Conflict of Interest (Employee Relations Book 1) (73 page)

I square my shoulders and put on my best
don’t fuck with me,
face.

“Enjoying your bite to eat?” I hiss.

He licks his lips. “Haven’t
eaten
in days.”

I scowl at his subtlety. We haven’t been intimate since the incident with Randy and it hasn’t been my choice. He’s treating me like I’m glass.

“Guess that explains why you had to go out.”

The bastard’s mouth twitches.
He thinks this is funny?

He grabs my arm before I brush past him.

“I don’t think so.” Turning he urges the other woman to come forward. “Gabriella, I’d like you to meet my sister. Serosa, this is Gabriella.”

His sister?

It never occurred to me that he could have fathered another child, but he did. I have a sister.

“Why didn’t you—”

“It wasn’t planned. She texted me earlier when I was at the drycleaners. A friend of hers is going to graduate school in Boston. She took the train up for the day and goes back to New York in the morning so she asked if I could meet up for lunch.”

“Oh.”

Lucas ushers all of us back into our booth after the waitress yells at us to get out of the aisle. Slipping into the spot next to me he leans forward like he’s going to kiss me but stops just short of making contact.

Three days and I already hate that we have to hide our relationship. How’s this going to feel as the weeks and months tick by?

Under the table Lucas catches my hand. I long for the day that we can go out in public to enjoy dinner or anything like a real couple.

To hide my trepidation, I busy myself with handing napkins to Lucas and his sister.

Inflicting lightness into my voice I ask, “Did you two get time together before we ambushed you?”

“Serosa helped me with shopping,” he says handing me a small bag. “This is for you.”

Nervously, I bite my lip and reach inside and pull out a flat square shaped box.

“What is it?”

“Open it.”

Inside is a silver bangle bracelet like the others I have, except this one has a four-leaf clover charm.

A lucky charm from my lucky charm.

“It’s beautiful,” I whisper.

“It was supposed to be a surprise.”

Mortified, I sink back into the booth. “I’m sorry. I saw you with another woman and just…”

“Were jealous? I know the feeling. But I thought you trusted me.”

“I do, it’s just—”

“You can apologize later when I’m not at risk of publicly mauling you.”

Ditching his sister and my friends crosses my mind. I desperately want to be mauled. Three days is an eternity. How I went months without being touched before Lucas came into my life is beyond me.

Too bad the waitress picks that moment to bring us our food.

“Lucas mentioned you were staying in New York City,” I say to his sister. “Have you thought about coming here?”

“I’d love to stay in Boston. I need to find a job first though. I asked if I could stay at Lucas’s since he’s with you so much but apparently his roommate is a bit of a twat.”

Laughing, I tell her that I’ve heard the same but have yet to meet him.

“Are you staying with friends in New York?” Summer asks.

“A new friend I guess you could say. Have you met Ki?”

Kyra chokes on her drink and excuses herself. Summer and I exchange a curious glance.

Spending time in NYC. Sleeping with a man who isn’t her type
. Holy shit…Kyra and Ki?

“Uh, yes. We have,” I tell Serosa.

“He’s been great, showing me around and helping me meet people. I need to figure out my next move before I wear out my welcome. Coming to the States was never supposed to be permanent, but now that I’m here I don’t want to leave.”

“Anytime you want to stay in Boston you can have either our couch or my room if I’m traveling,” Summer offers and then looks at me and Lucas. “Or maybe not. Those two are sequestered to the apartment and the walls are thin. There’s only so much closeness a brother and sister need to have.”

“Oh, God,” Serosa crinkles her nose and turns to Lucas and me as well. “Wait, I have an idea. You two should come to New York. Or all of you could come.”

It’s three hours away and no one there would recognize me. Lucas is another story.

“I don’t know. Lucas lived there for a long time. We might run into his friends or people he worked with.”

“There’s over eight million people, Gabby. We’re still getting acquainted but I assure you my brother isn’t that popular.”

“It’s a brilliant idea,” he agrees.