee - mixed with pastries - caught my attention. In the midst of my worrying and teasing my sister, I'd somehow ended up at the corner of a cobblestone road that housed a strip of small shops, restaurants, and boutiques. The space was big, but not quite big enough for cars to drive through, making it more like an alleyway than street. I didn't pay any mind to the other stores as the one with the brown cup of steaming coffee printed on its awning beckoned me to it. There was nothing like the taste of the smooth, hot liquid to help me unwind.
Passing by the front of the shop, there wasn't one person who sat outside at one of the black iron tables that didn't have some type of electronic device in front of them - mainly Apple products, to be specific. What is wrong with everyone? I wondered, pulling the glass door open, the chimes in the entryway signaling my entrance.
"I'll be right with you!"
A voice immediately piped up from somewhere behind the counter, most likely from the opened door behind the register that looked like it led to what I assumed to be the kitchen. If it wasn't for the judgmental, unwelcomed glances from the few sets of eyes inside the coffee shop, the place would've been warm and cozy, its color scheme being a mix of browns, reds, and oranges - a homey, fall mix. Was it that obvious that I wasn't from around there? Whatever, I sighed, just hoping that the coffee wasn't some organic crap.
"Okay," I called back to the unseen person. "I'll just be... here." Mumbling, I glanced to my left at the display of sweets that mocked me with their little delicious looking selves. This place was dangerous, and my self-control was wearing thin.
"Like what you see?"
Still looking at the various muffins, strudels, cakes, and doughnuts, I nodded like a kid in a candy shop, surprised that I hadn't already dribbled on my chin or licked the glass that separated me from the goodies. They even had bagels, for heaven's sake.
"It's a good thing I'm not on a diet right now. I'll take a piece of your spice cake and..." Pausing, I looked up at the menu, deciding on the first thing that my eyes landed on. "a cappuccino."
Finally getting a good look at the man behind the counter, I did like what I saw. Apparently, Michael Ealy had a brother, and he was about to make me a cup of coffee.
He smiled, graciously nodding before asking, "For here or to go?"
"Here." I smiled back, remembering how I saw an empty booth in the corner.
While the barista worked, I added the total of my order in my head, pulling out a ten dollar bill from my clutch, and desperately trying to not watch him move behind the counter with ease. I couldn't afford to have any more distractions in my life, so I wanted my interaction with him to be as short as possible.
Setting my food and beverage on a black plastic tray before me, Elliot - as his nametag read - reached across the counter to close my hand around the bill I held.
"This one is on the house." The skin around the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled, confusing me for a moment. Why was he giving it to me for free?
"That's very sweet," My cheeks tingled from a blush spreading across them. "but I don't want you to get in trouble for giving me free stuff."
"Oh, um," He frowned, his eyebrows creasing into a V in the middle of his forehead. At that point, I realized that he wasn't doing it because he was flirting. After all, he'd barely looked at me for more than two times. "if you're not a regular customer and it's your first time here, your order is on us."
Oh. Way to seem conceited, Aubrey. The poor man was just doing his job.
"That's nice of you guys, and how do you know that it's my first time here?"
He arched an eyebrow, giving me a look that said, 'Isn't it obvious?' I looked around at the coffee shop's patrons, noticing how most looked like they couldn't even be bothered to enjoy life, even wearing dark colors to 'compliment' their moods. I, on the other hand, strolled into the place with a smile on my face - since this freshly brewed smell of something delicious wafted into my nostrils - dressed in a pink silk shirt and skirt, instead of jeans and a hoodie. It was safe to say that I stood out.
"I've been working here since this place opened two years ago. I'm here all day and I've never seen you before, plus, your accent is different. C'mon, I'll bring this to your table and we can talk there." He lifted the tray, bumping his hip against the little door on the side of the cash register to pass through. I internally groaned, thinking of a way to get him away from me. All I wanted to do was sit in the corner and stuff my face, not talk about how I looked like a tourist.
Leading Elliot to the table I mentally claimed, I smacked my palm to my forehead, muttering under my breath. He set my order down, looking puzzled, and I knew he believed my little charade.
"Oh, darn, you know what? I just remembered that I have to return my boss' call about this project I have to do. It might take a while."
Instead of walking away like I'd hoped he would, he shrugged, sliding into the leather cushion opposite from me. "I can wait."
God, this guy was annoying. He could wait, and be nosy while he did it. My fists clenched as I seated myself on the edge of the bench opposite him, giving him a tight lipped smile when I looked up. He grinned back, his soft blue eyes shining against his light brown skin.
"Well, I'm going to make that phone call now."
