Chapter 18 — Luke

I ran a tight ship at work which should have made me happy. The beginning of the week had been a disaster and somehow with the team and April. They had not only pulled it all together, but they made it work.

I loved and hated her for it.

I loved the way she didn’t stop being my secretary, but had formed a little Charlie’s Angels group, so they’d been named by the other girls. I didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing, her making friends here or not. Especially with our arrangement but I let it slide especially with her talents in the office. Everything was perfect about her. Yet, I made sure I kept my distance. I didn’t want anyone to know about our arrangement and I didn’t want it slipping out that we had more than a business arrangement.

“Ready?” I asked on the intercom on the parking exit as I came out of the car to pick her up to go to mom’s annual barbecue. Everyone had been asking when I was going to show off my new girlfriend, especially Hayley and Ed who couldn’t believe we’d been dating for more than two weeks. It wasn’t a miracle, after all, I was nearly married once. Even though it felt like a lifetime ago, we did live together, and everything seemed great until that day. I fucking panicked and left her at the altar.

Everyone was told she jilted me.

It felt easier than to save her the humiliation from the gossip, which was why I hated gossip, it fucking drove me insane. I buzzed again wondering if April was going to come down or if I was going to be left standing here like a jerk.

“Mr. Winters, come in. Sorry I didn’t see you there.” Dean, the doorman said, but I knew the reason he probably didn’t see me, was because I didn’t want to be seen.

I wanted to buzz her down and then go.

“No worries. I’m waiting for April.”

He shook his head, “No, she said as soon as you come, you should go right up. After all, it is your apartment.”

I was going to correct him and tell him it was the company’s apartment, not mine personally. But, I didn’t as he smiled and the only thing on my mind was the fact he was way past retirement age and shouldn’t be working at all.

I was going to ask him, but I didn’t. I knew it would be rude. I needed to work on my social skills, I was fine with the guys but I seemed to alienate everyone else, which was something my mom said I needed to work on more than once.

He nearly tripped on the step to press the elevator button. “Oh, sorry, just my leg’s hurting me a bit.”

“You really shouldn’t be working at your age.”

Shit, that really came out wrong!

He laughed. “Who else is going to pay my wife’s medical bills?”

I shook my head. I’d heard this one too many times. The health care system in this country wasn’t helping people but rather killing them. I took a note I would send Craig with a check for him. It should help and hopefully stop this old man working too much he couldn’t even get time to spend with his wife once she was well again.

“Is she okay?”

He sighed. “Hip problems.”

There was this awkward silence as we waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor.

“I shouldn’t have said anything, it’s not your problem.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

I smiled. “A problem shared is a problem halved.”

He looked at me in confusion as he removed his hat and scratched his balding head, he didn’t know what to say and I wasn’t going to explain it to him. He would find out the moment Craig came back with the check. I just had to find out from Jeff how much a hip replacement was costing these days and I would pay the whole bill and some more, it was the least I could do. I hated seeing people suffer, even if they were strangers.

“Have a good day, Dean.”

He nodded and with the press of a button I was going up to see April alone. My phone beeped at the same time, but I knew once the door closed there would be no signal.

As I reached the top floor and I didn’t even get to the door, April swung it open. She had that look again, the same one she had when we went on our blind date.

“Sorry, I just know today’s a big deal to you and I didn’t want to let you down, but I have no clue what to wear. I checked out the weather forecast and it said it would be nice, but hey, we live in L.A.. It’s nice all year round.”

She waited for a response from me as she held up two dresses, a blue knee-length dress which had a rosette around the neck and would be nice for a wedding or a bright yellow, backless dress which was above the knee and would show off her hot legs. I had visions of me running my hands down her back and feeling her smooth, silky skin. Like a horny teen ready to lose his virginity, I pointed at the yellow one.

She hesitated, “It’s not too much? I admit I’ve been dying to wear this since I bought it. I’ve never had a dress so nice, but then I didn’t want to embarrass you.”

Why was she so sexy and cute at the same time?

A woman too considerate didn’t belong in L.A.. How did she last here so long?

“It’s fine, believe me, you won’t be wearing anything different to what the other women will be wearing there. No one will notice.”

She just stared at me, this was when I realized I’d said the wrong thing, again!

“I’ll get changed,” she whispered and left. Not with the same bubbly enthusiasm she greeted me with, but probably regretting us going out if I was going to behave like this.

I needed a drink, a stiff one. I raided her fridge, I realized I was at the wrong place.

She didn’t drink.

Seriously, she must have been a nun in her old life before she came to work for me.

“Done!”

I smiled at her, I wanted to compliment her as much as my cock wanted to ride in between her legs but I was tired from trying to find one bottle or even a damn can of beer that I gave up and decided there was more drink in the car.

She had her hair pinned up and the brightness of the dress complimented her once pale complexion, but now she had a mild tan. She didn’t look beautiful, she looked stunning and I could tell by the way she grabbed her keys and purse she was disappointed by my reaction. I decided to save the date before it was over and compliment her on anything including her golden sandals.

