AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’d prefer to meet you wherever you plan to have lunch.”
I feel bold. Foster Black wanted something from me, and I was now in control, or at least I thought.
“The Diamond Square here in midtown. I have a private room. We can discuss anything you wish to know. Let’s say noon.”
“I wish to know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“Be patient. I’ll explain it all tomorrow.”
“You’re impossible.”
Before I could react, Foster sprang up from his chair, and I was in his arms. He places his hand against the back of my head and presses my cheek to the starched white shirt he is wearing. I struggle for a moment then sink into the warmth of him.
“You’ll definitely do,” he murmurs.
I inhale his scent, taking in all that was Foster before I realize how much I dislike him. He was cruel, aloof, and demanding. I imagine someone like him had few friends. Pushing out of his arms, I stumble back a few feet.
“Definitely inappropriate!”
The corners of Foster’s mouth upturn as a smile dances on his lips. “We’ll see what you deem inappropriate when I tell you my proposition. Sleep well, Miss Butler. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a phone call to make.”
He went back to his chair and picked up his cell from the desk. As he dials it, I silently leave his office.
The whole interaction with Foster was just plain weird. He’s barely spoken to me over the past four months, only to bark out orders when he did. There was nothing personal about our relationship other than me being his errand girl. As I rode the subway, I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I almost missed my stop, needing to dart out the doors before they close, and the train moves on.
It is hot outside as I emerge from the subway station near Central Park, and my skin blooms with a mist of sweat. I was once again living with Zane and Lana so I could save money. My brother bailed me out two months ago from a potential eviction. I was three months late with my rent on my small studio apartment in SoHo.
I was afraid to tell Zane since he’d been covering me since I graduated from USC five years ago. He could well afford to support me since his software company was doing so well. His wife, Lana, was a millionaire in her own right due to the death of her estranged husband. They welcomed me into their apartment, but I felt like an invader since they were newlyweds.
As I step out from the hot evening into the cool interior of Zane’s building, I shiver as the cold air envelopes my sweaty skin.
“Miss Butler?”
I turn to see the concierge, Sergio, holding a long white box toward me. “For me?”
“It has your name on it. It was just delivered.”
I frown. “Who from?”
“It doesn’t say. Do you want them?”
It had been a year since anyone sent me flowers. My love life is on the back burner while I sort out my financial difficulties. I dated but hadn’t a full-on relationship for two years. It was also four months since I last slept with anyone, and the experience was less than satisfying. I much prefer my vibrator to one-night stands or drunken fumbling after a night out at a bar.
Sergio was handsome with dark hair and eyes. He was polite, and maybe I would’ve considered him dating material if his breath didn’t peel paint off walls. I try not to breathe in his noxious fumes as I sign the delivery sheet and take the box from him before I jam my finger on the elevator up button.
The box is heavy, and I almost drop it when I scoot into the elevator, pressing the fifteenth-floor button with my elbow. I have no idea about who would send me flowers. In front of Zane’s apartment, I fumble with my purse, looking for my keys. The door opens, and my brother holds his index finger up to his lips while gesturing to my sleeping sister in law on the couch.
“She just fell asleep,” he whispers.
“Why there?”
“I don’t care where she sleeps, as long as she sleeps. She’s uncomfortable. The boys are keeping her awake.”
Lana is six months pregnant with twin boys. Zane is over the moon, and I’m ecstatic to be an aunt in a few months. But it has its downside. Lana is so petite that even at six months, she can barely move. I feel sorry for her.
I toe off my sandals while Zane takes the box from my hands with a puzzled look. “Are you dating someone?”
“No, and I have no idea who these are from.”
