揑s that supposed to be intimidating??If so, challenge accepted.
I fold my arms, staring defiantly at that grump-tastic face of his.
揟here抯 no way you抣l come up with another scorched drink this good in three days, no matter how talented you are.?
揂nother dare? That might抳e worked to lure me in here, but now it抯 getting boring.?I laugh bitterly. 揃ad news, Grumpfather.?
揥hat??He leans forward, his eyes shifting slowly side to side.
He was already too close to me. Now, I can smell him, hints of worn leather and citrus and something almost animalistic.
Lancaster makes it so hard to force him to eat his own words. Annoying.
And I hate that I kinda like the way he towers over me.
揜emember how I mentioned recipes梡lural梚n the interview??I pause, waiting for him to nod. 揑 have like twenty pages of drinks like this.?
揃ull. Who keeps a recipe book full of scorched drinks??
揧our big mouth new hire, apparently.?
揕et it go,?he whispers, pushing closer again, eyeing a few techs moving around us within earshot. 揘aturally, I was joking.?
揑 could, but y択now桰 won抰。？
揑抦 ordering you to let it go then.?
I laugh. 揙rdering me??
揂s your boss, I抦 suggesting in the strongest possible terms that you wipe that conversation from your head.?He glowers at me.
揙r what? You抣l like fire me already??
揑t would be a dreadful loss,?he says, all hot breath in my ear.
Oh, God, I抦 tingling.
Tingling from head to toe as I lean into him.
We抮e so close now it hurts.
We抮e almost touching.
揗ake the next one a speciality drink,?he says, inhaling slowly like he抯梬ait, is he smelling me?
I don抰 know how I keep standing.
揥hat??I mouth silently because I can抰 find my voice.
揑 need a drink I can charge more for, Miss Angelo, like a mocha or latte. Since you抮e bored with beginner challenges, perhaps you抣l find this more to your level.?
Oof. So maybe I was born with a big mouth after all.
揃ut棓
揙h, so that抯 not in the recipe book, is it??His thin, arrogant smile could devour me. 揌ave fun. I抣l be back soon to try my mocha. Or will it be a latte or shaken drink? Surprise me.?
I抳e never wanted to kick another human being so badly.
Especially when his puffed up arrogance only makes him hotter in that evil villain way.
揝ee you then,?I say, forcing it out without a hint of fear.
揜eally? You sound so confident??He looks surprised.
揈verything I抳e ever come up with was in my living room, using secondhand equipment in a space no bigger than a closet. Now I抦 in a beautiful lab with the best stuff mega-money can buy and three full days to experiment. There抯 no reason I can抰 have a new drink by Friday that抯 so good you抣l whimper.?
Our eyes connect for what feels like forever.
I watch his muscular throat moving, swallowing, like he抯 drinking me in. Or maybe he抯 just checking whether or not I have a death wish.
揗ake me cry then, Miss Angelo,?he throws back.
Then he turns and exits without another glance.
As he leaves, I realize we have an audience again. The lab techs are staring, but no one says anything.
Finally, Gina speaks. 揟hat was梚nteresting. I see you already have a dynamic with the big boss.?
She抯 too polite.
揝orry,?I say. 揑 didn抰 mean to distract anyone.?
Slowly, she adjusts her glasses. ?should I go talk him down, or will you really have something by Friday??
揑抣l have something, all right. Trust me.?If it sucks, the taste test will just be more fun, I guess. 揑 just need a little time to hash it out,?I add.
I jog back to my cubicle and collapse in my office chair.
Why is it so hard for me to just shut up?
I抳e never had a good brain-to-mouth filter, but something about this guy makes me extra fluent in sarcasm.
Another screaming sign he抯 trouble incarnate.
The kind you need to keep a good six feet away from at all times to remain healthy.
Even if he wasn抰 my off-limits boss, I wouldn抰 give him the time of day. Not if I had a functioning brain.
Do I still have one?
Sometimes, I wonder.
Eliza, you抳e been down this road before. You and classy older men swarming with secrets do not mix, my brain reminds me.
Thanks, brain, but I抦 not getting lost down memory lane right now. I need a new freaking s抦ores drink by Friday.
I can抰 lose another dare to Cole freaking Lancaster.
His smug victory lap would humiliate me for life.
With his stupid cocky face lodged in my mind, I spend the rest of my first day Googling the ingredients in a dozen different types of marshmallows.
He should抳e known it the second I took this job.