CHAPTER 44
Sebastian
“IT’LL BE WEIRD NOT COMING HERE EVERY WEEK,” MAYAsaid wistfully as we cleared out our shared office. There hadn’t been much in the beginning, but we’d accumulated a surprising number of decorative items over the past few months. “It’s only been a year, but I feel like we’ve been working here forever.”
I closed the lid on a full cardboard box and set it aside. A sly smile tugged at my mouth. “You going to miss working with me, Sal?”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I dislike changing my routine. That’s—” The rest of her sentence hitched on a gasp when I swept her up with one arm and tossed her on the table. A bunch of pens rolled off the edge and clattered to the ground.
“What was that?” I hovered over her, close enough to see her pupils dilate.
She licked her lips, her breath quickening. “I’ll miss working with you alittle,” she relented.
“Better, but not great.” I slipped my hand beneath her skirt, my fingers easily finding her growing arousal. “Try again.”
Maya sighed, her eyes fluttering closed. “I’ll miss working with youa lot.”
“There you go.” I rubbed a thumb over her clit. Her silk underwear was so wet, it hardly served as a barrier at all. She squirmed, her back arching, her breaths turning into pants, but I pulled away right as her muscles tightened in anticipation. “Now let’s finish packing. We have dinner reservations at seven.”
Her eyes snapped open. She raised her head, her jaw droppingas she watched me retrieve the pens from the floor and toss them into an empty box with lazy nonchalance. “Seriously? You’re going to leave me like this?” she sputtered.
“We’re at work, Maya. What you want me to do is highly inappropriate. Honestly, what would HR say?” My chest rumbled with laughter when she tossed an unopened pack of Post-its at me.
“You are such a bastard.”
“Don’t worry,mon ange. I’ll make it up to you later.”
“You better,” she said, but her mouth twitched as she slid off the table and joined me in packing up. She was trying not to smile.
Maya always enjoyed a challenge. Easy things bored her.
We worked in companionable silence for a while.
It was the last day of August, and it marked a full year since our fathers dropped the collaboration on us. It was hard to believe that’d been only twelve months ago, considering how much had happened since then.
The reviews were in, and our second launch event had been a smashing success. The critics raved about the food, and when we debuted our collaborative frozen foods line—which we’d held off on doing until after the make-up launch—it’d sold out within a week. Both our companies’ stocks had soared, and we were already brainstorming strategies to scale up without compromising quality.
Maya and I didn’t need a shared office anymore after the second launch, but we’d become attached to the room, so we’d held on to it for as long as we could. However, Singh Foods needed it as office space for their new director of corporate partnerships, who was scheduled to start next week. We had until the end of the day to move out.
It was just as well. Soon, I wouldn’t need a corporate office at all since I was transitioning out of my role as chief marketing officer for the Laurent Restaurant Group.
My father had kept his word. Considering the success of thelaunchandthe new product line, he’d given me his blessing to pursue a career as a professional chef.
I was still figuring out what that would look like, but I had time. I’d agreed to remain as CMO until the end of the year so my replacement could get up to speed. After that, I was on my own.
The thought was both terrifying and exhilarating.
We’d almost finished packing when I received a call from the lobby. “That’s lunch,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”
I met the courier at the elevators and tipped him handsomely. I brought the takeout bags back to the office and spread the food out on the conference table.
Maya’s nose twitched. It was adorable. “Is that the ramen we had last year? I thought their takeout was a one-time thing.”
“Make it a two-time thing.” I pushed the vegetarian bowl toward her. “This is our last official work lunch together. I wanted to make it special.”
Her wistful expression returned. “This really is the end of an era, isn’t it?”
“Sure, but we’ve been through many ends of eras together. It’s never reallytheend.”
