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I grabbed my purse and left the office, walking down the block to the quaint little café on the corner. I must have missed the rush because the line was trickled down to two people. As I stood there, I opened up his email and read his order again, trying to memorize it. When the barista called me up, I read the order aloud.
“Is this for Mr. Gunner?” he asked. He must have been about nineteen.
I nodded.
“Sounded familiar.” He laughed softly. “Are you his new assistant?”
Knowing he had met the old one, and probably the ones before that, brought up that little hint of jealousy knowing that they had been more than assistants at one point.
“That’s me,” I said. “I’m Monica.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Josh. I’ll make sure it’s perfect.” He winked and it put me at ease.
I took the coffee back up to Troy’s office, placing it on his desk that remained still unoccupied. I glanced around briefly, trying to get more of a sense of who he was, but it was bare of any personality. Hurriedly, I slipped out the door and walked back to the elevators, crossing my fingers I wouldn’t bump into him on my way out.
Thankfully, there was no sign of him. I guessed as the boss he was free to come and go as he pleased. I felt the tiniest pang of disappointment for missing a chance of seeing him, but then it vanished, knowing that this was for the best. Troy knew what he was doing in coming in late and keeping me busy and out of the office. He was making it easier for both of us.
Chapter 10
Troy
Iopened the heavy door to the restaurant and stepped inside. The hostess greeted me as she always did with a coy smile and a tousle of the hair.
“Mr. Gunner. It’s nice to have you join us again,” she said as she organized menus.
“I thought I told you to call me Troy,” I chided her as I leaned against the hostess stand.
This made her cheeks turn a rosy shade of pink. I was a shameless flirt. There was no denying that. I figured if a woman got pleasure out of it, then what was the harm? Plus, it also meant I would get the best seat in the place.
“Troy…” she said, as if trying out the word on her tongue. “Will anyone be joining you tonight?”
She looked behind me, a hopeful expression on her face to see there was no one with me.
“My sister will be meeting me.” I glanced at my watch. It was just past 7 p.m. “She will probably be fashionably late.”
“In that case, let me get you seated at your usual booth by the window while you wait.” The hostess grabbed two menus and the wine list, and stepped out from behind the hostess stand. She swished her hips through the restaurant, making it difficult to focus on anything else as we weaved around tables.
“Here we are,” she said, gesturing to the booth that had become very familiar to me for business meetings, dates, and dinners with my sister.
“Thank you,” I said, giving her a warm smile as I slid into the booth. “No one does your job quite like you do. Keeps me coming back.”
She bit back a smile before she walked away. The way her teeth dug into her lips only reminded me of Monica. It was like she’d tainted all women for me in a way that brought my thoughts directly back to her. It had been three days since we slept together and it was like I couldn’t get the taste of her out of my mouth.
“Did you get a chance to look at our wine menu?” asked the server who had come up to the table while I was lost in a memory.
“Oh, uh, I’ll do a bottle of the best cab on the menu.”
He nodded and strode away, returning just a few short moments later with a dark glass bottle in his hands with an ornate gold label. He carefully uncorked it and poured a small serving into the wine glass before me, waiting for me to taste it.
I took a sip, and swirled the notes of black cherry and spice around on my tongue before swallowing.
“Perfect,” I said as the warmth of it ran down my throat.
He poured more into my glass and left the bottle at the table before walking away. I took another sip and leaned back against the plush backing of the booth.
“Starting without me?” asked Erica as she approached the table.
“Are you old enough to drink?” I joked.