Page 68 of Delicious (Delicious #1)
Chapter One
A chocolate lay on my desk again.
This wasn’t some Hershey Kiss bullshit. No, this was a gorgeous little artisan chocolate that looked homemade or from an expensive chocolatier. The kind in the quiet, minimalistic shop that seemed too pristine, and I’d inevitably cough too loud or choke on a sample. My mouth watered. This was the third time this week my secret admirer had left one of these delicious beauties on my desk. The little note attached waited for me, and a burst of adrenaline fluttered through my veins.
Feed me and praise me, and I was pretty much yours.
Whoever dropped off these chocolates and notes had figured out the key to my heart. If he was hot and hung too, then game over; we had to get married.
I sank down into my seat, all but jittering, and unwrapped the plastic around the chocolate. This one had a dark chocolate exterior with a vibrant pink swirl through it. I sank my teeth in, and an explosion of raspberries, cream, and chocolate flooded my mouth. The urge to moan out loud was real, but I restrained myself. Barely.
However, folks were filing into their cubicles for the day, and some had already settled into their routine. CleanSpace Coating was an innovative company, and our sector was comprised of mostly engineering introverts who preferred their work to socializing. But I needed to talk to someone, the same way I always did after getting one of these gifts.
At first, I’d wondered if someone in my department had been dropping off the chocolates, but I’d quickly tossed that idea. I saw these folks every day and yammered on at them ad nauseum, so if any of them were interested, I would know by now.
Declan and Jacob sat in the closest cubicles to me, which we’d coordinated after working together for over six months. Mostly because we got along the best. Declan was gorgeous in a geek-chic way with his thick brown hair, black-framed glasses, and slender build. However, I’d only seen Declan date women, and miserably at that. And Jacob had been an enigma from the start. With his dark hair, big bear stature, and sweet eyes, he was plucked right out of my daydreams, but he occasionally brought up his girlfriend, Sara, so I assumed he was also straight and taken.
Was I analyzing every prospective admirer since getting these chocolates? Yes, and yes.
“Guys,” I hissed to get their attention.
Jacob looked up. “What’s up, Henry?”
“He’s back.” I pointed to the empty wrapper on my desk.
Jacob’s lips quirked. “Did you already eat the chocolate?”
I rolled my eyes. “Uh, yes. I’m not wasting perfection.” Declan still wasn’t paying attention. I rolled up a Post-it note and lobbed it at his head.
He popped up from his hunch. “What was that for?”
“Because you weren’t listening.”
He passed me a deadpan look. “You’re just going to wax poetic about your mystery admirer and then make suppositions about Greg from accounting, Steve from marketing, or Denzel from marketing.”
Rude.
I sniffed. “Maybe I was going to bring up different candidates today.”
Declan passed me another look, and Jacob laughed.
Fine. They were both assholes and correct. “You come up with other guys in this office who are queer, and I’ll have more potential suspects.”
“You could just enjoy the mystery without trying to solve it,” Declan said.
“Yeah, let’s see how well that works for you when you’re focused on something, Mr. Hyperfixation,” I shot back.
“Was the chocolate at least good?” Jacob asked.
“Uh, yeah. This person should be a freaking chocolatier, not working here.”
“Unless it’s the delivery man.” Jacob settled in his seat with a creak.
I wrinkled my nose. “Shit, how many delivery guys come through the building?”
Declan snorted. “He’s being facetious, Hen.”
“Oh, because my admirer’s dropping off deliveries.” I leaned over my cubicle and flicked Jacob on the shoulder. His eyes crinkled with his grin, which brought out his pretty cheekbones. My friends had some gall being straight and attractive while I was horny and single. “Whatever. I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
Maybe I wouldn’t be so single once I did.
“I believe in you,” Jacob teased.
“Yes, yes, strike the bastard dead,” Declan said, his focus on his computer again.
“I want to date him, not murder him.”
“What if he’s a serial killer?” Declan asked. “You’ll be an episode of some murder podcast titled The Chocolate Admirer.”
“I’m sure your secret admirer isn’t a serial killer,” Jacob reassured me.
“I’ll stick with my list, thank you very much.” I leaned back in my chair. Jacob and Declan both settled into their work, and I picked up the note. Anticipation prickled through me. The first few were ones I’d tucked right into my wallet, wanting to savor them as much as the chocolate. The messages weren’t trite and suggested someone who had at least had a few interactions with me.
Which narrowed down the contenders for sure because we worked in a pretty damn large office.
I unfolded the note.
You brighten up every room you’re in.
My chest glowed with warmth, and I clutched the paper as if I could soak the phrase into my bones. Most days, my inner monologue was more on the snarky, self-loathing side, so this would get me through some of my darker spells.
Time to get to work.