My friend Josie spotted the flowers too, and she’s waiting by my desk, waggling her eyebrows in my direction. I shake my head because she’s practically begged me to tell her who I’m seeing, but I’ve resisted so far. Malcolm is not only my boss, but her boss too. Plus, my buddy’s not exactly great at keeping secrets. If I tell her I’m dating Malcolm, pretty soon the whole company will know.
“Good morning,” I murmur as I approach my desk. To my surprise, Josie’s fingering the card that came with the bouquet. I raise a brow at her. “You read my card? Come on, that’s going too far, don’t you think?”
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t give me that look. The card fell out, and no, I didn’t read it. Still, girlfriend! Who is this man you’re dating? The most I’ve ever gotten is a sad little sprig of daisies, and not this incredible bouquet.”
I laugh, shaking my head while plucking the envelope from her hands. “You’re something else, you know that?”
Josie smiles brightly, her brown curls bouncing. “Yes, but you love me anyways.”
I open the card and as I scan the message, my heart does somersaults in my chest. “I love waking up to your beauty and grace. Move in with me,” it reads. Plus, it’s signed Crazy for you with no name, and I smile harder thinking about our morning before we left for work. Malcolm’s right. I don’t want to keep pretending, and there’s no reason for me to pay rent on my studio anymore. I want to be with this man full time because my heart already belongs to him.
“Oh my god, who’s it from?” Josie asks excitedly. I merely throw her a wink.
“I’ll be back,” I say. With my cell in hand, I steal to a back hallway in order to thank Malcolm for the flowers. I can hardly make the call from my cube, given our nosy co-workers, and besides, I also want to tell him I’ve decided to officially end the lease on my apartment in order to move in with him. A small smile steals over my face as I position myself in a deserted nook, already beginning to dial. But then, something bumps into me and I look up. That’s weird. Hardly anyone ever comes back here.
To my surprise, it’s my ex-boyfriend. Ronald’s looking at me with a nasty little smirk on his face, and to be honest, he looks a bit disgusting. He’s always been thin, but now, he’s positively gaunt and his suit hangs off his narrow frame like rags on a scarecrow. Plus, he’s got a breakout on his chin that glistens in the light, and immediately, I attribute it to the nasty processed foods he prefers. Ronald’s never eaten healthy, and now it’s beginning to show. Yet I try to be polite.
“Hi Ronald. It’s been a long time. I didn’t even know you worked at Ligne anymore.”
He shrugs, scratching at his greasy chin.
“Yeah, I got transferred to another department a couple months ago. Sorry I didn’t have time to tell you. Did you miss me?”
I smile tightly.
“We’ve been okay without you,” I manage in a diplomatic tone. Then I move to step around him, but Ronald literally holds an arm up, blocking my way.
“Whoa, sweetie, where are you going? There’s no need to run away.” Something flashes in his eyes that makes my skin crawl. “Oh, I get it. You wanted to get me alone, so you could try to convince me to take you back. Well, if you want me, you’re going to have to show me just how much you need it.” He cups himself through his pants and I literally feel vomit coming up in the back of my throat. I swallow hard to make the nausea go away.
“Um, no Ronald. It’s random chance that we’re bumping into one another, and to be honest, I can’t believe you’re propositioning me in such a disgusting way. Let me go. I need to get back to work.”
I take a big step away from him, trying not to look in his direction, but I only make it a couple steps down the hall before the scrawny man grabs my arm almost painfully.
“Yeah right,” he sniggers. “We both know you miss me, Leslie. I mean, look at you! You’re a big fat bag of blob, and do you think that outfit’s cute?” he asks, indicating the pencil skirt that hugs my bottom. “If anything, it makes your ass look even bigger and you’re going to split your seams if you’re not careful.”
I inhale sharply. Malcolm loves this skirt, and in fact, he destroyed my previous one that was cut in the same style, the billionaire was so eager to get at my curves. But Ronald continues, totally oblivious.
“I know you want me, fat girl, but you’re too late. I found someone a hell of a lot hotter, and she’s about a thousand percent better than you because she’s a Playboy bunny. Get that, you fat witch. Amber’s a woman with curves in all the right places, unlike your saggy ass.”