The Wrong Right Man(17)
“Dakota, you should know it’s rude to stare,” he states then inhales through his nose and his hands tighten into fists as his jaw grinds.
“What are you doing here, Braxton?” I know the answer without asking, and the anger that had dissipated with every text he’s sent me while he’s been away comes back full force.
“I think you know.”
“Yeah.” My throat gets tight with the urge to scream. “Why?” The question is barely audible. I don’t get it. I don’t understand why he hasn’t told me the truth even once since we’ve known each other.
“It’s complicated,” he mutters, sweeping his eyes over me from head to toe, bringing every cell in my body to life in that one look, before facing the door when it opens and people step on. I wrap my hands around the handle of my cart and squeeze, feeling his eyes on me, but I don’t turn to look at him. On the next floor, the few people who got on step off, leaving us alone again.
“You haven’t returned any of my messages.”
I haven’t. I’ve wanted to, but I haven’t. Now I’m glad I stayed strong. The one this morning telling me he just landed in Seattle was especially difficult to ignore.
“We’ll talk tonight and I’ll explain things to you.”
“We won’t, I don’t need you to explain anything,” I say as the elevator stops. I get off even though it’s not my floor and my legs shake as I push through the crowd waiting to get on. Once the doors close, I press the button and wait for the next one to come, hoping I don’t have to quit my job.
When I finally make it to the forty-seventh floor, I head for the conference room and find the door open. “Good, you’re here.” Kathy sighs dramatically, helping me drag the cart to the corner of the room. Since I started working with Kathy, I’ve noticed she’s more often than not dramatic in everything she does. “Mr. Adams wasn’t supposed to be back until next week, but he flew in this morning and wants us to hold the new merchandise meeting now,” she says, picking up a stack of papers and handing them to me, and I wonder how it’s possible she has no idea I’m currently having a heart attack.
I’m sure there are other men with the last name Adams. But it’s too much of a coincidence to think that the CEO and Braxton who have the same last name both flew in this morning. She bends over and unlocks the doors on the cart with a key tethered around her wrist and pulls out a dozen or more small boxes that are enclosed in a large plastic bag. “Each place gets a pamphlet and a box except that chair there.” She nods toward the head of the table, where a bottle of water is sitting unopened.
“Got it.” I take the boxes from her and set them on the table.
“Thank you for helping me with this, I’ll be back in ten minutes. I need coffee. Can you handle this until I get back?”
“Of course, go.” I shoo her away, needing a minute alone to wrap my head around things. I begin the mindless task of placing the pamphlets and boxes around the table and play out every scenario in my head. Most of them end with me quitting and living with Jamie again—something I don’t really want to do but will. When I hear the door open, I don’t even look up, assuming Kathy’s come back.
“Glad to see you made it here, since you got off on the wrong floor,” Braxton says, and I jump, turning to find him sitting at the head of the table and opening the bottle of water that was placed there.
“So, I’m guessing this is where you tell me this is your company?” I prompt as my stomach turns and my hands start to shake.
“I told you it was complicated.”
“For once, you didn’t lie,” I say sarcastically, wanting to toss the box in my hand at his stupid head.
“I haven’t lied to you,” he states, leaning back in the chair and resting his ankle on his knee.
“No, you’ve just kept the truth to yourself until you didn’t have a choice but to come clean.”
“Braxton!” Kathy exclaims, breaking our stare-down, and we turn to watch her walk into the room with a cup of coffee in her hand and a smile on her face.
“Kathy.” He stands to greet her with a kiss to her cheek.
“How was your trip? Did you and Hanna enjoy your time?” she asks, and his posture changes ever so slightly.
“It was business, Kathy,” he states quietly but firmly.
“I may be old, but I remember what it’s like to be young and—”
“Kathy,” he cuts her off, letting the warning in his tone hang in the air between them. What she’s implying registers, and that knot in my stomach moves to fill my chest. Lord in heaven, not only is he a liar; he’s a cheater. Why do I have such shit luck when it comes to men?
“Fine, fine.” She waves her hand around between them. “Did you have a chance to introduce yourself to Dakota?”
He turns toward me, and the look in his eyes is filled with an uncomfortable amount of familiarity. I silently beg him not to say that we know each other.
“Nice to meet you, Dakota.” He steps toward me, and I brace as he holds out his hand.
“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Adams.” I place my hand in his, despising the tingles that shoot up my arm and travel through my blood stream. I try to remove my hand from his, but his grip is firm. He smiles a devastating smile, one that shows off perfectly straight teeth and a slight dimple in his right cheek, a dimple I didn’t notice until now. I let out the breath I was holding when he finally releases me and moves back to the head of the table where he was seated before.