Fast & Hard (The Fast 1)

“I’m Tatiana,” the second girl shakes my hand, “welcome to the team!” She also has a Latin accent, stunning eyelashes, and sleek black hair.

More importantly, both girls are smiling and chatty and behave like normal, kind humans when meeting a new coworker! Hell’s bells!

“So what do you ladies do here?” I sip my locally roasted Australian bean coffee and ask them. The coffee here in Oz is no joke, I would sit here all day sucking it down if I didn’t have a plan up my sleeve for this evening.

“We’re both in catering,” Francisca says.

“That has to be a lot of work to put out so much food every day for everyone at Celeritas,” I say, wanting very much to make the kind of simple small talk and chit chat I usually hate.

“It’s a lot of work,” Tatiana says, “but there’s a pretty big team back in the kitchen and it can be a lot of fun, too.”

“Well, if the coffee is any indicator, you guys are doing an amazing job. This stuff is legit.” I nod to them holding my warm mug up.

“I’m glad you like it. The catering team tries to incorporate as much local cuisine into the meals as possible so the food is always fresh and not the same thing over and over all season long.” Francisca tells me.

“I didn’t realize that. That’s really cool.” These two girls are immediately likable and super chatty. I feel like I’m back home for a minute, meeting with friends in an NYC cafe. It’s a welcome respite until Francisca dips her head and pokes Tatiana in the side, nodding toward the main door.

In walks Lennox, strutting over to the beverage station to refill his oversized team water bottle. His back is turned to us and Tatiana is biting her lip and blatantly staring at his ass, which I will admit, looks delicious in his racing suit. Francisca is no better, twirling her long black hair in one hand now.

“Oh my god, you two are terrible,” I whisper to tease them. They’re not even attempting to hide their gawking and the pair of them doing it, sashaying their heads and making mmm-hmmm sounds as Lennox bends and stretches, fills my gut with laughter.

“Please, girl. That man is fine.” Francisca says, her head turned away from me and refusing to unlock from its masculine target.

“The things I would do to him,” Tatiana whispers under her breath. “Things that are illegal in my home country.”

“I’ll do the jail time for one hour with him,” Francisca whispers back, her short unpainted fingernails mindlessly caressing over her neck as the peep show continues.

Lennox turns around with his water bottle and their two heads spin back away from him, though there’s no way Lennox could have missed them checking him out. He’s probably used to it, walking around all through the world with women staring and throwing themselves at him. It must be a hard life.

He spots us and Francisca gives him a little wave and squeaks out, “Hi, Lennox” and bats her eyelashes at him like an innocent southern belle, not the woman who just moments ago threatened to do illegal things to his body.

In three strides of his long legs, he’s at our table standing behind his two gushing fans. “Francisca,” he says and bends down to plant a kiss on her cheek.

“Tatiana,” and he does the same for her.

Both girls are beet red and looking up at him like he’s just hung the moon.

“You’re both looking gorgeous as ever this afternoon. Thank you for the breakfast this morning, it was delicious, as always,” he says to them.

“Lennox,” Tatiana starts, vying for his attention next, “I asked Chef to make the New Zealand lamb tonight. I remember you liked it last year.”

“You’re too kind. Thank you for being so thoughtful but you know I like everything you prepare,” he grins down on his adoring fangirls. “How is your mother, by the way? Is she feeling better?”

“Oh yes,” Tatiana gushes, “you’re so sweet to remember her. She’s much better now.”

I don’t know who this thoughtful and charming man is that is standing in front of these lovestruck ladies, but I can no longer control a tiny snort at how taken Francisca and Tatiana are with him.

“Mallory,” he states coldly in acknowledgment that I am also at the table with his fangirls. Half a second later he squeezes the girls’ shoulders, says goodbye to them, not to me, and struts out of the room as both girls crane their necks to watch him go.

As soon as he’s out of earshot I heckle them both, “You two are absolutely hilarious. Is he being so nice so that you don’t poison his food?”

“What?” Francisca’s face falls and I realize I must have upset her. “Why would we poison his food?”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you or insinuate you would ever poison anyone! I just meant because he’s so nice to you guys.” I hope I didn’t make them both mad and run off the only two friendly coworkers I’ve found yet.

“What are you talking about? Lennox is nice to everyone,” Tatiana nods, defending her man crush with fiery confidence.

“Nice to everyone?” I sputter. “Lennox? Lennox Gibbes? He’s been nothing but awful to me! His teammate, Digby, is nicer to me than Lennox is!”