Page 16 of The Claiming Series: Collection 1
Lily
Callum Rogen is hotter than Captain America in Spandex.
That irrefutable truth swirls around my head as I park my Chevy Malibu outside my apartment.
The second I laid eyes on him, I was lost. I spent most of the interview with my shaking hands folded in my lap, squeezing my thighs together on the needy pulse that throbbed in time to the deep husk of his voice.
I groan out loud, burying my face in my hands as I remember my spectacular case of verbal diarrhea. I’ve just given the worst interview known to humankind, and yet Callum Rogen still offered me the job !
Why? My cynical mind asks . Is he going to be like your last boss?
I frown to myself. No. Callum Rogen isn’t like that. I don’t know how I’m so sure of that after spending less than an hour in his company, but I am. It’s true that I want to lick him all over, but at the same time, he made me feel safe and at ease.
I let myself into my apartment and kick off my shoes, heading to the small kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine. I’m not much of a drinker, but my new job deserves a small celebration.
Grabbing my phone, I sink onto the sofa and call Daisy.
“So?” my best friend asks, picking up on the second ring and foregoing the usual pleasantries. “How did the interview go?”
“I got the job!”
“What?” she shrieks, causing me to hold the phone away from my ear to preserve my hearing.
“Callum hired me on the spot. Can you believe it?”
“Callum? You’re on first-name terms already?” Daisy teases.
I shrug, ignoring the warmth that floods my cheeks. “He insisted.”
“I’m so happy for you, Lils!” Daisy squeals excitedly, using the nickname she gave me two minutes after we met. “Let me guess. He was blown away by your business degree and impeccable sickness record. Or maybe you impressed him with all that research you did on square programming and stuff.”
I snort with laughter. “Angular programming, my sweet, clueless friend.”
“Hey, I’m not the one who’s got a fancy new job in IT, so I don’t need to know all that shit,” she points out. “So, tell me everything. What’s he like?”
“Hotter than Captain America,” I sigh, uncrossing my legs as Groot jumps up on my lap. “Tall, muscular. Dark hair and beautiful silver eyes.”
“Are you drooling right now?” Daisy snorts.
“I don’t drool, but even if I did, I wouldn’t be drooling over Callum Rogen,” I reply, scratching behind Groot’s ears.
“Why not? The man is hot and rich. He’s, like, a bazillionaire at thirty-two. What’s not to like?”
“Well, for one, he’s my boss. And, secondly, he’s my boss,” I reply, driving the point home. “And you know what happened with my last boss. I had to fight the fucker off me. No way am I going there again.”
“For the hundredth time, what happened with Miller Cooper wasn’t your fault. He’s a creepy old perv with octopus hands,” Daisy says, a note of impatience in her voice.
“I know, but it still feels like it’s hanging over me,” I mutter, my anger rising at the memories. “He made my life hell for reporting him to the cops.”
“Which is why you left and moved to San Antonio for a new start,” she replies.
“Ran away, more like,” I grunt, my voice thick with self-disgust. “I should’ve stayed there. Stood my ground. Instead, I let him intimidate me into leaving.”
“He’ll get what’s coming to him, Lils, mark my words. Until he does, don’t let the asshole steal your sunshine.”
“You’re right. Why am I wasting my energy on him?” I huff.
“Exactly. Now, where’s the feisty Lily I met three years ago?” Daisy demands.
“She’s still in here somewhere,” I sigh. “Three years, huh? That’s crazy! Can you imagine if we hadn’t both interviewed for the same job that day? We never would’ve met.”
“Oh, you mean the job I didn’t get?” she teases.
Daisy and I clicked that day, bonding over mutual interests as we waited to be called in for our interviews.
Friendships happen like that sometimes—you connect with someone in a completely unexpected way.
Daisy and I have been best friends ever since.
We like the same things, laugh at the same jokes, and even have similar tastes in men—although, like me, Daisy has never found a man she wants to play hide the sausage with. She’s waiting for the right one.
“Remember that pact we made? The first day we met?” I ask, my voice rich with remembered amusement.
“Oh, Lord, how could I forget?” Daisy chuckles. “We promised each other that if neither of us found the man of our dreams before we hit seventy, we’d both sign up for the same nursing home and become horny old spinsters.”
“Well, we haven’t reached the nursing home stage yet, but at least we got to share an apartment,” I reply, smiling at the memories of all the fun times we’ve had .
“God, I miss that, Lils. I miss you,” she says sadly. “I loved our little apartment.”
“Me too, honey. Colorado seems so far away. The last few months haven’t been the same without you to keep me sane.”
“I know, but Mom needs me right now,” she replies, reminding me why she had to return to her hometown.
“How is she?”
Daisy sighs heavily down the line. “It’s tough. I’m not going to lie. People don’t realize alcohol addiction is a sickness like any other.”
Tears sting the back of my eyes at the pain in my friend’s voice. “I’m sorry you’re having to deal with it alone. I wish I could be there to help you.”
“Just hearing your voice helps me,” she replies softly. “And you know you can come visit anytime you like.”
“I know, and I will as soon as I’m settled in this job,” I reply, blinking away the wetness in my eyes.
“Good. Enough depressing talk,” Daisy says firmly. “Did Boss McHottie say when he wants you to start?”
“Monday,” I reply, chuckling at her nickname for Callum. “My new boss may be hot, but I’m not going down that road, even if I do want to lick him like a popsicle.”
“Ha! Like you’d even know how,” Daisy sniggers.
“That’s a low blow, Daisy Jenkins.”
“Again, how would you know?” she asks, then bursts into gales of laughter at her lame joke.
I shake my head at Groot in exasperation. “My best friend has a mind like a sewer.”
Groot looks up at me with bored amber eyes and carries on licking his ass.