was.
“How many rooms do you have up here, Mr. Hathaway?”
He pulled out a chair and sat at the head of the table. “Ben.”
“Sorry.” I frowned, suddenly feeling a little queasy. “Ben.” Calling him by his first name sent little legged things crawling through my insides.
“I’ll give you a tour after lunch if you like.” After snapping out a cloth napkin and placing it across his lap, he opened a large paper bag on the table and withdrew two black trays with clear plastic lids. One, he set in front of him, and the other in front of the chair to his right.
“Yeah, I’d like that. Thanks.” I sat and squinted at the mystery package. Food and I had issues. Nothing went in my mouth that I couldn’t identify, and I had no name for whatever colorful tidbits lay within the plastic dome. “What is this?”
Shoving a package of chopsticks at me, he said, “Sushi. Maki.”
Just barely, I held my grimace inside. “Is that … like … raw fish?”
“They’re just California rolls. Snow crab, avocado, cucumber, rice, and salmon roe.”
I stared at the package as if it contained squirming grubs, my stomach twisting and surging. “Fish eggs? You want me to eat raw fish eggs?”
“Try them.” He smirked and picked up a nasty round roll with his chopsticks. “If you don’t like them, I’ll have Brent fetch you something else.”
Okay, he was actually being reasonable. I supposed I could try. I took the wrapper off the chopsticks and fiddled with them. They snapped apart with a tug of my fingers. When I tried to position them in my fingers, one went flying halfway across the table. “Did this come with a fork, or at least some instructions on how to use these fool things?”
Ben pushed his chair out, retrieved my wooden projectile, came around behind me, and knelt beside my chair so close his heat made my skin tingle. “Let me show you.”
He positioned the chopsticks in my right hand, cupped his big one around mine, and helped me open and close my fingers. I stiffened under his touch, closed my eyes, and held my breath as sparkling electricity invaded my body. Spread. Grew hotter until it consumed me and left my inner thighs pulsing.
When he spoke again, his words came out in a soft whisper right next to my ear. “Open your eyes, Evangeline.” His warm, sweet exhale fanned across my cheek. “You need to watch what I’m doing or there’s little point in my lesson.”
Oh, right. Chopsticks. I opened my eyes, exhaled, and turned to look at him. Our gazes met for just a moment. A jolt of delicious warmth spread from the top of my head, down my abdomen, and tightened everything in the vicinity.
When my mental cobwebs cleared, I jumped up and stumbled away. “I think I’ve got it now, Mr. Hathaway.” A few swallows didn’t take the cotton from my mouth.
Head cocked, he studied my face. “Are you afraid of me?”
I stared at the floor, digging the toe of my sensible black loafer into the carpet. “No.” My mind spun answers to questions I didn’t want to answer. I shouldn’t feel this way about my freakin’ boss.
“Your hands are trembling. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
My muscles relaxed a little. I’d rather he thought he humiliated me than the real reason, that he lit my body on fire and stoked the flames with every word, every movement of his body, even his scent. I jammed my shaking hands into my pockets. “N-no, it’s the caffeine. I just need to eat.”
I caught his nod in my peripheral vision before he sat and picked up his chopsticks. “I’ll mix you some soy sauce and wasabi to dip your Maki into.”
After a few more deep breaths, I joined him at the table. I tried to use the chopsticks again but the sushi roll kept flipping out onto the table. Certain Ben must have been laughing at me again, I gave up and stabbed my food with the end of one of the sticks, dipped it in the sauce he’d prepared, and took a bite.
Flavors exploded in my mouth. The freshness of
“How many rooms do you have up here, Mr. Hathaway?”
He pulled out a chair and sat at the head of the table. “Ben.”
“Sorry.” I frowned, suddenly feeling a little queasy. “Ben.” Calling him by his first name sent little legged things crawling through my insides.
“I’ll give you a tour after lunch if you like.” After snapping out a cloth napkin and placing it across his lap, he opened a large paper bag on the table and withdrew two black trays with clear plastic lids. One, he set in front of him, and the other in front of the chair to his right.
“Yeah, I’d like that. Thanks.” I sat and squinted at the mystery package. Food and I had issues. Nothing went in my mouth that I couldn’t identify, and I had no name for whatever colorful tidbits lay within the plastic dome. “What is this?”
Shoving a package of chopsticks at me, he said, “Sushi. Maki.”
Just barely, I held my grimace inside. “Is that … like … raw fish?”
“They’re just California rolls. Snow crab, avocado, cucumber, rice, and salmon roe.”
I stared at the package as if it contained squirming grubs, my stomach twisting and surging. “Fish eggs? You want me to eat raw fish eggs?”
“Try them.” He smirked and picked up a nasty round roll with his chopsticks. “If you don’t like them, I’ll have Brent fetch you something else.”
Okay, he was actually being reasonable. I supposed I could try. I took the wrapper off the chopsticks and fiddled with them. They snapped apart with a tug of my fingers. When I tried to position them in my fingers, one went flying halfway across the table. “Did this come with a fork, or at least some instructions on how to use these fool things?”
Ben pushed his chair out, retrieved my wooden projectile, came around behind me, and knelt beside my chair so close his heat made my skin tingle. “Let me show you.”
He positioned the chopsticks in my right hand, cupped his big one around mine, and helped me open and close my fingers. I stiffened under his touch, closed my eyes, and held my breath as sparkling electricity invaded my body. Spread. Grew hotter until it consumed me and left my inner thighs pulsing.
When he spoke again, his words came out in a soft whisper right next to my ear. “Open your eyes, Evangeline.” His warm, sweet exhale fanned across my cheek. “You need to watch what I’m doing or there’s little point in my lesson.”
Oh, right. Chopsticks. I opened my eyes, exhaled, and turned to look at him. Our gazes met for just a moment. A jolt of delicious warmth spread from the top of my head, down my abdomen, and tightened everything in the vicinity.
When my mental cobwebs cleared, I jumped up and stumbled away. “I think I’ve got it now, Mr. Hathaway.” A few swallows didn’t take the cotton from my mouth.
Head cocked, he studied my face. “Are you afraid of me?”
I stared at the floor, digging the toe of my sensible black loafer into the carpet. “No.” My mind spun answers to questions I didn’t want to answer. I shouldn’t feel this way about my freakin’ boss.
“Your hands are trembling. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
My muscles relaxed a little. I’d rather he thought he humiliated me than the real reason, that he lit my body on fire and stoked the flames with every word, every movement of his body, even his scent. I jammed my shaking hands into my pockets. “N-no, it’s the caffeine. I just need to eat.”
I caught his nod in my peripheral vision before he sat and picked up his chopsticks. “I’ll mix you some soy sauce and wasabi to dip your Maki into.”
After a few more deep breaths, I joined him at the table. I tried to use the chopsticks again but the sushi roll kept flipping out onto the table. Certain Ben must have been laughing at me again, I gave up and stabbed my food with the end of one of the sticks, dipped it in the sauce he’d prepared, and took a bite.
Flavors exploded in my mouth. The freshness of
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