“Fuck this place.”
Ever since leaving Manhattan for Harrogate, I had always longed to move back to the city. But lately, when I returned for meetings, the allure of the city had faded. It was nothing but looming skyscrapers that darkened the streets, narrow, cracked sidewalks, noisy traffic, and hardly a lick of greenery.
All I wanted was to go back to Harrogate and back to Meg. She hadn’t said if she had liked any of the houses I had sent her. I wasn’t even sure how that would work. Who would take care of my brothers if she and I moved in together? Who would take care of her sisters? It was obvious that they could not all live in the same house.
I opened the door to Cicely’s Sandwich Shop and pushed my way into the lunch crowd. I had first met Meg here years ago. I grinned at the memory. She had been so incensed when I had found a way to skip the line.
The cashier waved me up to the counter.
“I’d like a prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella sandwich with pesto aioli. Two of them, please.” I swiped my card and moved to the side of the shop to wait.
“Funny. We ordered the same sandwich!”
I looked down. “I didn’t know you were going to the city today, Karen,” I said to my campaign manager.
“I had some business to take care of,” she replied. “There’s a park nearby if you want to—”
“I told you…” I was not in the mood to deal with Karen.
Her eyes narrowed, then her face relaxed. “I know. I just wanted to talk to you about the campaign. The debate is coming up.”
“I can’t,” I said. “I have to go back to Harrogate.”
She regarded me, lips slightly curled. “To see Meg,” she stated.
“Of course.”
* * *
Meg wasn’tin her campaign office, and she wasn’t in her deputy mayor office at the city. I had specifically bought the sandwich for her because I knew she liked it. I paced around in front of her locked office door at city hall. I was hoping to use the sandwich as an excuse to finally see her. She had been acting cagey lately, and I wasn’t sure why. Was it the house? The election? Was she hiding something? Was she mad at me? Was it Walter? I had to know. It was eating me up.
Weston and Blade might be able to dig up something.
I took a little used back stairway because it would take me to an alley where I could cut across to the ThinkX offices.
Meg was coming up the stairs right as I reached the third-floor landing. She was slightly red-faced, and her hair was in little wisps around her face.
“Hunter!” she said in surprise then promptly tripped up the stairs. I immediately dropped my briefcase, and I caught her before she fell.
“You can’t sneak up on people like that!” she scolded.
“I didn’t.” I released her. “You’re the one sneaking up the stairs. You didn’t answer my text, and you weren’t in either of your offices.”
“I’m working.” She fiddled with her purse strap.
“Did something happen?” I asked. She glanced away from me.
“What is it? Tell me.” I grabbed her chin. “You’re hiding something from me.”
She looked up at the ceiling.
“Is it Walter?” I growled.
She glanced back at me, nibbling her bottom lip. “Okay, so there is something.” She tipped her head forward. “Something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
My heart raced.
“Having you jackhammer your cock into me doggy style in my office wasn’t my only fantasy related to the building,” she purred. “I also really want you to fuck me in a stairwell.”
