Willow
On the day of my so-called date with Reid Grayson and I am a nervous wreck. I hate feeling cornered, and that's exactly what he did with that phone call.
However, I must admit I was still feeling flustered from his closeness yesterday and how he looked at me. Yeah, I know we entered into a fake relationship, but I didn't expect him to slip into the role so quickly. The man played the part well.
“...llow. Earth to Willow?”
I hear and snap out of my thoughts. When I look up, I find myself staring into the soft green eyes of Seth Sawyer.
“Anybody home?” He says with a coy smile and waves his hand in front of my face. I blink and my face flushes as an annoying blush creeps up my neck.
“Hey, Seth. Sorry - a lot on my mind at the moment. What's up?” His brow furrows at my answer.
“Is everything okay?” He says.
What exactly do I answer? ‘Uhm, sorry I was just thinking about Reid, could you come back later?’
“Yes, I promise,” I answer him with a nod, not sure of what else to say right now. I couldn't exactly tell him I had been thinking about Reid. He flashes me another smile and takes a seat in front of my desk, looking a bit awkward.
“Okay, good. I know I am probably overstepping my boundaries and the rules right now, but I have to do this before it drives me crazy. Will you go out to dinner with me tonight?” He asks, and I blink in surprise.
Of all the times he finally asks me out, he does it when I am already in a so-called relationship. Talk about bad timing!
“Uhm, I would love to, Seth, but I, unfortunately, have plans for this evening already,” I say, feeling stupid at my missed chance with him.
I wasn't wrong about the attraction between us, and now he's decided to act on that. I was so dumb! His smile drops a little.
“That's a pity. Well, do you mind joining me for coffee after work then? I know I seem a bit persistent right now, but for some reason, I actually have the courage to ask you out today, and I want to act on it before my bravado drops again.” He says, coyly and I notice a slight blush on his cheeks.
OH MY GOSH! He's so adorable!
The yes slips out of my mouth faster than I could think about an answer, and he smiles.
“Perfect. I'll come to get you at 5,” He says, then walks around my desk and takes my hand in his, kissing the back of it.
“You look beautiful today, by the way.” Giving me another smile, he turns and leaves me with my heart beating like a drum line.
I stared at the hand he had just kissed and put my palm to my chest to calm my heart. What the heck? Was I releasing pheromones or something?! Two dates in one day??
By lunchtime, I couldn't keep anything to myself anymore and rushed off to get Mel and go to our usual table. Yesterday, I dodged her, so she was a bit pissed off with me, “I have a dilemma of the opposite sex kind,” I tell her and see her raise her eyebrow in surprise.
This would be a first for me, and I knew she would want to know every detail. We pick a secluded spot, and I start before she explodes from curiosity.
I look at her with my hands folded on the table in front of me.
“Okay, so remember when we went out last Friday, and Reid tagged along?” I ask, and she stops chewing at the mention of Reid's name.
“Yeeees?” She answers, putting down her chip and eyeing me.
“He overheard us talking about my book and finding me someone to share a romance with and blah blah blah, and he proposed we enter into a fake relationship-”
“WHAT?!” She exclaims before I can finish, almost dropping the fork she was holding.
“Shush! I'm not supposed to be telling you this, anyway! Listen!” I reprimand her, and she clears her throat before I continue.
“So, he proposed that we enter into a fake relationship where he shows me what true romance is, and in turn, I act as his girlfriend in front of his family at his brother's wedding.”
“That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard," Mel interjects with a shocked look on her face.
“I must admit that I thought the same thing about it when Reid suggested it. I mean, a fake romance just for my book? That just spells trouble, am I right? But the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. Office girl gets swept away in a whirlwind romance with the boss’s son. Doesn’t it sound like something you would read?” I ask her, and she crosses her arms in front of her.
“Hmm. I guess it does sound intriguing. But what if, you know, you guys start developing feelings for one another?” She asks, picking up another chip from her plate and eyeing me. I shrug.
“That’s one of the rules we’re not allowed to break. And besides, can you see me falling for a guy like him?” I ask, rolling my eyes.
Mel laughs, “Okay, yeah, no, I don’t see that happening. Why does he want you to accompany him as a girlfriend to his brother’s wedding, though?” She asks.
“Apparently, they’ve been badgering him about finding a girlfriend and stuff, so he saw this as an opportunity to get them off his back.”
