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“No. Of course not.”
“What is it? Work stuff?”
I lie to her with my nod. Because how could I possibly tell my overprotective teenager that I think I just realized I’m in love.
And not only that, but that I’m in love with the much younger woman who has shown zero interest in making this—whatever it is—more than the incredible, hot, occasional, fuckbuddy, friends-with-benefits thing she believes it to be.
I am so completely screwed.
Chapter Three
Allie
I’m early. My Wednesday was light and my last wine tasting tour of the day got cancelled. Which I’m fine with considering I’d been anticipating hopping on the train and meeting Asher in the city since breakfast.
I love my job as the events manager at my parents’ winery. I don’t mind working late nights or weekends even. One day, I’ll own the winery along with my brothers Lucas, Dallas, and Blake. It’s the best job in the world if you ask me.
But that doesn’t mean my panties haven’t been soaked today as I had thoughts of what Asher was going to do to me tonight.
He got to town yesterday. I had a late event, so I couldn’t see him until today. As it turns out, I don’t have to be at work until late morning tomorrow, so I can stay the night.
I love it when I can stay the night and wake up in his arms. More often than not, I have winery obligations, or he has work dinners, or he has to fly home to Bug, or I’d promised to babysit one of my brothers’ kids.
Not today, however. I’ll have sixteen whole hours with him.
I cock my head, wondering when I started counting such things. It reminds me of what he said last time about knowing exactly the number of occasions we’d been together.
Part of me wonders if this is quickly treading into relationship territory.
Hmmm. Would I be okay with that? I’ve had a fewthingsover the years, but nothing I’d call a relationship. Not since Jason.
Then again, Asher has never given me any indication he intends for this to be long term. Why would he? He probably laughs with his work buddies about how he has it made. Booty calls in the city whenever he wants. Zero strings. I wonder if he brags about being with a woman twelve years his junior. Not that I care about our age difference. Other than the faint lines on his forehead and around his eyes, and the ever-so-slight-and-sexy beginnings of gray around his temples, he doesn’t seem forty.
“Good afternoon, Miss Montana,” William the doorman greets as he waves me through.
“Please, William, call me Allie.”
It’s funny how all the workers here know me by name despite the fact that I only visit about once a month.
Or fourteen timesto be exact. I roll my eyes thinking of his words.
“Sure thing, Miss Montana.”
I giggle as I make my way to the elevator. Asher texted me his room number earlier. Texted, not called. That’s another indicator of our relationship status. We never speak on the phone. We always text. And I’m fine with that. I guess. Yes, yes, of course I am. Long-term relationships lead to things I’m not ready for. Things I’ll never be ready for. Like kids. I’m perfectly fine being the fun aunt.
William comes after me. “Mr. Anderson is at the bar, Miss Montana.”
“Thank you, William.”
“Pleasure.”
It’s only five thirty, and Asher isn’t expecting me until seven. I stop at the entrance of the bar when I see him talking with a woman. She throws her head back and laughs. He’s smirking. I can imagine she asked him what kind of work he does. He gets his kicks telling people he’s a ‘penetration tester.’
The funny thing is, that’s the actual technical name for what he does. He’s a dark web hacker. He gets hired to test tech infrastructures for vulnerabilities. And he’s very good at what he does. He’s high in demand. Companies from all over the world want to hire the man who single-handedly stopped a virus from draining the bank accounts of billions of people who shopped at the largest online retailer in the world.
That was before I met him. But his reputation runs far and wide. And despite how much money he’s offered, he never takes overseas jobs. Not unless he can do them remotely. He has a rule never to leave Bug for more than a week, and never to be more than a six-hour plane ride away. That pretty much limits him to the continental United States, parts of Mexico, and some of the Caribbean Islands.
I have to admire him for what he’s done. Not work-wise. That’s all secondary. He’s raised a daughter almost entirely on his own. Before that, he raised his sister after their parents died. At one point in his twenties, he was not only raising an infant, but his teenage sister. All by himself. I can’t even imagine.