If I Say Yes (13 page)

HALFWAY THROUGH THE HOUR
walk home, it starts to rain. By
the time I get past my stubborn front door, I’m soaked to the bones.
My body is shivering, and my nose is runny. The pain in my ankle
intensified as I walked, and it’s taking everything in me to work
through the searing pain. Eli tries to call my cell phone several times, but I ignore each of his calls and send them to voice mail. I strip my
clothes off, peeling layer after layer of wet clothing as I limp down my
hall. I enter the small bathroom in my bedroom and turn the shower
on,
waiting for it to heat up
. Just as the
steam
begins to fill the
bathroom
,
I
hear a knock on my door, and I shut the water off. I pull my fuzzy
pink robe off the back of my door, wrap it tight around my body, and
slip my feet into the matching fuzzy slippers.

Another knock raps across the door as I near it. The chain at the
top is in place, and I decide to leave it there and open it slightly. I peek
out and see Reid standing on the other side of the door. “What. Do. You.
Want?” I ask sharply.

“Can I come in?”

Man, I want him to so bad. But he can’t. I have a date with a nice
hot shower, ice pack, and a marathon of horror movies. I can’t let him
come in, because I know he is either going to question me about tonight
or he’s going to kiss me. And I can’t let either of those happen in my
weak state of mind. “I’m sorry, but no.” I close my door and sigh. I hear
a slight thump against the door as if he lays his forehead on the door. I
can hear him
mumble
something, but through the door, it’s unintelligible
.

What am I going to do?

Tonight has been nothing short of disastrous. Another sign as to
why I need to stick to my list. I walk over to the window and look out
just in time to see Reid’s car pull out of the parking lot. I sink down on my couch and flip on the TV. I pull the fleece blanket off the back
and drift off to sleep, forgetting all about the plans I had before sitting
down.

The sun filters through my open window, shining brightly on my
face and warming it. I wake up slowly, rubbing my eyes and groaning
at the first sign of a migraine beginning. I let my eyes adjust to the light
and glance over at my clock. “Oh crap!” I say out loud when I realize that it’s nearly lunch time. How on earth did I sleep that long?
Great, now I am late for work.
I don’t see the point in going in this late in the day, so I pull my cell phone off of the coffee table and send a quick text to Heidi to let her know that I am not coming in today.

I toss it back on the coffee table, not caring at the loud thump it makes against the solid oak wood, and close my eyes again. Finally, I
get up, grab a glass of water and some ibuprofen out of the kitchen, and
down them both. I return to the living room, opening up my laptop that
is resting on the table in front of me, and log in to my work account.
Might as well try and do something since I’m not going in.
Over two hundred
new messages flood my inbox when I log in, but the one that stands
out to me is the most recent one that was sent at almost the exact same
time I woke up. I hover over the message and click on it without a
second thought.

From: Unknown Sender

To: [email protected]

Dearest Elizabeth,

It seems as though you had a rough night. I would be surprised
if last night wasn’t a harsh one, what with your reunion with the
boy who broke your heart and the near close call with the paparazzi.
It’s no wonder why you decided to stay home and nurse that swollen
ankle of yours. Poor Eli, though, he seemed absolutely devastated
when he saw you sitting out in the alley with that gorgeous boss of yours. I don’t blame him for getting drunk and causing a scene last
night in the bar at the restaurant. But don’t forget, whomever you
choose will suffer pain. Though it seems like you may have chosen
already? Maybe I should go pay Reid a visit in his office today.
What do you say? Think you can beat me there?

I’m off my couch in a blur. I pull the first thing on that I see in my closet, not taking the time to see if the outfit even matches. For all I know, I can be modeling stripes with plaids. I slam my front door behind me, not taking the time to lock it, and rush out to my car. My
ankle protests with stabs of shooting pain, but I keep trekking forward.
I
open the car, place my key into the ignition, and turn. Nothing. I slam
my hand on the steering wheel and scream out. I try the key again and
still nothing happens. “Please, just start for me.” A soft sob escapes my
throat, and it seems to trigger the car to start.

Finally, the engine roars to life, and I slam the car into reverse. I
pull out of the parking lot with the wheels peeling and the car making
a loud screeching sound. I speed down the road, stopping only to
momentarily check for oncoming cars at stop signs, and blaze through
the green and yellow lights. I pull into the parking garage fifteen
minutes later and park in the first spot available, not caring that my car can be towed away for not parking in my assigned spot.

I jump out of my car just as soon as I have it in park and kill the
engine. The elevator seems to be taking forever, so I opt to take the stairs
four flights up. The walk further pains my ankle, but I keep running up the stairs and never slow my pace. Everyone stops what they are
doing when I reach the lobby of my floor, staring at me as I carelessly
maneuver my way through the cubicles and desks. I open the door to
Reid’s office and stop dead in my tracks at the sight before me.
He really
doesn’t waste any time, does he?

My breath catches, and my heart lurches as two sets of eyes turn
their attention to me, both staring at me, wildly confused at my entrance.
They aren’t the only ones confused by what is going on here. I’m not
sure what I expected to see when I barged into his office, but I certainly
didn’t expect to find him entangled in the arms of some nearly naked
tall blonde. As soon as I enter, Reid pushes away from the girl, who lets
out a yelp and stares at me. I can feel the deadly glare that the blonde
is shooting my way. I spin on my heels and quickly walk out of his
office, my hands clenched at my sides.

