I attempt to regain some sense of dignity and take a large swig from my water bottle, pushing my food aside. “Mister Vargas, what can I do for you?”
He smirks. “Vincente, please. I’m sorry to interrupt your lunch.”
“It’s not a problem. I was about to give up, anyway.” I gesture to the tupperware. “I forgot a knife.”
“I see that.”
“Did you need something?”
“I actually came in to see what AJ has on the project so far. He let us know you were working on some sketches he thought we would like.”
My heart warms at the statement. He may be an old cock block, but he was certainly doing me right.
“I turned those into him before lunch. I imagine he’d like to show you himself.”
“Yes, we have an appointment. I’m just a few minutes early, and I saw you here, so I thought I’d say hello.”
“Oh. Well, in that case, hello. Are you having an enjoyable week?”
At that moment, AJ walks in. “Vincente! So good to see you again. The sketches are in my office, if you’re ready to go over them.”
“Nice to see you again, Sloane,” Vincente’s smile curls up on one side, and with a wink, he turns and walks into AJ’s office.
They spend about a half hour discussing my sketches, while I found crazy little things to do to distract myself. First, I dump the rest of the pork chop in my garbage, but then I can still smell it, so I take it to the breakroom garbage and clean out the container. Then I decide I could feel it still stuck between my teeth, so I go to the bathroom and floss angrily, then freshen my makeup. Once that’s done, I return to my desk and read online news articles while I keep one eye on AJ’s door. I can’t explain my anxiety, other than that I know he’s looking at my work and I hope I did a good job.
Eventually, they both emerge and my heart leaps to my throat. AJ walks Vincente to the door, with neither of them glancing my way. But after seeing Vincente out, AJ marches my way. “Great job, Sloane. He loved the sketches. He made a couple of suggestions. I’ll email those to you, but I think we’re ready to start the 3D modeling.”
“Great! Wow, that is a lot faster than I thought it would be.”
“Yes, they are pretty decisive. Mind, it’s a warehouse, not the Eiffel Tower, so there’s only so much to decide. But he really liked your style.”
My cheeks flush with pleasure. “Thank you. That’s a tremendous compliment. I’ll watch for your email and get right to work.”
AJ raps his knuckles on my desk and winks. “Keep up the great work, kid.”
I hold my smile until he turns away, then allow it to drop as I cringe internally.Kid?
“Hey, Sloane,” another male voice, already too familiar, draws my attention.
Sure enough, Vincente Vargas is back.
“Hi Vincente, did you forget something?”
“Sort of,” he smiles. “I meant to invite you to a party my parents are hosting on their boat tomorrow.”
“Oh, I dunno…” I trail off in total panic. How do I get out of this? My mind is an absolute blank.
“It’s not going far, just sailing around the harbor for a couple hours, and of course, Elian and Sandro will be there. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you’re not alone for a second.”
While that does sound tempting, I’ve got to find some way of telling him no. “I’m sure I have nothing appropriate to wear to such an event,” I blurt, knowing it’s actually true. But it’s also a convenient excuse—if I hadn’t just clearly been warned to stay away from the Vargas brothers by my boss, I would have moved heaven and earth to find something to wear.
“I see. Well, think about it. It’ll be a lot more fun if you’re there.”
“Okay, I’ll think about it,” I promise with a fake smile.Think about you all having a fantastic time sailing away on a boat, drinking champagne while I drive home to eat mac ’n cheese.
Vincente smiles once more, then says goodbye before striding out the front doors.
I feel the eyes on me before I even look. Sure enough, all the other associates were watching the entire conversation, including Frank, who leers at me smugly as if he just discovered some sordid truth I tried to keep hidden.