Chapter 2 - Tonight's The Night When We Forget About The Heartbreaks

Willow

“Hey, ready to go?” I look up from my laptop into the green eyes of the Grayson PA and best friend, Melissa Carter.

She started working here two years after the company opened and we’ve been close ever since. She was a tall, leggy blonde with an athletic figure but a brilliant mind. She may look ditzy, but she had a heart of gold and an IQ higher than those death traps she wears on her feet. I frown at her question and then see the time - 2 pm and our lunchtime.

“Yeah, just let me grab my things,” I say and follow her out of our joint office.

I don’t know why, but this second rejection hit me harder than the first. Yes, I know that I am not used to the romance genre, but I do think that I tried my best with the minimal amount of knowledge and experience I had.

“What’s with the long face?” Melissa eventually asks, pointing to my frown after my long period of silence. I realized then that she had been talking to me this entire time, but I had been too wrapped up in my own mind to notice.

I clear my throat, “Sorry, Mel. Just a lot on my mind.” I tell her, the lie slipping out of my mouth easier than I expected, but she immediately sees through the bullshit and gives me a knowing smile.

“Wanna talk about it?” she asks, placing a hand on mine, and I let out a sigh.

“My editor claims that the characters from my new book are not believable and their chemistry, interactions, and romance seem forced. I mean, he requested a romance story, but it is my first time, after a long time venturing into this genre, so I will be rusty. He also had the nerve to ask if I had ever been in love!”

Out came the worries of the past hour. Melissa’s eyes widen, and she sits forward, lacing her fingers together and leaning her chin on them.

“Well, have you? Ever been in love, that is?” She asked, and now it was my turn to raise my eyebrows.

Love - Whenever I think of the word, I see Alexander’s face, and I am reminded of the pain he left me with. It happened a long time ago, but betrayal like that seems to stick with you.

“I mean, you’re either at work or at home, and I’ve never heard you mention anyone special. So, have you been in love before?”

“Yes, a long time ago, and it didn’t exactly leave a good taste in my mouth. And I have liked guys before and gone on dates, but they all end up boring me.” I answered honestly, not wanting to recall the betrayal I had just re-lived in my head.

Melissa offers me a small smile, “I understand. Do you want to go out for a few drinks tonight? Might take your mind off things.” She says, and I could just about hug her! I needed a breather after the last few weeks of worry. Just as I was about to answer her, her cell phone rang.

“Oh, fuck,” she says, rolling her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose before picking up her phone. “Yes, sir? Oh, I do apologize; I am currently on lunch… Oh, Okay. I will be there in less than 5 minutes.” She says before killing her call.

“Baby boss has spoken, and I am needed.” She says while collecting her things and standing up.

“Reid? You shouldn’t let him bully you like that.” I say, immediately getting a bitter taste in my mouth.

Reid Grayson is Anthony Grayson’s son, and no one liked him. He’s cold and rude and treated everyone as if they were extras in his show.

“What can you do?” she asks with a shrug. “The guy will be taking over from his dad in three years, and at the moment, Ridge trusts no one else to handle his daily schedule. I need to prove myself to Reid while I still can. Anyway, we can arrange tonight’s business during the course of the day. See you!” And then she was off, her blonde curls bopping as she rushed to the aid of the person who would be her new boss soon.

I guess I am lucky when it comes to bosses; Michael is excellent and treats me like an equal, not a slave. I suppose Ridge is the same because Melissa has never had anything wrong to say about him. Well, that was until Reid started here a few months ago; with him here, she’s had to work extra hard because the man was not easy to please.

Shame, I feel sorry for her.

Gathering my own things, I get up and head back to my desk while half thinking about a new manuscript. How the heck was I going to do this? Should I read more to gain inspiration? Maybe I should just tell my editor that I couldn’t do this, but that would mean that I’d given up on the idea and I hated feeling like a quitter.

Argh, this is annoying!

As I walk back to my office, I see a rose laying on my desk and smile as a blush creeps onto my cheek. I already knew who this was from, and my heart does a flip - Seth.

“I thought you could use that today,” I hear his voice behind me and turn around with a coy smile on my face. Office romances are forbidden but gosh, why did he have to be so darn gorgeous, though? Dark hair coupled perfectly with his soft green eyes, and he always smelled so damn good.

“Thank you, how did you know?” I say, picking up the rose and bringing it up to my nose. He flashes me a panty-dropping smile and shrugs.

“Your face said it all at lunchtime. I saw you with Mel and knew you needed cheering up.” He says. I walk toward him and give him a hug.

“Thank you, Seth. You have no idea how much I needed this.” I say and let go of the hug. He places his hands on my shoulders.

“Smile more, please. You make coming to work worth the boring meetings.” He then grazes my cheek with his thumb before leaving again.

If there was anyone worthy of being the male lead in my book, it was Seth. We've had this back and forth with one another for the last few weeks, but no one has made a move yet. I suddenly get hit by inspiration and run to my desk to open a Word document, typing away without pressure - definitely a welcoming feeling.

The rest of the day seemed to go by in a blur, and I looked at the first three chapters I had written with a smile and sent them off to my editor for review.

Luckily, Michael sent me home early and closed up the office as he had to leave for Europe with his wife. Mel and I decided on a cocktail bar close to our apartments because Summertime in Denver was no damn joke - the less traveling, the better!

Mel calls at 6:30 and says she would meet me at the bar because she was helping Reid sort out a mess at the office. I would catch an Uber at 7 pm and just let my hair down for a while. The office has been super stressful lately because all three head lawyers were involved in the case, so an evening out would do us good.

7 pm approaches quickly, and I am left staring at myself in the mirror, wondering if I made the right choice. Not that I had a problem with my image anymore; I had shoulder-length blonde hair, brown eyes, and a light tan over my skin, and I worked out three times a week. I still wore glasses, though, and preferred them to contact lenses.

The only thing I was unhappy with was that I was short and had to wear heels to make up for my height. Currently, I was dressed in a black halter neck cocktail dress that ended just above my knees and my trusty black Prada stilettos. I curled my hair slightly and swept it to the side as well - what can I say? I wanted to feel good about myself and went all out.

As if on cue, my cell phone rings, signaling that the Uber was downstairs, so I give myself another look in the mirror and head out to drink some of my worries away with yummy cocktails.

When I arrive at the bar, I feel the eyes on me as we walk to the bar area and immediately feel an uncomfortable itch on my skin. This is supposed to be one of the more upper-class cocktail bars, so I hold my head high and smile.

I order myself a Strawberry Daiquiri and wait for Melissa to arrive, and spend the rest of the time remaining alone with my thoughts yet again. Perhaps I could write a tragic love story to follow up on the first one I wrote? Ah, my readers would never forgive me for that. I sigh, thinking of new ideas while slowly falling under the cocktail's pull.

“Looking sexy, Creed.” I hear Melissa behind me, and I feel a blush on my cheek.

Yes, I was confident and all, but I never knew how to respond to compliments. I turned to thank her then and blanch; standing next to her was Reid Grayson. Classic slicked-back brunette hair, piercing blue eyes, and looking sexy as hell in black jeans and a dress shirt.

WAIT! What was Reid Grayson doing here, and most importantly, why was he with Mel?