Page 37 of Love Under the Microscope
Bed.
An image of Jack appears in my mind.
For the first time in a long time, I wish I wasn’t sleeping alone. Not that I would fuck Jack.
He might be my partner in crime, but he’s also the enemy. Yes, we have chemistry, but I can’t trust him. I’m not sure I’ll be able to trust anyone.
After a long, hot shower, I still haven’t figured out what to do about the missing pages. Maybe I need to sleep on it. I towel dry my hair, thinking about how much I enjoyed Jack’s company tonight. He’s smart and funny. But saying good night outside the bar was the right move, even if my lips and other bits might want some male attention.
At least I had fun. Something I don’t have enough of these days. With Jack, I didn’t feel the need to be serious and talk business all the time. That had been another thing wrong with Nate and me. We were too serious together. Conversations always turned to work and the best way to boost sales, or a new marketing plan, or whether we needed to recruit new employees. We hadn’t had fun for a long time. And don’t even get me started on Nigel…
I stare at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. The dark rings under my eyes make my cheeks look pale. But it’s worse than that. I look worn out and in serious need of a vacation.
I do need one, but that won’t happen until long after the upcoming Orchid launch.
With a sigh, I reach for a bottle of perfume, remove the top, and spray some on my wrists. This isn’t Chanel No. 5 like Marilyn Monroe wore to bed, but Elusive, Christina’s newest scent. Her business is flourishing, and the wives and girlfriends of most of the main Orchid team wear one of Christina’s fragrances. Smelling Joyous, which Sophie wears, got me hooked.
I yawn, no longer able to tell myself I’m not dog-tired. I pad over to my bed, plug my phone into the charger, and pull back the comforter to climb in. As I cover myself, my phone rings.
A little late for a social call, which means it must be related to Zentello.
Maybe Nate, but he’s in a different time zone, so it’s even later there.
I glance at the screen and do a double take. The number says Zentello. That’s odd. Yes, there’s a main number, but… “Hello?”
“You looked lovely tonight.”
What the fuck? I grip the phone. “Nigel?”
What the hell does he want? And why is he spoofing Zentello’s number? Well, probably because his is blocked on my phone, which reminds me that I don’t want to talk to him. Not now. I make an executive decision to hang up and disconnect from the call.
The phone rings again and again and again. I decline the call and then…silence.
I blow out a breath.
A text notification arrives. I ignore it. The buzzing continues as he blows up my phone.
Reluctantly, I glance at my phone.
555-206-3228: Why did you hang up on me?
555-206-3228: Are you alone?
555-206-3228: I don’t care if Jack Parker is there.
555-206-3228: We need to talk.
555-206-3228: Pick up the phone.
The phone rings again. Of course, it does. I really don’t want to speak with Nigel, but if I don’t answer, he’ll continue calling and texting, so I won’t be able to sleep unless I put my phone in another room. But then I wouldn’t be able to sleep in case Nate or someone at Zentello needed me.
Talk about a catch-22.
Might as well get this over with. I stab my finger on the screen and raise the phone to my ear. “What do you want?”
“Nice way to say hello, Zelda.”
“I said hello the first time I answered.”