“You look nice, especially with those heels.”

It worked!

“Thanks, I’m not used to wearing them so high, but they went with the dress. So the sales lady said and I never wear my hair up, but the hoops look good with the dress.”

“You should, you have a nice neckline.”

Now, I was going overboard.

“Yeah, I get it from my mom. She tells everyone she should have been a model with her neckline and cheekbones, but instead, she spent all her years in a diner.” She laughed as if it was some kind of joke.

I didn’t think it was funny, but I wanted to lighten the mood and didn’t question.

“Sorry, it’s funny because my mom’s like five foot two. She needed more than a good neckline to be a model.”

I nodded as she double-checked the apartment and then we headed into the lobby and caught the elevator.

“I’m rambling again Mr. Winters. Sorry, it’s just I’m a bit nervous.”

“For God’s sake, don’t call me Mr. Winters. Remember we’re supposed to be dating, she nodded and apologized again. I realized this was a disaster at this point, I couldn’t say anything nice without her feeling bad and she felt the need to say sorry every second. She smelled good, I noted as we both entered the elevator and for some reason it led me to know what it was, a scent I recalled as if it was only yesterday.

“Chanel number five.”

“Yeah, how did you know?” she asked.

The elevator door opened and thankfully, I didn’t have to answer the question.

We smiled and thanked Dean as he tried to run and guide us through the door.

“Do you own the whole building?” April asked as we headed to the limo which was waiting for us.

I laughed. “April, I’m rich, but not that rich!”

I asked Craig to work today, something that I wouldn’t usually do, I believed in all my staff having free time. Even if I didn’t have any. I knew that if you made your employees happy, they worked for you in good spirit. I tried to treat them as fairly as I could most of the time.

April smiled as Craig opened the door and she slipped into the limo, I underestimated the dress and her charisma as Craig automatically grinned as she entered. She even turned a few heads from some people passing us. Everything about today was different than I’d expected, the last time I went on an another date, to lead to a fuck for the night. Lately, the only time I went out was to have them in my bed, never to socialize and certainly not to introduce them to my family. They were clear about the rules from the start, a date, a good fuck, nothing more. Most of them were fine with it, I had a couple who told me I was heartless and ran up the most expensive bill in the restaurant and then left me hanging dry. I knew what they were doing at the time, women like that always think they are outsmarting me, and I let them think they’re the ones in control. I put on the disappointed face when they tell me to drop them home and lie about having a headache, hoping I would turn around and call them again. I don’t. I told them before we went on the date and I was a man of my word lately. I had to be ever since the disaster with Kim.

“Penny for your thoughts,” April said..

I sat back down and I pondered about the last date before April. I never promised to call the woman, but it didn’t stop her endlessly calling me for weeks. “I was thinking we need a drink. What’s your poison?”

She laughed. “Lately with the girls it’s been all about the cosmos.”

“You mean the other angels? Okay. So, I have nothing like that, but I can offer you gin, vodka, rum, or whiskey.”

“Angels?”

I’d said too much. She didn’t even realize she had a nickname in the office.

“Yeah, your nickname in the office.”

“Who invented it?”

She had no clue and was agitated about having a name in the office. Well, it was better than what they would be calling her, if anyone apart from Jeff had seen her sprawled on my desk.

“I don’t know. Someone just said it and then we laughed about it and then got on with things.”

“That’s sexiest,” she pointed out.

“No. It’s having a bit of fun in the office.”

“But you never have fun in the office.”

“Yes, because it is a workplace, not a children’s playground.” Once again we were on complete opposite sides and both of us needed to loosen up. April did a lot more than me, which was strange because usually, I was the uptight one.

“I hate they’ve given us a name in the office.” She crossed her arms.

“Three groundbreaking women, who are tough and know what they want. I can tell why you’re offended. Compared to my nickname, where they call me LW because hot one minute and cold the next.”

Her dark eyes met mine and for once, she was speechless. I couldn’t believe it. I took the opportunity to stuff the JD and Coke mix in her hand and hoped she wouldn’t refuse it.

She downed it as if it was a cup of water and then she laughed. “They all think you don’t know.”

I winked at her. “I know a lot more than they think. Another drink?”

“Yes, please. I think we got off on the wrong foot.”

“We did. Let’s start again.” I held out my hand. “Agreed?”

She shook my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Luke.”

“Likewise.” I reluctantly let go of her hand. We hadn’t left her apartment’s parking log. “Craig, what’s up are we staying here for the night?”

“No, sir. I was just waiting for you to confirm we should go ahead.”

Really?

“Well he has a point.” April giggled. “He does need you to confirm it. You should see your face when he said it, you went a very bright shade of red.”

The drink had definitely loosened her up and I wanted to be on the same page, so I poured myself a glass and then told Craig to be on our way. Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all, I definitely had one of the prettiest and smartest girls on my arm. Even if she didn’t know it, I sure the hell did.