Office Romance Box Set

Café de l’Amour-3

On Wednesday Seth stops in and orders his usual. While I’m making the drink, he tells me he might not be in tomorrow morning. “I’m going to see you in the afternoon, anyway,” he says with a wink. “We’re still on for tomorrow, right?”

I fumble with the metal carafe of milk I’m steaming and the wand falls out of the liquid, splashing hot froth onto my arms and neck. Smooth, Austin. I’m such a klutz around this guy. How’s he even find that attractive? “Tomorrow, yeah,” I agree, wiping my face with the bottom of my apron.

Seth’s mouth curves into a slow smile. “It’s a date.”

Great, as if I’m not already nervous enough. The next day I’m a wreck. I’m clumsy with nerves, scattering the beans as I try to fill the coffee grinder, splashing hot coffee from the pot to the urn, spilling the milk. When I reach for one of the glass bottles of syrup to add a flavor to a specialty drink, my manager Mandy steps in to take it from me before I can drop it. “Let me pour it,” she says, giving me a wary look. “If you break it, this whole will smell like sickly sweet raspberry syrup the rest of the day.”

I don’t see Seth, but I expected not to. As the end of my shift rolls around, I pay Mandy for a medium Chocolate Caramel Latté and whip one up just the way Seth likes it, leaving room at the top for a healthy dose of whipped cream. I put it in a disposable cup and snap on the lid, pushing the cream down into the drink. Then I wash up, running my hands through my hair to make sure it’s smooth and not sticking up at any crazy angle. Tossing my apron blindly into the back room, I snag Seth’s drink and hurry around the counter.

As I pass, Mandy shakes her head. “Hot date?”

I laugh. “I hope.”

I don’t bother calling Seth. What number would I dial? Besides, the address where Seth works is nearby—part of the reason he stops in every morning is because his father’s firm is literally across the street. The café is in a small U-shaped strip of businesses—Josh’s antique store sits in one corner, and there’s a tax prep office, a small dance studio, a consignment shop, a little eatery, a miniatures place, and us. Across Lakeside Avenue, squeezed between a 7-11 and the local bank, sits a large brick building. At three stories tall, it soars over the rest of the block. Jackson Realty is inside, alongside a small law firm specializing in bankruptcies and no contest divorce cases, a local dial-up internet provider, and something called Mandula Enterprises that no one I’ve ever spoken with knows anything about. Josh told me he thinks they sell s*x toys, but what does he know?

At this hour, there’s little traffic, so I trot across the street to the brick building and hurry inside. The heat of the coffee is burning through the cup in my hand, and I wish I’d thought to pick up one of those cardboard sleeves to help insulate it. Too late now. Seth’s office is on the second floor. I take the stairs two at a time, my haste only partly fueled by the hot drink I hold. I can’t wait to see Seth again.

There’s a brass plaque on the door at the end of the hall that reads Jackson Realty. I hesitate—do I knock?—but through the floor-length window beside the door, a receptionist spies me and waves me in. Relieved, I push through the door and stop when I see Seth’s friend Lonzo standing next to the desk.

“Hey,” I say, my voice a little weak.

The receptionist is a busty brunette with purple cat’s-eye glasses and an overbite. “Good afternoon,” she chirps, too happy to see me. “And you’re here for …”

Beside her, Lonzo smirks. “Seth, I’m sure.” Watching me closely, he adds, “When did you guys start delivering?”

“We don’t.” Suddenly the drink feels heavy in my hands—bringing it was a stupid idea. I stutter through an explanation. “I just thought…”

Footsteps approach down a side hall, and before I even turn to look, I hear Seth’s warm voice diffuse the situation. “Austin, hey!” He sounds happy to see me, thank God. An eager smile on his face ignites his eyes. His gaze drops down the length of my body, taking it all in, a very obvious once-over that makes me blush. “You look different without the apron.”

I look at him in another flawless suit and sigh. Damn, he’s perfect. “Different how?”

“In a good way,” he assures me. Depositing a folder on the receptionist’s desk, he takes my elbow. His touch burns through the thin, long-sleeved T-shirt I wear. “Let’s go back to my office. Is that for me?”

He notices the drink so I hand it over. “I thought since you didn’t get one this morning…”

The pleased warmth in his eyes is thanks enough. “You are awesome,” he says, causing my blush to deepen. It’s just a drink, really. Nothing special. But his arm eases around my back, leading me down the hall to his office, and I lean back against him, eager for any closeness I can get.

He sips at the drink and sighs, then after a few steps, remembers his manners. Half-turning, he points behind us at the reception area. “You know Lonzo. Jeanie, this is Austin.”

I glance over my shoulder and she waves, so I smile quickly. As we turn a corner, I hear her talking to Lonzo. “So that’s the guy? He’s cute.”

Seth’s office is at the end of the hall. Once inside, he closes the door and motions to a patent leather sofa along one wall. “Have a seat.”

I drift over to the sofa, trying to look everywhere at once. Seth’s desk is big and bulky, his chair swiveled to look out the window behind it. The blinds are open, giving him an excellent view of the street and our small strip of stores on the opposite side. As I drift closer, I sense him behind me. When he speaks, I smell the coffee on his breath and his voice is so close, mere inches from my ear. “Sometimes when you’re sweeping up in the front of the café, I can see you from here.”

