Mirage - Alice Tribue Page 0,11
but who am I kidding? I’m not so sure I want him to.
“Can I at least think about it?”
“Sure. I’ll walk you out.”
He comes around and pulls out my chair for me. Taking hold of my free hand, he helps me to my feet and leads me out of the coffee shop. My hand in his feels good—
shit, I’m asking for serious trouble with this guy. He’s smooth, sexy, smart, confident, and worst of all, he doesn’t take no for an answer.
“Thanks for the coffee.”
“Anytime. I’ll call you.” I barely have time to react to his lips on my cheek, but if him holding my hand excited me, his lips on my body are on a whole other level. Seriously in trouble, I think to myself as I pull away. I give him one last passing glance as I turn and walk away from him, telling myself that this will be the last time I ever see Nathan Lennox.
CHAPTER THREE
“Why are you being so stubborn?” Ivy asks with a pout. “Just go out with the hot guy. It’s really a no-brainer.”
This is all I’ve heard from Ivy since telling her what happened when I had coffee with Nathan on Saturday and then how I ignored his phone call on Sunday. I know I’m a chicken shit, and I’m okay with that because, for me, being around Nathan is the equivalent of playing with fire. I scoop out some chicken and broccoli from my pint of Chinese food onto a paper plate before meeting her gaze. Once a week, we have lunch in my office where we spend the better part of an hour gossiping.
“Ivy, look at what I do for a living. How would I explain this to anyone?”
“You say, hey babe, if you ever get sick of sex with me, I can always hook you up with…”
“Do not finish that sentence.” I point my fork at her in warning. “You’re a jerk, you know that?”
She takes a bite of her egg roll and nods. “You do the same thing you’ve always done. You don’t explain it. It’s none of their business. You own a legitimate business, and when the time comes, that’s what you present and that’s what they’ll see.”
“Did anyone ever tell you not to talk with your mouth full?” She sticks her tongue out at me in response, causing me to shake my head at her. This is what our relationship is like. I’m starting to realize that my assistant has no respect for me at all. “Okay, but what if I fall in love with someone¸ with him, with anyone? Do I really want to lie to the person I love forever? What kind of life is that?”
“So what should you do? Do you stay alone forever?”
“Until I retire?” It sounds more like I’m asking for permission, which is ridiculous. I can make my own decisions about what I do with this little empire I’ve built.
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
“Telling you?”
“Right. So how and when are you planning retirement and what happens to me when you do?”
“Selfish much? I don’t know. It’s not like I need the money at this point. I can live off the spa, and maybe even open a new one. I’d have to find a way to take care of the girls, though.”
“And me.”
“Anyway,” I exaggerate with a roll of my eyes, “I have no timeframe, but it’s not like I ever planned to do this forever. I’m at that age where settling down is a concern.”
“Having kids?”
“Let's not get crazy.” I think about the idea of having a child. It’s not like I don’t like kids; I do well enough with the few that I know. I just never envisioned having any of my own, and now that I’m thirty-seven, I’m not sure if it’s a realistic goal. I don’t even know what I would do with a kid. What would I teach him or her—how to avoid human interaction and live above the law? Perfect role model.
“Okay, well, you obviously have thought of an exit plan, so why not date Nathan while you work on it?”
“Because getting out of this business could take years, Ivy.”
“If you wanted to get out, Victoria, you could do that in a matter of days. It does not take years.”
“I just have to make sure everyone is taken care of when it happens. I don’t want these girls to find themselves in a situation where they could end up with the wrong people.”
“Pimps?”
“Amongst