Annihilate Me by Christina Ross Page B

Neither of us talked until my second cup
of coffee arrived and the plates were carefully removed so as not to make too
much noise.   He was nothing if not a
gentleman.
    “Satisfied?”
he finally asked.
    “Completely,”
I said.   “You’re such a good cook.”
    “It’s
all Michelle.”
    “She
was your escape when you were a child?”
    I
saw a brooding look come over his face, but he masked it.   “She was.   I think I told you that.”
    Which
meant that’s as far as he was going to go.
    “Look,”
he said.   “You’re just waking
up.   Why trouble you with my past
now?”
    That was mysterious.   I knew from Blackwell that he hadn’t been close to his mother, but never
once had she mentioned his father.   Alex had, though.   When we
first met at the interview, he suggested that he never wanted to take over
Wenn, but he had because his father wrote it into his will.   Then, the other day, he mentioned how
Michelle also kept him clear of his father.   So, the family didn’t get along.   I wondered why?   And then it occurred to me that we had
more in common than I realized, especially if I considered his issues with his
father.   I respected boundaries, so
I let it pass.   When he wanted to
talk to me about it, he would.   I
certainly wasn’t going to press.   Of
all people, I knew what it was like to not want to discuss your private life or
your past.  
    I
moved forward.   “Sorry I fell asleep
on you.   Actually, literally on top
of you.”
    “I’m
not.   Because of that, I get to have
you here this morning.”
    “I
have to say that your abs, as solid as they are, made for a nice place to lay
my head last night.”
    “You
don’t say?”
    “I
do say.”
    I
could tell that made him happy because he winked at me.
    “What
does your day look like?”
    “The
same.   Back-to-back meetings, then
an event tonight.   But I’ll be able
to pick you up at the restaurant this time.”
    “I’d
like that.   I know this sounds
silly, but the reason I came here last night is because I felt lonely when you
weren’t there to meet me after work last night.   I came here on impulse.   I wanted to see you.   I just didn’t think I’d be spending the
night with you.”
    When
I said that, Lisa entered my thoughts.   “Lisa,” I said.
    “I’ve
already talked with her.   She knows
you’re here and that you’re safe.   Even though I wanted to carry you to one of my guest rooms, she
suggested I leave you on the couch so you could get some sleep.   I was climbing into my own bed when I
called her.   I knew you’d be
concerned that you hadn’t talked to her last night, so I took care of it for
you after I tucked you in.”
    “Thank
you—I appreciate that.   Did
she say anything?”
    “Just
that she’s excited about the new apartment, and that she’s eager for us to
meet.   I said that soon, we three
could have dinner here.   She was way
up for that.”
    “Lisa
is as tiny as they come, but when it comes to good food, there’s no stopping
her.   Dinner with the three of us
would be fantastic.   I love her.”
    “She
was a pip on the phone.”
    “She’s
wonderful.   I’m so grateful for
her.   We’ve had a rough few months
together.”
    “Things
are better now.”
    “They
are.   Because of you.”
    “No,
not because of me.   You earned your
job with db, Jennifer.   They were
lucky to have you.   When you leave
and assume your second job at Wenn, you’ll see that you also earned that job.   Your schedule will be hectic.   You’ll be with me night and day.”
    “And
that’s a bad thing?”
    “We’ll
have our moments.   We’ll spar, it
will get heated, and both of us will get pissed off at each other at some point
along the way, but that’s good.   In
fact, it’s necessary.   If we’re
considering a deal, we need to look at every possible angle and riff off each
other to make sure it’s the right deal to propose to the board.   Just please don’t