As if to offset Julian and my Cold War in the office, the weather all week had been sweltering, and by Friday, we’d finally reached a hundred-plus degrees out – nasty anywhere, but particularly Manhattan. You could pretty much stick your tongue out and lick the humidity, so thanks to that, the cafeteria had been unusually crowded of late. Even the higher-ups were forgoing their two-minute walks to the usual steakhouse to eat lunch in the building.
Unlike my fellow caf regulars, I didn’t mind the crowd. The luxe room was far too big and beautiful for the meager amount of people it usually attracted. Like the offices of Hoult Communications, it was a sleek, blindingly white double-height space with a second floor and matching double-height windows to let the sun pour in. Filled with people, it felt much less like a sterile, futuristic museum.
And, of course, the crowd was also better for people watching, which I got to enjoy with Lia this afternoon since she was in the building to visit Lukas.
“Sorry, love.” I forked around my salad before digging in. “Pretty sure the boss and I are at a standstill.”
“I should have known you two were too similar,” Lia crinkled her nose. “You and Julian having sex would probably be nonstop rolling over to fight for the top. You would need wrestling mats and an entire gym.”
I choked on a crouton. “Please keep in mind the man works in this building.”
“He owns the building. What do I care?”
“Yeah, also, please don’t remind me that he owns the building.”
“Why not?” Lia grinned, studying the frustration on my face. “Because his power turns you on?”
“Yes, very much so, actually. And right now, I’m trying to manage my arousal for the sake of maintaining utmost professionalism.”
“Right. How’s that going, by the way?”
“Swimmingly. Hence the standstill.”
“So you’ve officially mastered the casual-despite-my-wet-panties look?”
“You’ll be proud to know that I have.”
Lia popped one of my croutons in her mouth. “Well, that’s good because here comes my boyfriend and your boss looking like an Armani billboard.”
For the second time, I nearly asphyxiated. Coughing sharply, I found myself with just enough time to shoot Lia daggers before Lukas approached our table with Julian trailing two steps behind. His eyes were already fixed tight on me, and unless I imagined it, he didn’t look pleased.
“Hey, Julian,” Lia greeted him brightly. He was humorless as he slid his hands in his pockets and looked at her like he knew she was talking shit a second ago.
“Hello.” From her, his eyes turned to me. “Sara.”
“Mr. Hoult.”
“Oh, God,” Lia grimaced. “Do you really make her call you that?” she asked Julian, who looked decidedly elsewhere, as if looking for an escape. Seeing none, he answered Lia blankly.
“I don’t, actually.” He lifted his gaze to me. “I remember telling you as much, Sara.”
“My apologies. I must have forgotten.”
“Oh no. Couple’s quarrel?” Lia cringed. I shot her a look. “What?” She played dumb. “I can tell you guys what Lukas and I do to fix things after we fight.”
“Lia,” I warned in unison with Lukas. Hardly a rare occurrence anymore, considering the balls she’d grown of late.
“Seriously. You all know I ignored this advice for too long myself, but sometimes you just gotta bang it out and – ”
“I’m getting a coffee,” I announced, making a beeline for the bar while texting furiously along the way.
ME: Holy shit woman cool it. He’s still my boss. Remember that whole professionalism thing?
LIA: I do.
LIA: Makes me wonder why he’s mentally removing your skirt as you walk away.
I turned around to catch Julian staring at me. There was no flicker of apology in his eyes, which I found oddly daunting, so I averted my gaze and focused on approaching the coffee bar. I started to order, but I could tell by the way the young barista paused and looked past me that Julian was approaching.