Read Online Ambition: A Dark Billionaire Romance Anthology by Lauren Landish, Lauren Landish - Free Book Online Page A

Styrofoam containers, I pondered to myself if I was really meeting with Patrick because he was a member of the City Council, or because of his looks. I had to admit, since Scott Pressman fucked up my head pretty well, I hadn't been on any dates at all, a record for me since I was fourteen or so. Hell, even when getting ready to defend my thesis I was seeing a guy.
    But Patrick ticked a lot of the marks on what I like in guys. Tall, fit, and yes, he had a bad boy vibe about him, and it was more than just the tattoos on his right arm. At the same time though, he wasn't exactly the same as some of the guys I'd dated. For one, he actually had a job.
    I was trying to decide whether to offer Patrick the plastic cutlery or if he could use chopsticks when there was a knock on my office door, and Patrick came in with a laugh. "Thanks Vanessa, I'll give them a call this afternoon. You've got my unabated thanks."
    "I'll remember that next time my property taxes come due," Vanessa replied deadpan, causing Patrick to laugh. He shut the door and came over, shaking his head in disbelief.
    "Seriously, she's going to make my life about a thousand percent easier," he said as he sat down. The paper Vanessa had given him was already covered in blue and red pen, and there were a few sections circled. "I'm going to call these people as soon as I can."
    "That's good," I replied, not really knowing what Vanessa had told him. I trusted her advice, and didn't see the need to know what she was telling him. "So other than a lack of staffing, how is adapting to your work coming along? And what happened to your face?"
    Patrick touched the small cut above his eyebrow and winced. It looked deep and ugly, but still tiny, like it had been patched well. "Yeah, that's what you get when you decide to try and save money by not leaving your entryway light on and forget that you also parked your bicycle there at the same time. I was happy I could get it stopped with some pressure and a bit of medical tape last night, because I didn't want to go to the Mercy ER for something so embarrassing. As for my work, you mean besides learning that the corridors of City Hall are just about as dangerous and full of people willing to stab you in the back as The Playground?"
    "Welcome to the jungle," I teased in reply. "Only difference is, in City Hall, you can't see the knives meant for you."
    Patrick waved it all off in good humor, before looking around the table. "Damn, what a spread. You expecting a third person?"
    I laughed and shook my head. "No, but seeing how big you are, I know that you probably don't eat a single spring roll and call it a day. My groundskeeper is a big guy too, and he eats like a horse."
    "Well then, thank you," he said, sitting down. He was wearing tan chinos and a button down collared long sleeve shirt, but no tie or sport jacket. "I'd kind of gotten used to leaving lunch meetings feeling more than a little hungry."
    "You don't have to worry about that," I replied, grabbing some pepper shrimp and putting it onto my tray of white rice. "I enjoy good food too. Of course the side effect is that I need to workout like a fiend in order to not swell up to the size of a small car."
    Patrick chose the lemon chicken for his first choice, and followed my example. I was pleased to notice that he was quite adept with chopsticks, it's another one of those little cues that I use to see if a guy is worth being interested in. No man who doesn't have the patience to learn how to use chopsticks well is going to be able to put up with me, unfortunately. In watching him more, I was actually surprised, he was deft and skilled.
    "I've got some Chinese friends who you could give lessons to," I noted as he picked up some rice with his sticks and took in a mouthful. "Seriously, how'd you get so good?"
    Patrick chuckled and set his chopsticks down. "I had a lot of practice for a while. Before this I was a bartender, and before that I worked in a Asian buffet place for a while.