Элла Франк - Edible

“Yeah, he seems like a real barrel of laughs,” Mason muttered, moving out from behind the counter. “Okay, I’ll leave it alone. For now.”

When he got to the door, he reached out and put his palm on the handle, but then he turned, looking back at her. “Leave your phone on, would you?”

Rachel quirked her eyebrow. “Only if you promise not to call me every five minutes.”

Mason nodded. “See you tomorrow night?”

“Yep, I’ll be there. Oh, Mase?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t worry, okay? It’s not you guys. It’s me. I’ll work this out.”

Mason didn’t look all that convinced, but he tried for a smile before he opened the door and stepped out into the cold air.

Rachel looked down at Tulip, sitting by her feet, as Tulip looked up at her as if to say, Uh, hello? You still haven’t fed me. Rachel stepped over the hairy annoyance and made her way to the back.

Feeling calm for the first time in a long while, she decided to really look at her life choices. She was going to take the week to not only be with Cole but to hopefully also be with herself. By the end of the week, maybe she would have some sense of direction and know exactly what it was she wanted out of life.

And if not? Well, at least, I’ll have a hell of a time getting to that final conclusion.

* * *

At their weekly Monday meeting, Cole sat in the boardroom with the other lawyers of the firm, looking down at his watch. Logan was running through the usual points of interest at work while flirting his way around the table as each attendee discussed the cases he or she had acquired. It wasn’t until the room fell silent that Cole realized everyone was staring at him.

“Cole, would you like to contribute in any way to your business and the running of it?” Logan questioned, his voice dripping with saccharine sweetness.

Cole sat up in his chair and frowned over at his partner. “Sorry, what was the question?”

Logan, who was usually the easygoing one, narrowed curious eyes on him. “Nothing. Don’t you worry your brooding self about it. Okay, everyone, that’ll be all. Go and win. Oh, and have fun crushing your opponent, of course.”

They all laughed as they filed out of the conference room one at a time, leaving Cole where he was sitting with Logan at the other end of the boardroom table.

“What’s up with you today, Madison? You’ve been a virtual space cadet.”

Cole shook his head and pushed up from his chair to stand. He straightened his suit and picked up his file.

“Is it your mom?” Logan asked.

“It’s nothing. My mind was just somewhere else.”

Logan gave him a shit-eating grin. “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

“Logan?”

“Yep?” he replied, still aiming his smug, superior face in Cole’s direction.

“Shut up.”

“Aww, don’t be like that. It just isn’t like you to zone out. It’s more like me.”

“I’m sorry, boss. It won’t happen again,” Cole told him, making his way over to the door.

Logan got up and followed Cole, clapping him on the shoulder. “I’m just concerned.”

Cole glared at the other man. “Bullshit.”

From behind black-framed glasses, Logan’s blue eyes were laughing at him.

“You’re not concerned. You’re nosy.”

Logan moved away from him, and when he was halfway down the aisle to his office, he chuckled and shouted back, “Well, I’m always here for you when you want to talk, dear.”

Cole held back what he really wanted to yell in response as he walked back to his own office. As he was about to pass Jane’s desk, he stopped and tapped his fingers gently on the cool polished surface.

She looked up at him with a smile. “Is there something you need, Mr. Madison?”

“Yes, actually. For the next week, I would like all my meetings scheduled to end before five. I want to be walking out of the office at 4:59 p.m., and no later. Can you do that?”

Jane frowned, but she assured him, “Of course. Is there anything else?”

Cole thought about it for a minute. “Yes. Any calls that come in late should be directed to Logan. I’ll let him know I’m unavailable this week.”

“Okay, I’ll get the outgoing message switched.” She paused for a moment. “Will you still be attending the dinner for the new District Attorney on Thursday night?”

Oh shit, Cole thought with a groan before he had a thought. “Yes, I’ll still be there. Please let them know I will have a plus one.”

When he saw Jane’s mouth twitch, Cole took a moment to tease her. “Is something amusing you, Jane?”

“Not at all, sir.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Please hold my calls until I let you know otherwise.”

He moved past her and into his office. Closing the door behind him, he walked over to his desk, picked up his cell, and sat down. Twisting his chair around, he looked out the window. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Ever since he had watched the cab pull away from his curb this morning, he had wondered if she would show up tonight. Not knowing was driving him insane.

Usually, he was the one consumed by work, not by a woman with huge blue eyes and multicolored hair. As he tapped his phone against his knee, he considered the possibility of her not returning, and then he found himself devising a plan to get near her again.

Convincing himself he had a good reason to call, he scrolled through his phone, and when he found her number, he hit call. After the second ring, she picked it up, and he felt his mouth pulling into a grin at her greeting.

* * *

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Cole Madison.” Rachel leaned back against her couch and played with her skirt.

