Secret Indiscretions (Carson Cove Scandals 2)

“I’m not much of a beer drinker.” Melanie shook her head back and forth. “This may be the first time I’ve even had wine two days in a row…”

Small talk—friendly conversation—a way to avoid what I really want to ask her.

“Well, just like last night—it’s free,” I chuckled. “So enjoy it.”

I kept finding things to talk about that avoided the reason we were there—well, one of them. Offering her a job was going to be easy. I got close to going into the spiel I had rehearsed on the ride to the restaurant a couple of times, but we got interrupted. First it was our appetizer—which opened up discussions about it—then it was our sandwiches—which led to discussions about Chef Russe. I was on my second beer by then, and while it wasn’t as strong as a stiff glass of whiskey, it helped to lower my inhibitions a little bit.

Not low enough for me to forget that what I’m about to ask her is wrong—but I already know I’m going to do it.

Melanie slowly sipped her glass of wine and drank water while she ate. I had no reason to be nervous, but something about Melanie just kept me teetering on the edge—and I seemed to be getting more attracted to her as the minutes passed. She was certainly stunning, but she had a rare, natural beauty that resonated from within. I wanted to know more about her—hell, I wanted to know everything about her. The lines between right and wrong were certainly going to get blurry, but we could reestablish them quickly—if she agreed.

“I asked you here for two reasons.” I finally stopped putting it off—it was time to just go for it. “First, I want to offer you a job at Alcott Inc.”

“Seriously!?” Melanie’s head snapped back. “That’s it? No interview? Nothing!?”

“Your first interview was last night, and this was the second one.” I nodded and reached for my beer. “I’ve got an opening in my Distribution Marketing department, and the position is yours if you want it.”

“I—I definitely do.” She nodded quickly. “Yes!”

“Hold on,” I sighed and took a sip of my beer. “You’re supposed to negotiate your salary before you start doing cartwheels.”

“Right…” She looked down at the table. “I’m sorry, I just really need a job.”

“That’s fine.” I shook my head and chuckled under my breath. “We’ll discuss that when you fill out your paperwork.”

“Thank you!” Her excitement was so vibrant that she practically started trembling—god, that look on her face was one I wanted to see a lot more of.

“Wait…” Her eyebrows came together. “You said—two reasons?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “The second one has nothing to do with you working for me—you’re hired even if you say no.”

“Okay…” Her eyes reflected a hint of confusion.

“I need a date for the wedding…” I felt my stomach twist into a knot as soon as the words left my lips, but I couldn’t take them back. “Will you go with me?”

“Uh…” She blinked a couple of times in surprise—she obviously wasn’t expecting that to be the other reason I asked her to meet me for lunch.

“Like I said, I’m not going to retract my job offer if you decline—one is not contingent on the other.” I took a quick drink of my beer and immediately looked for our waiter, so I could let him know I wanted another one.

“It’s just…” I could tell she was struggling, which meant she probably wanted to say no—I really was an asshole for asking her. “Is that okay? You’re going to be my boss—isn’t it against the company guidelines or something?”

“Well, I wrote them—so, yeah.” I shrugged and did my best to stay calm. “I’m not asking you to be my girlfriend, and I’m not expecting you to do more than go with me to the wedding. We’re both going to be there anyway…”

“That’s true, but—can I ask why?” She tilted her head and winced.

You’re beautiful—you’re smart—you’re so damn charming. I want to sit here and stare at those sapphire-blue eyes until I see the sun go down in them. I want

to taste that wine on your lips…

“There was a bit of a mix-up with the wedding invitations,” I sighed and ignored the thoughts in my head. “My ex-wife is going to be there, and she’s bringing a date.”

“You want to make her jealous?” Melanie tilted her head in the opposite direction, and I could tell that she was still trying to make sense of what I asked her—but she hadn’t declined—yet.

“No, that’s not it.” I shook my head back and forth. “Our marriage is over. I have no interest in rekindling what we had or getting back together. I just want to show her that I’m doing fine—maybe that doesn’t make sense, but I know it’s going to be difficult to see her with someone else. We have kids—she has custody. The divorce got ugly before we signed the papers…”

“I’ve had a relationship end badly.” She nodded. “You don’t want her to see you sitting at the bar with a scowl on your face—like you had at the engagement party.”

“Was it really that bad?” I grimaced and picked up my next beer as soon as the waiter put it down on the table.