The silence in the office settles again, but it feels different now.There’s a heaviness to it that wasn’t there before.My phone buzzes against the desk.I glance down at the screen, my brow arching as I pick it up.Of course it would be him.These controlling men seem to have a super power for inconvenient timing.
I swipe to answer, leaning back in my chair as I bring the phone to my ear.“Hi Spencer.”
“Vanessa.”His voice is smooth, familiar, carrying that easy confidence that never quite tips into arrogance.“I need to shift things this week.”
I glance at the calendar on my screen, though I already know what he’s going to say.“Thursday instead of Friday,” he continues.“Something came up, and I won’t be available our regular night.”
A pause settles in.Not long.Just enough for the weight of the decision to register.Thursday.The same day that I just arranged to meet Hayden.“I can’t do Thursday.”
The words come easily.Too easily.A brief silence on the other end.Probably not surprise, but because he’s recalibrating.After a second he speaks, a note of curiosity just barely threaded in his question.“Scheduling conflict?”
“The conflict appears to be on your end.I had us scheduled for Friday.”I don’t offer him more than that.We’re not exclusive.He’s a convenience.An extremely handsome, extremely skillful one.Nothing more than that.
There’s a quiet shift, something almost like amusement in the exhale that follows.“Next week then?”
“That works.”
No other questions.No push back.That’s one of the reasons it works with him.“I’ll see you then, Vanessa.”
“See you then.”
The call ends as smoothly as it started.I set the phone back down on the desk, my fingers lingering against it for a moment before I pull my hand away.I lean back in the chair again, my gaze drifting toward the window, though I’m not really seeing anything beyond it.
This wasn’t part of the plan.Then again, neither was seeing Hayden in the hallway at Gild.A small smile touches my mouth before I can stop it.“Thursday,” I whisper.And this time, I don’t try to pretend I’m not looking forward to it.
By the time I get home Thursday, the day has already stretched longer than it should have.Not because of work.Work was the easy part.It’s everything else that’s been sitting underneath it.
I toe off my heels just inside the door, nudging them into their usual place without looking, my bag sliding onto the console table as I step further into the apartment.“Vinny?”
A soft thud, then the quick, uneven rhythm of paws against hardwood answers me, gray fur rubbing up against my legs a moment later.
“There you are.”I bend just enough to scratch behind his ear as he circles my ankles, the missing half of his left ear giving him that permanently disheveled look that made me bring him home in the first place.“How’s my number one guy?”
He meows in response, which I prefer to believe is his way of confirming he is in fact my guy, then darts ahead toward the kitchen, already expecting dinner.
“Of course that’s what you care about.”I follow him, filling his bowl before leaning back against the counter, crossing my arms loosely as I watch him eat like he hasn’t been fed in days.The normalcy of it settles something in me, and grounds me in a way I didn’t know I needed.
For a moment, I just stand there and let the quiet of the apartment wrap around me in a way the museum never quite does.It’s softer here.Less intentional.And then my gaze shifts toward the clock.Six fifteen.
A small breath leaves me, slower this time.“Okay.Let’s do this.”
I push off the counter and grab a bottle of white I have in the fridge and pour myself a glass.I snag it in my hand then move toward the bedroom, already mentally running through options before I even open the closet.
This is for me.That’s how I frame it anyway.Still, I pause in front of my clothes much longer than I should.I take a longer sip of wine than I probably need.Something simple makes sense.Something effortless that doesn’t look like I thought about it too much.But, I also want to knock his socks off, even if I can’t admit it out loud.
My hand brushes past a few options before settling on a dress I haven’t worn in a while.
It’s a deep blue, the fabric so soft it skims instead of clings.It moves when I move, not against me.I pull it free.Hold it up for a second.
“Too much?”
Vinny, now finished with his dinner, appears in the doorway like he’s been summoned, blinking at me without a hint of judgment.
“Right.You’re useless.”
I don’t hang it back up.I place it on the bed and move to the bathroom.I take my time getting ready.I don’t drag it out, but I don’t rush either.I take sips of my wine between applying just a touch of makeup.Enough to notice, but not overtly obvious.I pull the pins out of the bun fastened to the back of my head and let my hair fall free.Soft waves fall down my back, and I smile, because I remember this is how he likes it.
When I slide into the dress, it settles exactly the way I remember it does and it gives me an extra edge of confidence.My reflection looks back at me from the mirror, and for a moment, I stare at my reflection to try to see myself through his eyes.“You’re overthinking this.”
