working for Mr. Sexy right now. If he doesn’t like what I’m doing, he can pull the plug. I don’t want to compromise the contract with my firm.”
Reaching across the table, Nicole stole a handful of fries from Ashley’s plate. “Sounds like a lot of rationalizing to me. Taking a chance in the man department once in a while wouldn’t kill you.”
“I don’t agree. Nothing ever good comes of crossing that line. So he’s handsome—a lot of men are. I’m a sucker for bad boys, but this one isn’t only my boss. He drives me crazy.”
“Then this should be a no-brainer, right?”
“Not necessarily, because the irrational part of me wants to just say ‘fuck it’ and throw caution to the wind.”
Just as Nicole was raising the glass to her lips, she stopped, her eyes dancing with amusement.
“Damn, girl—you’ve got it bad for him. I’ve never seen you like this with any man before. This is great.”
A frown pinched the space between her brows. “No, it’s not. I’ve been acting like a girl with a crush, and it’s embarrassing.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s okay to ogle and fantasize about your boss.”
“I’ve done one better—I’ve kissed him.” Groaning, she covered her face with her hands.
“No damn way! You’ve kissed Mr. Sexy and you’re just telling me this now?”
“Not so loud.” Ashley looked around. The other diners were engrossed in their own conversations, paying them no mind.
“Did you kiss at the office?” Nicole whispered.
“No. Once in a diner’s parking lot and then later on the front porch a few nights ago, and yesterday I bumped into him in Glenwood Canyon.” She stirred her milkshake with the straw. “And to make matters worse, he’s an amazing kisser. What the hell am I going to do?”
“You’ve been working too hard for too long if you have to ask. I say go for it.”
“But I’m not looking for any complications.”
Nicole laughed. “What’s complicated about having a fling with your hot boss? You already know it’ll be temporary since you’re only here for a few months. Hell, you might as well have some fun.”
“What I forgot to mention was, Mr. Sexy is quite the Casanova, and I just don’t want to be another one of his conquests. Women are drawn to him like bees to honey.”
“Do you feel that way?” Nicole popped the last bite of her burger into her mouth and chewed.
“It’s more like a moth to a flame.” Pushing her plate away, Ashley placed her elbows on the table and cupped her cheeks in her hands. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Would you like anything else?” the waitress asked, interrupting their conversation.
“I’m good,” Nicole said, putting her crumpled napkin onto the empty plate.
The lithe server placed the bill holder on the table. “Okay. Here you go.”
“It’s on me,” Ashley said as she reached over and grabbed her purse, pointing a finger at her friend. “Don’t argue with me.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” A smile spread across Nicole’s face. “Thanks.”
When the two women left the restaurant, there was a line halfway down the block of people waiting to get in.
Nicole whistled. “I’m glad we came when we did. I hate waiting in line when I’m starving.”
Walking into the parking lot behind the eatery, Ashley immediately saw that her car had been vandalized. Her eyes darted to the other cars in the lot, but it was only hers that had been trashed. Anger crept up her spine, entwining with the fear coursing through her.
“Shit!”
“What’s wrong?”
She pointed to the Buick. “Look at my car.”
“What the hell?” Nicole shouted as they approached the vehicle. “It looks like someone egged it.”
“Yeah. This is a real pain in the ass.” Popping the trunk, she rummaged through a bag and took out a bottle of window cleaner and a roll of paper towels.
Nicole laughed nervously. “It looks like yours is the only car that got it. Did you piss someone off?”
“Only Jeffrey Elion,” she replied in a hushed voice, vigorously spraying and scrubbing the front windshield.
Nicole’s eyes widened. “No way. You think that douche drove all the way up here to egg your car? How would he even know where we were?”
Ashley paused. “When you say it out loud like that, it sounds far-fetched and ridiculous. I keep thinking it’s him, but I know Jeffrey wouldn’t waste his time driving all the way here just to egg my car.” Sighing, she scrubbed harder.
“Has other crap happened to you since you’ve been here?” Nicole grabbed the window cleaner and some paper towels and spritzed the