“Whoa, whoa!” I chuckled. “Monica, it’s fine. If you and Adam are dating, then that’s totally fine. There’s nothing in the rules that says y’all can’t. Just be careful. Sometimes office romances can get… tricky if things fall apart.”
“Yes, ma’am. Things are still new, but I’m being cautious.”
I nodded and smiled at her in the rearview mirror. As Amber and Monica continued to talk, I clenched my jaw as the flashback of Sandra and Lawrence ran across my mind. I would never stand in the way of others finding their soulmates in an office setting. However, I knew that I would never fall into that category again. Yes, Lawrence and I were already together, but we still had romance in our shop. I remember the times we’dhave a quickie in our office before the other employees got in, but all of that faded away. Like our relationship.
We pulled into the restaurant, and I instructed the women to go ahead inside and look at the menu. I rolled my shoulders and took a few breaths to shake away my irritation. Damn Lawrence for ruining what we had. I shook it off and stepped out of my car. Today was a great day; my employees were amazing, and I could feel God working on a major shift in my life. There was no way I was going to allow my past to hold me back.
“Hey, girl!” Mya said, walking from behind the counter and embracing me. “I didn’t expect you today, let alone bringing in your entire crew.”
I laughed and shrugged my shoulders. “What can I say? My workers deserve a free lunch.”
“So business is good?”
“Better than before.”
“Hmm, so not trying to do everything on your own and moving some responsibilities to others is working?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You and Ricky were right. I don’t need to be a control freak.”
“Glad you know! So, who’s the chocolate man with the dreads?” Mya asked, lifting an eyebrow. “You didn’t tell me anything about hiring him.”
I pulled at her elbow to a corner of the restaurant. “That’s him,” I said in a hushed tone.
“Him, who?”
“Dexter! You know, Ricky’s best friend.”
Mya gasped, causing one of her busboys to turn and look at us. She smiled and said everything was fine. I waited until he finished cleaning before turning back towards her.
“Girl! When and why did you hire him to work with you? I need to know everything because you have omitted a lot of information.”
I explained everything that happened since the last time we were on the phone with Amanda. Mya’s mouth was hanging open the entire time before a wide smile spread across her face.
“It’s fate,” she said, clapping her hands.
“Fate?”
“Girl, yes! You and sexy Dexey were meant to hook up.”
“Okay, first of all, don’t call him that.”
“Please! That young man is fine! Look at all that chocolate you've already tasted.”
I swatted her arm with a chuckle. “It was an accident.”
“So, accidentally finish what y’all started! What’s the worst thing that can happen?”
“Ricky finds out and hates us both for betraying him.”
“Only if one of y’all blab,” Mya said with a shrug. “I’m just saying. There’s nothing wrong with a one-night stand. Now c’mon, let me help get y’all food ready. In the meantime, think about it.”
Mya walked back towards the kitchen, leaving me standing in the same spot. I allowed her words to sink in as I walked back towards my group, who were next in line to order. Dexter was fine, and as much as I tried to deny it, I wanted him. I stared at the back of his neck and reminisced about my legs wrapped around them as he had me in the air. My body heated as I bit down on my bottom lip. Dexter must’ve sensed me staring at him because he glanced over his shoulder. The same lust I saw in his eyes that night was there again. He smirked before he returned his attention to the conversation he was having with Adam. I shook my head to remove the image from my head. Not going to happen.
Dexter
After ordering my food,I walked into the restroom to wash my hands. I was glad the rest of my coworkers were on the same time as me. Touching stuff and then your food without cleaning your hands was the fastest way to get sick. Not to mention, nasty as hell. I was always going to wash my hands and pray over my food.
“So, Dexter,” Amber said as I sat back down at our table. “Adam says that you’ve been designing your own video game.”
