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Tina

B lanche Garnier’s hair is like black satin spilling down her back. She has the kind of walk confident women have, like she never missteps. When I saw the name on her application, I thought, finally, an older woman who wouldn’t raise the green monster in me. Christ, it took me hours to get over the weird new feeling I had when I saw Dustin with Rosa this morning. And let’s be honest, the root ball growing like Jack’s beanstalk in my belly is jealousy. Plain and simple. Another emotion I haven’t had in a long time.

Lust. Anger. Jealousy. I’m really racking up the feels on this trip so far. Yay, me. At least I can feel again. It’s been touch and go for a while now. If anything, I should be grateful to the women who made me human again.

I stare at the back of Blanche as she and Dustin shake hands. She introduces herself with a soft French accent, and man, oh, man, do we Americans ever butcher her name, making it sound hard and unappealing. Dustin, being Dustin, repeats her name in what I’m starting to realize is his bedroom voice, the same one he used on me not too long ago. I barely stop myself from rolling my eyes. If the way he’s looking at her says anything, she’s as good as hired. I bet he even makes regular trips to Vegas once we return home.

I stand like a third wheel while they get acquainted. I should go. There’s a laundry list of things left to do, but all I can think is, She’s not old at all, and she’s French.

Merde.

Of course she notices how attractive Dustin is, who wouldn’t? He’s the perfect catch, attentive, charming, and sexy. Little does she know he’s moody, rude, and sloppy under all the fronting. He smiles now, firing off his dimples like weapons, putting Cupid’s arrows to shame. The guy just can’t help himself. But does he need to schmooze so hard? For Christ’s sake, she already wants the job. Why are they still holding hands?

The real question is, why am I still standing here watching this dog-and-pony show?

An unladylike snort bursts from my mouth and both Dustin and Blanche look my way. On the spot, I stammer a bit before I pull myself together. “Um, if there’s nothing else you need from me”—I wave in the direction of the outer office—“I’ll just get back to work.”

Dustin looks amused at my awkwardness, damn him. “What do you think, Blanche, can we manage without Miss James’s assistance?”

She sends me a warm smile with perfect white teeth. Who doubted? Not me . “I’d love a water, if you wouldn’t mind?”

“Oh, sure thing. I’ll be right back.”

Sure thing? I cringe as I close the door behind me. Could I sound any less professional? I release a heavy sigh, making my way to the fully stocked breakroom. I grab a water bottle from the refrigerator, trying not to think about how my lips were on the one Dustin shared with me ten minutes ago. Will he taste a hint of me when he takes his next sip? I cup a hand over my mouth, inhaling my breath… eh, a little sandwich-y but not bad. My phone pings with a text message from an unknown number.

Hello, Tina. It’s Rosa.

Grateful for the distraction, I put her info into my contacts before responding.

ME: Hi. Is everything okay?

ROSA: Si. I thought I should give you a heads-up. There was only one more room available at the hotel, so Lucius and Dustin put us together and they will take the other one.

As much as I hate to admit it, I’d been looking forward to spending more time alone with Dustin and now I’m faced with the glaring fact I was the only one. I try to look on the bright side as I make my way back to the conference room with Blanche’s water. It’ll be fun to get to know Rosa better. It’s been a long time since I had a friend to talk with. If I had to guess, I’d put her age around twenty-four, which makes her a few years younger than me, but something tells me she’s lived a lot in a short time.

ME: Sounds good.

On the heels of Rosa’s text comes one from Gramps.

GRAMPS: Looks like the new job is already paying off.

Puzzled, I call him. “What do you mean?”

“A new water heater just got installed.”

My first worry is he ordered the water heater himself and didn’t remember. The second worry is over the dollar signs going down the drain along with all the new hot water. “Gramps, I didn’t order a new water heater.”

He chuckles. “That boss of yours did. He said something about not wanting his best assistant taking cold showers.”

On the heels of my shame over Dustin knowing about my living conditions and lack of means to improve it is relief. But what will he want in return for all this generosity? The tiger has shown his stripes, so I’m positive there will be something.

My gaze connects with Dustin’s through the glass wall. His stare is scorching enough to melt away all worries. This is not the look of a man who wants to spend the night apart.

“I gotta go, Gramps.”

“Okay, sweetie. I’m off to take the longest hot shower I’ve had in ages.”