I don’t know what to say, so I keep quiet a moment, thinking. He watches me? Note to self—don’t do anything stupid near the storefront windows. After an awkward silence, I see the door to the antique store open and my friend Josh ducks out, making a bee-line for the café. With a laugh, I point to him. “Bet he’s going over to bother me. Ha! I’m not there.”

Seth makes a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat, not quite a laugh. There’s something thoughtful about the sound, something almost sad, and I turn from the window to find him on the opposite side of the room, the distance between us a gulf I don’t know how to span. What’d I say?

Then I notice the small, dorm-size fridge in the corner. “I have some lunch meat if you want to make a sandwich and eat here, or we can go out. It’s up to you. What do you want?”

“Doesn’t matter, really.” You, I want to say, but I’m not that brazen. At Seth’s questioning stare, I shrug. “Sandwiches are good.”

I sit on the sofa as he opens the fridge. Because it’s low to the ground, he has to bend over to reach inside. I bite my lip at the way his pants spread out against his round ass, accentuating his buttocks. God. When he stands, I look away quickly, not wanting to get caught. “Head’s up.”

I glance back in time to fumble a beer can he tosses my way. “I’d offer you coffee but I know you don’t like it. Beer?”

“You’re at work,” I point out, but since I’m not, that doesn’t stop me from popping open the can. I need something, anything, right now. My throat is parched.

“I have the latte,” he reminds me. As I take a deep swallow, he watches me closely. “Thanks for thinking of me.”

I nod, letting the cold booze relax me. What else can I say? That I think of him all the time? I don’t think he wants to know that.

Digging out a plastic grocery bag from the fridge, Seth crosses to the sofa and sits down beside me. The leather squeaks beneath him, but we’re a good three hands apart—if I put my hand next to my leg, and he did the same, there’d still be space between us. That’s too far for me, but I don’t know what to say or do to close the gap.

He sets the bag on the coffee table before us and opens it. There’s half a loaf of wheat bread inside, some fresh tomatoes, deli wrapped ham and turkey, and some thick-cut Swiss cheese. By the time he pulls out a large bag of kettle cooked potato chips, I’m starving. “God, that looks good.”

Seth grins. “There’s mustard and mayo in the fridge, whichever you like.” As he sets out the fixings, he seems lost in thought. Before I can ask what’s on his mind, he wants to know, “That guy at the café the other day, the one with the lime cappuccino? Is he your friend?”

“I’ve known Josh forever,” I say, savoring the beer. “Sometimes he can be a little…odd, though. That lime thing—”

Seth laughs. “Lonzo said it wasn’t half bad.”

There’s that name again. Lonzo. Already I hate him. I clear my throat. “So he works here with you?” Of course he does, stupid. You saw him at the front when you came in, remember? Hello? I wish my brain would kick in before my mouth sometimes.

“Lonzo? We go way back.” Seth laughs, though I don’t see anything funny about what he just said. “No, I’m lying. It just feels like I’ve known him a long time. We met in business school. When my dad offered me a job, I asked if he’d hire Lonz, too.”

“You’re that close?” I hope he doesn’t see the jealousy in my eyes or hear the bitterness in my voice.

Seth shrugs. “He’s a trip. Funniest guy you’ll ever meet. I think you’d hit it off well with him.”

I don’t want to hit it off with Lonzo, and right now I don’t want to hear Seth talk about him, either. If he’s so damn funny, let him hook up with Josh and leave Seth to me.

My silence doesn’t clue Seth in that I’m not interested in hearing about his friend. “He likes coffee,” Seth continues, as if I asked. I didn’t. “I told him about your place and I must’ve talked it up too much, because he wanted to check it out for himself. He really liked that Raspberry Mocha. Good choice.”

“Thanks.” I set the beer down on the table and feel myself pouting—I didn’t come here for this.

The leather sofa squeaks as Seth scoots a little closer to me. “Lonzo’s a party animal,” he says, watching me. I want to scream, Who cares? “You strike me as the type who likes to have fun. You should come out with us sometime.”

“I’m not really into that,” I whisper.

“Into what?”

I look up to meet those incredible eyes. He’s so close now, no longer three hands away, not two, not even one. I feel his leg press alongside mine and his hand drifts to my thigh…how did he get this close without me noticing?

My voice is barely audible. “I’m not here to talk about Lonzo.”

Seth’s hand brushes over mine, his fingers warm and soft. “I didn’t think you were.” He takes my hand in his and I feel like I’m falling. “Are you seeing Josh?”

For a moment I want this to last forever—this tenderness, this intimacy. But the thought of dating Josh, Josh, ruins it. I sputter with laughter I can’t contain. “Oh, God, no. Jesus. No. No, no, no.” I shudder at the thought, grimacing. “I can’t—ugh. A thousand times, no.”

Seth grins. “Just thought I’d ask.”

Now that the tension has dispersed between us, I feel coy enough to ask, “Why do you want to know?”

His answer is in the way he leans forward, eyes slipping shut. I hold my breath and watch him kiss me. He’s strong and sure, his tongue eager as he parts my lips and delves into my mouth. His hand cradles my chin as he wraps his other arm around my waist, pulling me closer.

Yes. This is what I came for, what I’ve been wanting since I first met him. I shut my eyes and let my body respond to his.