Millionaire Romance: In Love With My Personal Assistant - A Contemporary Romance (Millionaire Romance, Contemporary Romance, Comedy Romance Book 2) (17 page)

“You know I don’t do chemicals,” Nicole giggled. “How are you? Is everything alright?” Her smile faded as she looked over Jennifer, who forced a smile. Jennifer wanted to tell Nicole everything, whatever that happened to be, but seeing as to how she hadn’t seen in her friend in over three years, she didn’t want to monopolize the time with her troubles.

“I can’t honestly believe I’m seeing you right now,” Jennifer said softly. She leaned in for another hugged and squeezed tightly. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Nicole giggled, “Hard to tell that when you never returned my calls,” her voice was thin, but genuine. Jennifer pulled away and nodded solemnly. “I don’t say that to be rude. I’m glad to see you too.”

With a nod, Jennifer ran a hand through her hair. “It’s okay, Nikki. It’s true. I could have called, I probably could have come here a couple of times but I never did.”

Taking a deep breath, Nicole crossed her legs. “But you’re here now,” she said confidently, tapping Jennifer’s knee. “Let’s not worry about the past. We can’t change that.”

“Yeah,” Jennifer agreed quickly. “Let’s enjoy tonight and worry about the future tomorrow,” she squinted her eyes at Nicole and the two exchanged a devilish grin.

“So if I understood your hunk boss right, he gave us an open tab,” Nicole wet her lips and rubbed her hands together.

“He sure did,” Jennifer agreed.

“Well, I’ve never stepped foot Upstairs before, so let’s get this party started!”

They caught the attention of a passing waiter and placed their first round of cocktails and appetizer orders. They began the evening sharing an order of stuffed mushrooms with goat cheese and pesto and moved to grilled chicken skewers and a dish called Scallop Crudo with hazelnuts, chili, and pea shoots.

Jennifer didn’t realize how hungry she had been until the first order arrived. They devoured their food with old memories, laughs, and new tales from their unshared lives. Nicole explained how she came to get her first show on Broadway. It was an unpaid gig she managed by working two other jobs on the side and rooming with one other actor and two starving actresses. Together, they pinched pennies and clawed their dream out of stone to become their reality.

From there, she started receiving first hand invitations to low paying plays and family dramas, which led to her first big Broadway hit. She was currently working on her second Broadway show, Aladdin, as an understudy for Jasmine.

“I can’t believe you,” Jennifer said, cutting off a portion of the yellowfin tuna that had just arrived. She dipped it into the grilled pineapple salsa and placed it in her mouth, pausing to savor the burst of excitement dancing across her tongue.

“You’re really doing it,” Jennifer managed after she finished the bite.

Nodding, Nicole grabbed a forkful too. “I am. And what about you? You’re still with Mr. Freaking Hot!”

Jennifer laughed, much harder than she thought she should. She was on her third cocktail. They kept serving them with their orders. The current one was called something she couldn’t remember. All she knew is that it tasted sweet, spicy, and delicious.

“We should keep our voices down,” Jennifer lazily looked about her. She didn’t see James anywhere, but didn’t like the idea of him potentially overhearing their conversation. She wondered if she would see him again before she made it to her room later that night.

She had her room key in her purse and her briefcase was somewhere… She glanced around the small lunge section they occupied and saw the briefcase resting against the first chair she had sat in. Still safe. She grinned.

“You didn’t see it, girl, but when you took off your jacket, his eyes were all over you,” Nicole nodded quickly, and then paused. “You know this lounge is hella uppity right? I’ve heard they won’t even let you in if you’re not wearing good enough shoes.”

“Good enough shoes?” Jennifer laughed and looked down at her striped open toe stilettos. Her nails were manicured to perfection. Nicole looked down at Jennifer’s feet as well.

“I think yours are good enough,” Nicole commented. They shared a girlish cackle. “I’m serious though. Is he just your boss?”

Jennifer groaned. She didn’t want to get into this conversation. She would have much rather ignored the kiss he gave her, and the fact that she technically kissed him back. She didn’t want to think about that, how she betrayed Andrew, because that’s totally what it was, right? She cheated—she was a cheater!

“Oh my goodness,” Nicole covered her mouth and eyed Jennifer carefully. The awestruck in her tone caused Jennifer to sit straight and finally meet her friend’s eyes.

