nice that you miss me, yet you can’t keep promises about keeping away from my fucking lettuce,” she says. I turn around in my chair and lo and behold, the most beautiful sight in the entire universe.
I say her name out loud even though she’s too far to hear me and it’s only really for my benefit. She’s smiling widely, and her bright white blonde hair is chopped in a blunt cut that barely touches her shoulders. Her eyes, that gaze, is all fucking mine. Tossing her phone in her purse, she puts her hands on her small hips. Like a moth drawn to flame, I rise from my seat and cover the distance between us in seconds.
“Maverick is playing matchmaker again,” she says, explaining her presence. Lainey doesn’t have to explain anything. I’m satisfied gazing upon her until my eyes fall out. I’ve missed her so much that everything about her looks brand new. How can I possibly be mad at Maverick for bringing me this?
“How are you? I mean, you look like this, so I’m guessing you’re better than ever, but I have to ask,” I say, tripping over my fucking words. She laughs, and the lines around her eyes crease, making her look even more stunning.
Her face softens as her blue laser gaze meets mine. “I’m good. Much better now,” she says. “It’s been hard to stay away, you know? It’s better, though. I’m better now.” Can it be true? Has my patience paid off? Will I finally be rewarded with life’s greatest gift? “Don’t think I didn’t want to contact you. I think I composed one hundred emails and then sent them to trash instead of sending them. It was therapeutic for me. I guess they never really helped you any, though. Enough about me. How are you?” she asks, her eyes sparkling. She crosses one foot over the other and tucks her arm around her bag.
“Want to get out of here? Go talk? Catch up?” And have sex until we’re sore for days. That’s my dick talking. Right now I’ll settle for merely talking to her, being in her proximity again. She looks hesitant, her gaze flicking behind her to the door.
“Just talk,” I repeat.
“Oh, it’s not that. I need to be somewhere, but I can cancel, I guess. There really was a décor show here. Maverick lured me here and promised me food,” Lainey replies, smiling over my shoulder at Maverick.
I hold up one finger and rush back to the table. Grabbing my sandwich, I bring it back to her. “It’s not lettuce, but I think you’ll like it.” I extend the plate to her.
She looks at it and then back up at me. “Get it to go and you have a deal.” Maverick hoovered his lunch and is finished. Sneaking up behind me, he slips the jewelry box in my pocket and leans over to whisper, “It was never Windsor’s,” and then he greets Lainey briefly and leaves out of the door. It chimes as he exits. What the fuck does that mean? I didn’t see what he bought in the jewelry store. I was eyeing a new TAG Heuer watch while he made his selection. It weighs a ton in my pocket and there’s no way I can open it and find out what the hell is in here now. We get my sandwich to go and head out into the street.
“I’m staying at the Ritz tonight,” she says. “We could go talk there if you wanted? They do a killer dinner.” Somehow dinner is the last thing on my mind.
I motion down at my sweaty gym clothes as we walk. “How about we head to my place first? I’ll shower, you can eat lunch, and then we can go anywhere you want,” I offer. “I’m sure the eau of man is appetizing with all the pheromones I’m giving off, but the Ritz won’t let me in their dining hall like this.” I catch her smile out of the corner of my eye.
“Okay,” she says, looking up at me without turning her head. “You wouldn’t be trying to take advantage of me, now, would you?”
I chuckle. “Me? No way. I want to talk to you.”
“But you also want to fuck me,” Lainey says. A mother walking with her child leans over and covers her kid’s ears and scowls at us. I laugh. Lainey looks behind us, trying to pass the blame onto the people trailing us on the busy street.
“I see your