“Nah. We need to act quickly. There’s only a limited window of opportunity.” I dig out my phone and call the airline. There’s a flight leaving in an hour, then it’ll be an hour and a half home, plus the drive; I won’t be home for three hours. I check the time—five-thirty. That’ll work. “All right. I’ll see you when you get home. Have a good night.”
“Good luck. What should I tell Charles?” Dylan asks.
“Tell him I had an emergency and I had to get home. It’s not a lie,” I tell him as I step away.
In the elevator up to our room, I message Sarah.
Me:I’m in a meeting, so I’ll see you at 8:30
Sarah:If you’re busy, it can wait until tomorrow
Me:I’ll be finished by then, see you at 8:30
Sarah:Okay, thank you. Just come to my place
Me:Are you sure?
Sarah:You already know where I live. May as well
One side of my mouth tips up. Yes, I do.
Me:Okay
* * *
Arriving on Sarah’s doorstep, I draw in a deep breath, then knock on her door. I hear shuffling inside before the door opens revealing Sarah in shorts and a tank, her feet bare with teal nail polish.
She’s stunning.
Her smile is immediate when she sees me, so I lean forward and press my lips against her soft cheek, simultaneously dragging a bouquet of flowers from behind my back. As she pulls away from me, her eyes land on the peonies and her smile widens. Mine matches hers without delay.
“Oh, AJ, you didn’t have to do this.” She leans forward and pecks my cheek and it was worth every penny of the eighty dollars the arrangement cost me from the overpriced shop at the airport. “They’re stunning.” She drops her nose into the bouquet, drawing in a deep breath. “They smell gorgeous too. My apartment’s going to smell fabulous! Thank you so much.”
She steps to the side and I enter her cozy apartment, which already smells incredible. She has one of her cooking shows on the television and she was obviously crocheting while she was waiting for me.
“You’re welcome.”
“Have you had anything to eat?” Sarah asks as she steps into the kitchen, bending down to reach under the sink and giving me a spectacular view of her plump ass. She stands, holding a vase, and looks at me over her shoulder as she fills it with water. I snap my eyes up, but I’m not sure I’ve done it quickly enough to not get caught.
“Yeah. I had something on the plane,” I tell her.
She spins to face me fully, tightness surrounding her eyes. “On the plane? Where were you?”
“Vegas.”
“Oh. How come you were there?”
Full of pride, I tell her about our meeting with Charles and how we’ve secured him as a client, while she arranges the flowers to her liking. Sarah surprises me when she wraps her arms around me, tugging me into her lush body. My hands automatically rise to hold her waist, taking advantage of the opportunity to feel her curves.
“Congratulations! You should be out celebrating with Dylan, not here with me.” She releases me and grabs the vase, placing it on her dining table, then turns toward me with a smile. “Thank you. They’re so beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like them. Dylan and I were having a drink in the bar when you messaged.”
Her sculpted eyebrows draw together, creating creases between them. “I … I hope you didn’t leave early to come here … for me.” Her words are stilted.
This could go one of two ways if I tell her I left Dylan behind to deal with our client when I was supposed to be there. She’s either going to think I’m great for dropping everything to come here when she needed me, or she’s going to catch on as to how invested I am. I want to be completely honest with her, though.
“Uh, I left Dylan to finish up. He’ll be okay. All of the business stuff had already been sorted. Tonight was more about socializing.”