“Oh my goodness what? Did I drop something on me?” Jennifer glanced down at herself. Still perfect. She sighed out with relief.

“You two have something going on, don’t you?” Nicole asked; but, it was really more of a statement.

Blinking repeatedly, Jennifer closed her eyes and shook her head. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

“You totally do. It’s written all over you,” Nicole gasped and looked around before she leaned in close and lowered her voice to a decibel above faint. “Are you two sleeping together?”

“Oh my god no,” Jennifer groaned. She rubbed her hands over her face, and then braced herself to meet Nicole’s eyes. She had decided to blow everything off, but when she met her old friend’s dark eyes, her breath suddenly began to shake and emotion crashed against her ribs.

No, she and James weren’t sleeping together, but that was just right around the corner from how the day was going, wasn’t it? With all the flirting, the smiles and giggles, isn’t that what they were working up towards? And what would happen if that day came and passed?

“Just talk to me,” Nicole whispered softly. She touched Jennifer’s knee. “You don’t want to burden me, is that it?” She smirked, “Like Amanda?”

“Oh, gawd, Amanda,” Jennifer chuckled loosely. Amanda was someone they had all fallen out of touch with years ago with no regret. That woman was an emotional viper. She swooped in like a hurricane, destroyed happiness and good days with her negativity and chaotic problems, and dissipated into vapor just as quickly with her ever dramatic flares for attention. Anyone caught in the residual wake was left dazed and confused.

“Look, you’re no Amanda,” Nicole comforted. “Just talk to me,” she patted Jennifer’s knee.

After another deep breath, Jennifer shrugged loosely. “We’re not sleeping together,” she said calmly. Nicole eyed her carefully, holding her gaze steady. After a moment, she looked her over, and then smiled.

“Okay. I believe you. Then what’s up? You’re into him? I can tell he’s definitely in to you.”

Jennifer nodded. “Yeah, I know that,” she flipped hair over her shoulders and contemplated dumping the skinny of her situation on her friend. “The problem is that I just met someone. His name is Andrew—”

“Oh my gosh, your smile!” Nicole grinned and pointed at Jennifer playfully. She was right, just saying his name made her smile brighter than anything she had done that evening, even with the excitement of having seen her friend again after so long.

“Okay, so is this guy Mr. Awesome too?” Nicole asked, reaching for her near empty cocktail glass.

Jennifer wet her lips. She was unable to stop smiling as she thought of Andrew’s strong arms around her waist. She remembered the last kiss he had given her. He didn’t want to leave. That much was evident; and she didn’t want him to go.

“He’s Superman,” Jennifer said absently.

Nicole laughed. “Seriously?” Her voice had fallen flat with skepticism.

Jennifer leaned towards her friend and giggled. “Seriously. This guy has a chest harder than granite marble,” she paused, “wait, that’s two different things.”

“How much have you had to drink?” Nicole teased, “And which is it? Granite or marble?”

Rolling her eyes, Jennifer searched for the straw in her glass with her tongue playfully. “Both. Anyway, the man is gorgeous.”

“Does he work with you too?”

The direct question took the smile from Jennifer’s voice. She lowered her glass and Nicole only nodded.

“So let me get this straight. You work with two incredibly handsome men that are both into you. Is that right?” Jennifer nodded.

“Alright. You’ll have to correct me if I’m wrong on this, but judging by some of your reactions, there’s something going on with both of them. More than just
being into to each other
,” she marked the end of her sentence with quotation marks.

Taking a deep breath, Jennifer nodded. “Two weeks ago Andrew joined the firm as a partner,” she sat her cocktail glass down and turned towards Nicole to get serious. “He’s pretty serious about dating me, and I thought I was about him too, but,” she paused and sighed. “I’ve always had a thing for James.”

“How come you and James never worked out?”

Shrugging, Jennifer tousled her hair lazily. “He never showed me that I was anything more than his assistant.” She hesitated, “Well, at least he didn’t until this past Friday where he told me he loved me.”

“What?” Nicole’s jaw dropped.

Jennifer nodded. “I know right?”

“Wait a minute,” Nicole shook her head vehemently, “What?”

Again, Jennifer nodded. “I know right?”

“I’m confused,” Nicole stammered. “So how long have you worked for this guy?”

“Five years.”

