Something Blue

SAM

By Friday afternoon, I had yet to hear anything from Lowry’s office beyond a single concise email about the new contract he was drawing up. It was odd. I could’ve sworn that when I went off on him over the phone, he was saying the amendment was already done.

But I supposed I had been pretty livid at the time. Between that and Evie spreading her thighs and cumming in front of me, I might have misunderstood.

And speaking of Evie—the damn woman had been torturing me. I wished she’d drop a hint so I could know what to call her without having to ask. Was she my friend? My fuck buddy? My girlfriend?

Whatever we were to each other, at least it seemed to be going well. Her apartment was finished a day early, so we’d made plans to sleep there tonight and celebrate together.

And as a bonus, I was gonna give her a deep dish of payback for the night she’d worn the cute Santa outfit and tied me to her bed with my own fucking necktie.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that when my phone rang, it nearly startled me from my skin. I yanked it up, cramming it against my ear as my adrenaline settled. “Vázquez.”

“Good afternoon, Sam. This is William Lowry.”

“Oh, yes. Hi. I’ve been waiting to hear from you.”

“Yes, I apologize. It’s taken a bit to draw up our new agreement, but no doubt the new seven percent rate is worth the wait.”

I furrowed my brows. “Seven percent?”

~We never agreed to seven percent.~

“Yes. Your secretary made it very clear on the phone that those were your terms; were they not?” He sounded a little snippy now.

~My secretary? What does Evie have to do with this?~

“Uh…yes,” I lied, clearing my throat. “Yes, they were.”

“I’ll have Becky fax them over today before I leave the office.” He paused. “I do respect a fellow family man, Sam. I think we’ll work together just fine.”

“O-okay, great. Thanks.”

“Have a good weekend.”

“Thanks, Will. You too.”

I lowered the phone, bewildered. I sighed, tugging at the baby-blue tie around my neck, loosening it to gain more airflow.

When the hell did Evie talk to William, and why wouldn’t she tell me about something like that? This was ~my~ business. She shouldn’t have taken an initiative that wasn’t hers to take, even if it did end up netting a good result.

I stood and poked my head out of my office. “Evie, can I speak with you for a moment?”

Without saying a word, she rose and accompanied me inside, closing the door behind her.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“I just got a call from William Lowry.”

“Oh?” she questioned, raising her brows.

“No, no, no, don’t do that. Don’t act surprised,” I said, shaking my head. “He said he talked to you earlier in the week.”

This wasn’t the first time a woman had meddled in my business, and I wasn’t happy about it. It was one thing when I asked for Evie’s help to go over the contract, but it crossed a line for her to go behind my back and then keep it a secret from me all week.

“I may have mentioned to him that something like a ten percent rate, let alone twenty, would drive workers away and hurt him in the long run as well,” Evie said calmly.

“Evie, that wasn’t your call,” I snarled.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I just didn’t wanna watch my boyfriend lose his business. Okay?”

~Wait, did she just call me…~

Fuck the hint, she said it. She actually came right out and said it.

“Boyfriend?” I questioned.

“Oh. Um…” Embarrassment darkened her sea-green eyes as she fumbled over her words. “Are we not… I’m sorry.”

“N-no, we are,” I muttered. “I just didn’t know.”

Her bashful, nude lips tried to suppress a grin. Clearly, she was happy to hear the confirmation.

“Listen,” I said. “Everything that happened with Carla—it messed me up. I haven’t told you everything there. Carla always thought I should be making more money, so she would go behind my back, putting our joint assets into risky investments.

“Part of the reason half my business disappeared in the divorce was because Carla’s fingerprints were all over it. It’s hard for me to trust anyone again, to get involved in financial decisions this big.

“I know you’re not her. I know this is a totally different situation. But I need you to give me a heads up when you’re doing something that affects my livelihood. Okay?”

She nodded seriously. “I didn’t think about it that way. I just didn’t want to get your hopes up in case it didn’t pan out. But I do understand that I’m your employee, and your business is yours. I’ll run big decisions by you sooner from now on.”

I smiled, letting the tension seep out of me. “You really are an angel, you know that?”

“Thank me later, Vázquez,” she said with a hot little smirk as she twisted to exit my office.

~Don’t you worry, baby. I will.~

***

Later that evening, Evie and I hiked up to her newly renovated fourth-floor walkup. I followed her through the short entryway, leading to the only area where her queen-sized bed could fit—though she hadn’t actually bought any furniture yet. That was tomorrow’s errand.

I looked around again. Black granite made up the tiny kitchen island, and fresh white paint stretched all the way from the hickory wood floors to the ceiling.

Two large windows lined the left wall, providing a good view of the setting sun, the Rand hotel, and even Finnegan’s down the street.

Evie had a sweet little spot here. She could even walk to work on nice days if she wanted.

For some reason, though, she wasn’t smiling anymore. Her eyes flashed around as she paused in the center of the space, looking like she was underwhelmed or unsatisfied.

“Hey,” I said, setting down the box I’d been carrying beside me on the floor. “What’s wrong?”

“I guess I’m just now realizing that this is my first time living alone in over ten years.”

I’d worked through identical emotions when Carla left, so I understood how she must be feeling. Which was great, because I got to tell her what I wished someone could’ve told me two years ago when the separation first happened.

“Hey…” I wrapped her in my arms and gazed into those mesmerizing emerald eyes that had captivated me since day one. “Just because you live alone doesn’t mean you are alone.”

When she smiled at me, something sparked in her face. It was as if just looking at me fired up the nerves in that beautiful little head of hers.

“I brought something for you,” she said, peeling away to snag her deep-purple purse from the countertop.

She stepped toward me, fishing through her bag. As she grabbed something blue and held it up between us, I broke into a carnal grin.

Her little pale-blue vibrator.

~Evangeline Marie Beckett, I hope you’ve got a safe word—because tonight, I’m in control.~