I explain, and I see her nod at this, “Okay, that I get. But how is this a dilemma if you’ve already agreed to it?” She asks with a confused look on her face and takes a sip of her coffee.
I sigh, “Because he asked me out on a date tonight, and I said yes, but a few minutes ago, I also said yes to going on a coffee date with Seth after work.” I say, and Melissa sputters out the coffee she had just taken a sip of at the mention of Seth’s name.
Before she could yell, I put a finger to my lips.
“Seth?!” she whispers loudly, and I nod. I haven’t told her about our back and forth flirting in the office because I thought it would lead nowhere, now I’ve been proven wrong.
When I tell her this, she tosses a rolled-up napkin at me. “How dare you not tell me! Am I not your best friend?” She asks with a fake hurt expression on her face that causes me to giggle.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! But now I need your help! What should I do?” I say with a begging expression, and I bring my palms together.
Mel sighs. “Well, the way I see it, you should go on both and see who you would rather try this experiment with. I mean, it's not like it will get serious with Reid, but who knows about Seth?” She says. Hmm, go on a date with both on the same day and then make a decision?
That could work, I suppose.
I nod, “Okay, then I’ll do that. I don’t see this going anywhere with Reid either, but I am curious enough to see what will happen. With Seth, there’s a definite attraction, but it could just be physical and nothing more. I guess I’ll have to wait and see.” I say with a made-up mind.
Mel makes me promise to tell her everything afterwards. I told her I would send a rating out of 5 when our dates were over, and we concluded our lunch.
The rest of the day, my stomach is in knots over what would happen this evening. From being semi-unwanted to dates with two guys in one evening. This could either go both ways or blow up in my face. Badly.
“Ready to go?” Seth asks when 5 pm hits, and I nod as I walk out with him.
With a smile on my face, he leads me to his car, and we drive to a nearby upmarket coffee shop. Once we were inside and seated, the butterflies returned to my stomach. As if Seth could sense my nervousness, he leaned over the tiny table and winked.
“I promise not to bite, Willow. You can relax. I would really like to get to know you a bit better outside of the workplace.” He says and leans back in his chair. I take a breath; what do I talk to him about exactly?!
Our coffees arrive, and Seth looks at me, lacing his fingers underneath his chin, “ ‘A Night Like This,’” He says, and my heart stops. I look at him with my mouth agape and dry.
How did he know the name of my dreaded first romance novel?
Willow “How…?” I trail off, not knowing what to say. How did he know? But he only chuckles. “My previous girlfriend made me read it a few years ago, and I must say I loved every moment of it.” He says. A Night Like This was the book based on Alexander and I, the bestseller that I never picked up again even though I still made thousands on the royalties. “Why would you bring it up now, though?” I ask him, not understanding where this was heading. That book is the bane of my existence, and I wish I had never written it. Seth shrugs, “I was just curious as to why you’re at the firm if writing is clearly your passion.” He says. “Well, I originally only took the job to make ends meet before my writing picked up, but I have grown to love my job, so I’m juggling two things I love right now,” I say, which is the truth. Everyone at the firm grew to be like the family I never had, and it would crush me if I had t
Willow This can’t be happening. No, no, no, no. Why now? Why here? My mind hits a blank, and before I even realise what I was doing, I get up and walk out. “Willow?” I hear vaguely behind me but don’t register the voice. I haven’t seen Alex since he walked out of the home we shared, claiming that I had been neglecting him as a partner. But I have to admit that seeing him happy with the woman he betrayed me with hurts a lot more than I care to let on. I feel a tug on my wrist and stop. “What the hell, Willow?” I hear behind me and turn around, looking straight into the eyes of Reid. As soon as I see the confusion in his blue eyes, the fog lifts from my mind. I blink back the tears in my eyes. “I’m… I’m sorry about that. Do you mind if we leave?” I ask and see him frown, but he nods and leads me back to his car. I honestly don’t think that I could go back inside after that display. “Do you want to talk about it?” Reid’s
Willow The following day I am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as I enter the office. For some reason, I woke up calm and at ease this morning despite my confused feelings, so now I’m ready to face the day. Last night did not turn out as expected at all. Seth had my heart doing flips, and we have so much in common, but Reid did something no other man ever has; he comforted me and took my mind off the hurt. Everything in me tells me to go the safe route and pick Seth, but a little voice is egging me to be spontaneous and choose Reid. But I have already made up my mind, and today I will put it into effect. “Okay, bitch you need to explain this!” I chuckle when I hear Mel approaching me while holding up her phone. “What is this? 20/5? What the heck happened last night?” She exclaimed, curiosity itching her to the core, I bet. I wink at her, “I’ll tell you more at lunchtime. Try and hold out until then,” I say while flashing her an in