Slowly, I reached inside of my handbag to pull out my phone. Thankfully, the sound of those melodic chimes above the door saved me from the overly curious man. Elliot glanced over his shoulder to see who had entered, a broad smile lighting up his face when he fully saw the person. I breathed out a sigh of relief when the man with dark, shaggy hair, black rimmed glasses, and little goatee briefly smiled and waved like it pained him to do so to a now rising Elliot.
"I'll be right back."
While my new 'buddy' was busy, I scarfed down my piece of cake, looking like the pig I was, thankful that no one was watching as cream cheese frosting smeared at the corners of my lips. Because the liquid inside was still hot, I sipped from the porcelain cup, randomly tapping on my phone to make it seem like I was doing something productive. Surprised from the loud vibration against the wooden table, I jerked when a text message came through - Rhode being its sender.
Weird, I thought, as I opened it.
I hope all is going well. Monty would have to be a fool is he doesn't take an interest in you.
Since some things were cleared up a couple nights ago, I guessed that we could be in a platonic relationship now. I laughed at that idea, wondering how long that would last.
Rhode knew that I didn't want to be more than friends, but I wondered if I would really be okay with that. I was still attracted to him, and I felt like he knew it, using his looks to drive me crazy. The day before at work was the perfect example. At any possible chance he got, Rhode would find a way to draw my attention to his mouth. It started with innocent lip biting when he was 'concentrating' hard on something, then it moved to licking when they were 'dry', and lastly, pinching that full bottom lip of his between his fingers. The lazy, sexy smile he would give me every time he caught me looking was just the icing on top of it all.
Instead of responding by text, I decided to call him. The glances from Elliot every so often were making me anxious, my boss story not looking so believable as time went on.
"Hey." His voice purred through the speaker, the simple word making me want to melt in the middle of the coffee shop. "This is a nice surprise. I might have to text you more if it means you'll call me."
"Hi." My voice came out soft, like I was suddenly shy. I rolled my eyes, cursing myself to get it together. The man was nowhere near me and he still made me all giddy inside. "Care to explain what was up with that text?"
"That was just me wishing you luck, not that you need it."
Damn him and his compliments!
"Well, thanks, and I think I might."
"Uh oh." He chuckled, making my lips turn up into a smile. "Want to tell me about it?"
"Maybe at another time. I don't feel like reliving it again at the moment. So, what are you up to?"
Rhode didn't sound like he was at the office, which made me ask. Whenever I spoke, it sounded as if I were on speaker phone, like he was in his car driving somewhere, my voice slightly echoing.
"Well, since there wasn't much for me to do during my internship today, they let me leave. Now, it's just me, my car, and the open road."
Not questioning who 'they' specifically were, I murmured, "I see," curious to where he was going. His tone was light and happy, leading me to believe that he was relaxed and smiling - a sight that I wanted to see. "Where are you headed?"
"I'll let you know when I get there."
What was that supposed to mean? I shrugged, deciding that it was time to end the conversation. It's not like it was going far, anyway. "Okay, well, I'll talk to you later."
"Yeah, soon," he promised.
Before Elliot could finish with the small rush of customers who entered the shop after his artsy friend, I made my exit, leaving the same bill I initially intended to pay with in the tip jar. He was a nice guy, but he needed to learn to back off a bit. Calling over my shoulder that I'd return the next day, I stepped out into the cool air, heading toward the corner I originally strolled from.
Luckily, I hadn't gone too far, the hotel sitting on the next corner of the long street I'd ventured down. Back in the warmth of my room, I thought about Gage and Carlita before collapsing on my bed in a deep sleep. His scent was still on the sheets, a strange sense of comfort washing over me as I inhaled it and fell into the darkness.
I awoke to the pitch darkness of my room, the only light coming from the digital clock on the nightstand that read seven forty-seven p.m. If the rapping on the metal of my hotel room hadn't woken me, there's no doubt that I would've been out for the rest of the night.
Groggily, I turned on the lamp above my head to create some illumination while I went to answer the knocking. I tried to make myself presentable to the person on the other side by running my fingers through the matted hair stuck to the side of my face, and scrambling to find my bag in search of a stick of gum for the bitter taste in my mouth. The person on the other side needed to make it quick. I had a bed to get back to, and I didn't appreciate their little interruption.
Unlatching the deadbolt and swinging the door open in frustration, I was stunned, too shocked to move - my jaw even coming to a halt from the gum it was working on.
Two hands held a bouquet of white roses, their face hidden behind them. That didn't matter, though. I knew those hands, and that body, but what were they doing bringing me flowers?
A/N: Please vote and/or leave a comment with your thoughts on the chapter. C'mon, people, it won't kill you. I still like you if you don't do it, so thanks for reading! :)