He brings the knuckle of his long finger up to drag across his upper lip, and his sight remains drilled to the present. “You are not a whore,” he echoes back.
“We can’t fuck and you buy a necklace as if nothing happened.” There is rage in my voice.
His jaw ticks, and he bites the inside of his cheek as he accepts my wrath. “That’s not what I’m doing. Trust me, jewelry and women are a dangerous move that blurs expectations… It would be irresponsible of me to forget that rule.” I sense the struggle as he realizes his actions, the awareness bleeds through him, and it’s apparent. “As I said, HR?—”
“Sends expensive pens as gifts for employee milestones. Not necklaces.” Pointing a finger at him, he has now turned unreadable. I continue. “Cut the crap, and either way, I shouldn’t accept such a thing, but somebody clearly picked it out with knowledge.”
“Maybe.” His look is resigned.
“That person should know it could be seen as thoughtful, even if they have a fucked-up way of communicating most of the time. They might even be a coward.”
He stretches his neck, uncomfortable, clearly offended bymy suggestion. “You should really take up your concerns with HR.”
I shake my head, now irritated how he wants to hide behind a façade.
At least my suspicious are confirmed. He doesn’t want to forget the weekend, and he does believe he could be destined for more than just sex with someone, I’m twisting everything inside of him. For now, a confirmation is all I need. Everything else will revolve the way it should, in either direction.
Sighing, I give up on this conversation. Pivoting, I walk away, maybe even with an intentional sway. “This talk is a waste of time, just as much as the mess that IT left us all.”
I’m about to leave, but Julian saying my name stops me.
“Congratulations. You should be proud.”
I glance over my shoulder. “How did you know?”
His cheeks tighten, and he fights an affectionate smile. “I overheard you talking with Elodie. And no, I wasn’t stalking, you were literally in our office building, and I made a point for you not to notice me because it made the morning easier.”
“And did it?”
He chuckles quietly to himself. “Not even a dent.”
I almost grin but keep myself in check. “Sorry to hear that.”
Julian rubs his face with his hands. “You should leave.Now.”There is a smile he wants to stop when he says it.
Because he isn’t immune to succumbing to a woman, and he is only beginning to realize that.
And it happens to be me.
15
JULIAN
The clink of utensils and bouncing chatter fill my ears when I should be focusing on my sister across from me, having lunch at Jupiter. My mistake, since this place reminds me of Savannah and the night we had unexpected drinks and some obscure mushroom with cheese.
Vaguely, I hear my sister Caroline saying my name on repeat, and I bring my attention back to her. We only meet a few times a year, and that suits us. There’s no bad blood, quite the contrary. We’re just not, well, close-knit people who need to chat every day. I’m career-driven, and while she does have a career with her boutique art gallery, she would rather be spending money in France. Her pantsuit today is a little too dull for a woman her age, but to each their own.
“As I was saying, are you sure you don’t want to attend a meeting?”
I grimace tightly. “And break tradition? Why would I do that?” I answer sarcastically.
“You’re really never going to show an interest?”
I shake my head proudly before happily taking a bite of my BLT.
"I know you have no intention of seeing Dad again, and I don't enjoy that annual, distant nod in his direction. But grandmother left us those shares, and we shouldn't let them be taken from us."
“True. But I’m quite satisfied with you voting on my behalf for whatever is on the agenda.”