Reid I messed up last night; I should never have brought her to my lake house. She might think that I care about her feelings after this, when in fact, I don’t. This is to be a part-time thing, a welcome distraction to my current situation, but seeing her face screwed up in anguish last night was like a slap in the face. Willow is like the face of this company, the smile that greets our clients. Since I started here, I’ve always looked forward to her ‘good morning’ when I enter the building. So seeing that smile gone made me want to put it back. What the hell is wrong with me?! I sigh and enter the joint office, but I don’t see her as I walk past her desk. Her belongings were there, so she must be in. Fuck, I need to stop this and get my head in the game. My father is counting on me to break this case wide open; I have no time to deal with unwanted thoughts. “Reid,” I hear behind me before I enter my office and stiffen before
Willow In the weeks that follow, I barely see Reid except when I sit in on the board meetings, and even then, Reid and I clash. Seth has been helping me with a few things regarding the crucial case as well. The Simons case is finally going to court, and everyone is on edge even though we have a good case. Michael called for a final meeting with everyone, including Mel and me, on the morning of the opening arguments. The Sawyer PA was Seth’s sister, and she joined us as well. Michael clears his throat when we all file into the boardroom. “Good morning, everyone. Today is the day; everything we have put into this case will bear its fruits from today forward. I have faith in all that you have done, and I want to say thank you to all of you and let’s get these bastards.” He says, and applause follows. Michael indeed was a leader; we all look to him when it comes to cases like this. When we all file out, Michael asks Reid and me to stay be
Willow After telling Mel what happened this morning, but leaving out what happened in Reid’s office, I felt even worse than before. I think it’s only hitting me now; Seth’s games, Michael using me as ‘bait’. I suppose, in the end, I ended up helping Michael as I intended, even if it wasn’t the way I had hoped. Mel draws me in for a hug. “I’m so sorry, Willow. I mean, I knew Seth was a bit too good to be true, but I never expected something like this. What a shitty thing to do,” she says, letting go of me. I couldn’t agree more, though. I felt like shit right now. “Maybe you should go home for a little while to clear your head. The guys should be back from the courts soon, so why don’t you ask Michael for the afternoon off? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind, considering.” She says. I think it over; maybe it won't be so bad. I don’t think he would mind after what was done to me. I nod, then we change the subject again. Lately, I just didn’t fee
Willow What exactly did I see? Reid and that woman seemed pretty cosy in the restaurant; were they together? If so, why did he need me as a date for his brother’s wedding? God, this is bothering me so much. I barely got any sleep last night because of this, and now I’m entering our offices, feeling dead. My hopes that today wouldn’t be as eventful as yesterday were bashed when I saw what was on my desk. A bouquet of pink asiflorum lilies. I stand there, staring at the flowers as if in a daze and slowly walk towards it as I spy an envelope. Who could have sent these and knew they were my favourite flowers? As I think these words, I groan aloud and pick up the envelope, knowing who sent them before even seeing the name. I hear a whistle behind me, “Wow, these are beautiful! Who sent them? Came the voice of Mel as she walked up to me. “You don’t want to know,” I say while shaking my head and opening the envelope to see a
Willow I don’t know what to wear. For the last hour and a half, I’ve been staring at my wardrobe and wondering what the heck I should wear. Zack had said it would be semi-formal, but since he lives in Cherry Creek, I knew I couldn’t just show up looking like a nobody. I sigh and make up my mind: an a-line champagne off-the-shoulder cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline. I had this custom made a few months ago by Matthew Greene of Greene Designs*, but never had the opportunity to wear it. So tonight, I think I will. I have never been this nervous before, and I think I might just vomit. Zack is making a big deal out of this, so all the spotlight will be on me. Not to mention that Reid will be my date for the evening. Would there be paparazzi? Oh, god, I hope not! Groaning at the mere thought, I make my way to the shower and resign myself to the fact that all eyes would be on me tonight. By 7 pm, I am dressed up and r