“And you and Andrew are getting together—”

“And he finally tells me he loves me and just a second before I saw you this evening, he kissed me,” the words tumbled out of Jennifer’s mouth like a cascading waterfall. She couldn’t stop the truth, or herself from saying more, so she blurted it all out. “He kissed me, I liked it, and I kissed him back.”

Chapter Fourteen

Sweet Seduction

If anyone had ever gotten the chance to know Jennifer well, they would have called her a strong, talented individual. She had a good head on her shoulders and carried herself well.

However, after confessing the one thing that was eating away at her heart, those well-earned titles didn’t seem to hold weight against the feelings that suddenly racked her body.

She was crying. Actually crying. Nicole moved in quickly like a good friend goddess and cradled Jennifer’s upper body. Although Jennifer’s cries were silent, the tears were many.

“Don’t ruin your makeup,” Nicole whispered urgently. That made Jennifer laugh. “Your mascara will run,” her friend reminded.

That was the prompting Jennifer needed. She tried to pull herself together and reached for a napkin to dab into the corners of her eyes. She hated it when her mascara ran. It was so difficult to put on. Nailing the “Smoky Eye” look was a feat she felt accomplished for, but in less than a minute, she had ruined it all.

“I have some makeup wipes,” Jennifer muttered. She reached for her purse to retrieve the moist wipes. Nicole looked around.

“I sure hope that bozo doesn’t show up now, of all the times.”

“Bozo?” Jennifer sniffed.

Nicole nodded with attitude. “Yeah, that’s right, I said it. Bozo.”

Frowning, Jennifer raised her head and looked around at the other patrons sharing the outdoor lounge with them. No one seemed aware of her second or two of breakdown.

“You’ve worked with this guy for five years, Jenn. This is the same guy you were fawning over before I left right?” Jennifer chuckled and nodded sheepishly.

“Was I really that obvious?” Nicole’s response was a facial expression that made Jennifer laugh, easing the pain she felt in her chest.

“Anyway, you got a picture of this Andrew guy?” Nicole wet her lips. “I want to see Superman.”

With a giggle, Jennifer slipped her fingers into her purse and retrieved her phone. Her face paled when she saw she had missed a call. There was also another new email. Swiping at her screen, she frowned, eyebrows bunching together with concern.

“What is it?” Nicole asked, waiting patiently at Jennifer’s side.

Erasing the notifications, Jennifer forced a smile and shook her head. She added on a few extra blinks for good measure.

“It’s nothing. I have a shot of the two of us,” she reached for her phone’s photo album. “He took me on a horse ride downtown for lunch one day,” she was grinning. “That was fun. A little gross, seeing those horses use the bathroom, but,” she grinned. Andrew took care of that sight for her and kissed her instead.

“It was a great lunch,” Jennifer turned the phone to Nicole to let her see the selfie they had taken as they huddled in the carriage. They had taken several different shots, being playful and acting like two teenagers in a photo booth. The next image was Andrew kissing her cheek.

“Oh man,” Nicole whispered. “These guys are hot!”

Jennifer giggled, “I know right?” They cackled together. Nicole straightened herself and eyed Jennifer cautiously.

“Why?” She asked softly. With a falling smile, Jennifer frowned.

“Why what?” She half chuckled at the question.

“Well,” Nicole hesitated; her eyes darted around the lounge. After a moment, she sighed. “That’s just not you,” she said softly.

“Oh,” Jennifer pressed her lips together and directed her focus to her purse. Inside, her fingers found her compact mirror. She pulled it out and checked her reflection. She had a naturally clear complexion and rarely used concealers or heavy creams. Blessed is what most women called her. Others said she didn’t even need makeup, but she still used it on hot days for the SPF protection.

“I’m sorry. I’m not judging,” Nicole added quickly. “I’ve been there, worse than a kiss too. You know that.”

Jennifer smiled. “Yes. I was there for you then too,” she responded with a soft sigh, and then shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know why. He’s just been so,” she chuckled and forced her eyes to widen. “I’ve always had a thing for him and today,” she tried to explain herself again. She found she couldn’t. There were no words for flirting back, for batting her lashing or touching James at every opportunity.

His touch felt good. The way he watched her, the way he smiled at her. She loved it and wanted more. That’s why she kept giving him the go ahead. It was something she had wanted for years. Did that make her a bad girl?