“Liza!” Reid calls out to me. I stop, aware that everyone’s eyes are
on me, but I don’t turn around. “It’s not what it looks like.” His voice
drops, and I am aware that he is right behind me now. “I swear… it isn’t what it seems like it is.” Such a classic line.

I
laugh
loudly,
still
noting that everyone is watching us and wondering
what is going on. Hell, I’m not even sure myself. “Really?” I laugh again
and face him again. His eyes are wide, filled with worry, and his face is
pale. He seems weak, almost vulnerable, and I almost want to let it go—
but I don’t. “Because I’m pretty sure it’s
exactly
what it looks like.”

“Liza, if you wou—”

“Save it, Reid.” I raise my hand. “You don’t have to explain anything
to me.” I spin on my heels, with my head and chin held high, and walk
to the only place I can get away from the burning eyes. My office. I slam
the door behind me and barely manage to sit down and take a breath when Reid barges in. “Honestly, do you even know how to knock on a door?”

He shrugs his shoulders, and I can’t help but feel even more
aggravated. “It really isn’t what you think…” He pauses for a moment.
“Okay, maybe a little, but I want to explain to you what happened.”

“I already told you that you don’t have to explain yourself to me. You’re twenty-five years old, a grown man, and if you want to have
sex with some slutty blonde chick in your office, then damn it… have
sex with her.” Reid says nothing, and his large, million dollar smile
spreads across his face. He starts to laugh loudly.

“Do you really think I would have sex in my office?” I raise an
eyebrow and shrug my shoulders, as if to say I wouldn’t put it past him.
“Okay… so maybe I would, but I would have my doors locked…”
My jaw drops at his admission. I try to regain my composure, but I’m
too late. Reid’s face beams with a half crooked smile, he stares into my
eyes, and his voice drops. “And only if that person is you.”

His words hang in the air. I am too stunned to say anything. I mean,
he just said he wants to have sex with me… in his office of all places.
What am I supposed to say to that? I knew he was going to be that
kind
of man, because really, what man isn’t. Reid crosses the distance from
the door to my desk in three long strides, leans forward, and rests his
hands on top of my desk. “It really isn’t what you think,” he whispers.
He’s so close to me, and his scent overwhelms me.

“Since you are so determined, enlighten me then.” I rest my elbows
on the
desk
. We’re close enough now that I can
feel
the warmth radiating
off of his body, and I eye him curiously.

He sits down in the round leather chair in front of my desk, leans
back, resting one elbow on the arm rest to prop his head up, and is quiet
for a long time. I watch as his forehead creases with lines, no doubt
contemplating what he wants to say and how he wants to say it, without
seeming like a complete ass. He sits up, opens his mouth, then stops, and leans back into the chair. “Go to dinner with me?”

“You
honestly
expect me to say yes?” I
straighten
myself in my chair
and glare at him. “You seriously have the worse timing imaginable.”
Reid says nothing, so I continue my rant. “You would think that working
in Romance, you might know a thing or two about how and when it is
appropriate to ask a woman on a date. News flash: this isn’t one of those
times. But even if you did, I don’t think you’re capable of being romantic.
It’s clear that isn’t your thing.”

“You know nothing about me.” His voice is rugged and deep.

“I know enough from the pictures I have seen online. Woman after
woman being displayed as nothing more than arm candy. And it’s
never the same woman twice.” The weekend of our steamy kiss, I did
what any woman would do when meeting a rich, utterly handsome
man; I searched for him on the Internet. Just like I told him, every gossip
blog and article showed and talked about him and his globetrotting
dating life. They showed the many women of Reid Harder’s life, stating
that he can’t settle down and just choose one woman; it isn’t his forté.
One reason why I try to stay clear of him. He is the kind of man that just
takes what he wants, because he knows he can, and then moves on to
the next person in line.

However, I still can’t forget about that day in the park and what he shared about his mother. I’m sure that is something no one knows about
him, the fact that he isn’t as arrogant and big-headed as he portrays himself to be. Except for me. I’ve seen the softer side of him. I put on
my best smile and stare hard into his eyes. “I’ve seen enough, and that’s
all I need to know. I’m sorry, but I have to decline your invitation to dinner, and I have to pull out of being your date to the charity event this weekend. If you remember correctly, I don’t date.”

“So this is what you think of me?” He stands up and gazes down
at me. A flash of anger, followed by hurt, dances in his eyes before they
turn into a black cold mask. “You are basing who I am by what you
have seen on the Internet.”

“Well, that and the make-out session I just witnessed.” I slide my chair back and stand up.

“And that day in the park?”

“I’ve chalked it up to just being an oversight on your part. Everyone
is allowed a slip up now and then. Or maybe even a ploy to suck me
under your spell.” If the latter, it totally worked, for a moment at least.
I really don’t think it is just another game to him, just another ploy to
get a woman to swoon at his feet. I remember the look in his eyes when
he told me about his mother and the kind of person she is. That is
something you can’t fake.

“What else do I have to do to prove to you that I am worth breaking
whatever
rule
it is
that you have
created
that
doesn’
t give a guy a chance?”

I let out an irritated sigh. “You really haven’t done anything to
prove to me otherwise in the first place.”

He glares at me, glances up to the ceiling, runs a hand through his
dark hair, and lets out an exasperated sigh. “That’s because you won’t
let me.”