She had closed the store at four and made her way home, wondering when she would next hear from him. When his number had flashed on her phone’s screen, she had felt her stomach jump and her thighs squeeze together at the thought of talking to him again.

“So, it would seem,” he confirmed.

His low voice sent a delicious thrill of anticipation through her.

“And what can I do for you this afternoon?” she teased, tongue-in-cheek.

“I’d like to see you again. I thought I should let you know.”

Rachel had to stop the small giggle that threatened to bubble out of her throat. Is he ever anything other than formal? The only time she could recall was when he had removed his clothes, and even then, he had exuded an air of formality, or maybe that was just his authoritative manner.

“Oh? Well, you were so unclear about it all last night, and this morning, I wasn’t really sure,” she replied sarcastically.

“Rachel?” he questioned in a cautionary tone.

And didn’t that just push her buttons. “Yes, Cole?”

“Meet me at six thirty, and I will make sure I am very clear with what I want from you.”

Rachel tried not to envision all the scenarios as she quickly asked, “At your place?”

“Yes. And Rachel?”

Swallowing slowly, she managed to respond, “Yes?”

Silence greeted her from the other end, and just when she thought she would scream in frustration, his voice came across the phone with a seductive warning.

“Don’t be late.”

Six thirty in the evening, and I’m right on time, Rachel thought as she pulled open the door to the lobby of Cole’s condo. As she made her way across the dark marble floor, she took a moment to take in her surroundings. It really is an impressive space.

A large fireplace and several couches were to the left of her, and in the center of the room was the security desk. Sitting there, a short bald man smiled at her in greeting as she walked toward him.

“You new to the building, miss?”

Rachel shook her head, her hair brushing against her shoulders now that she had removed her coat. “Oh no, I wish. I’m Rachel Langley, and I’m here to see Mr. Madison.”

The little man looked down at a list he had in front of him and then smiled back at her.

“Oh, yes. He called down a little bit earlier and told me to let you up.”

“Thank you. This place is lovely. So cozy.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, looking around. “It’s not too shabby, is it?”

Rachel let out a small laugh. “No, not at all. It’s beautiful. That fireplace is amazing. I could sit by it all day with a good book.”

“Well, you are welcome to come and sit by it anytime you like, miss.”

Rachel grinned back, enjoying the man’s jovial nature. She made her way over to the nearby elevators and reached out to press the button to head up to Cole’s condo. As an elevator arrived, she turned back to the security guard. “Well, that’s my ride. See you later—”

“Ed, miss. The name is Ed.”

Rachel took a step into the elevator and turned around to face him. Pressing number twenty-six, she waved. “Have a good night, Ed,” she called out before the doors swooshed shut.

As the elevator made the climb toward her fate, Rachel smoothed her hands down her black-and-white skirt. Suddenly experiencing an attack of nerves, she took a deep breath as she tightened the black satin bow at the side of her waist.

When she reached her destination, she stepped out into the hall and made her way down to the left. When she arrived at Cole’s place, she noticed a folded piece of paper taped to the door. Across the front of it, her name was printed.

Ripping the note off the door, she decided that if he’d stood her up, she was going to break into his condo and cut up all his ties. She opened the note and frowned as she read it: Level 28.

Heading back to the elevators, she refolded the paper. She waited for an elevator to open and then stepped inside. Looking at the panel, she hit the button for the twenty-eighth floor. As it ascended, her nerves slowly crept up again. Where the hell is he? And what is on floor twenty-eight? Trying not to let her imagination get the best of her, she held her breath until the doors opened.

As she stepped out onto the floor, the first thing she was hit with was the smell of chlorine. She spotted a single plastic chair and draped her coat across it before turning to look at the full-length pool in front of her. Taking a hesitant step forward in her silver-buckled black Mary Janes, she looked down to the white concrete floor where she was now standing.

Glancing around, she found the space was completely empty, and then she heard a splash in the water. Moving her eyes back to the pool in front of her, she watched as a man powered with perfect form through the water toward her. His arms sliced through the surface with absolute precision on each stroke, and as he glided closer to her, Rachel could do nothing but stare. She knew she was looking at Cole, but she just didn’t know if her heart could handle what she was seeing.

When he reached the end of the pool, he came to a stop and gripped the edge. Taking a deep breath, he reached up his right hand to remove the black goggles protecting his eyes. After tossing them aside, he ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up in wet spikes all over his head. Blinking a couple of times, he finally looked up to see her standing there.

She hadn’t moved an inch as she remained frozen, staring at him as he caught his breath. She was about to question her own sanity for not going toward…well, all of that. Then, he placed both palms on the edge of the pool and hauled himself up and over the edge.

Oh, thank you God for giving me this moment, Rachel thought, sending up the quick prayer. Her eyes went crazy as she tried to take in every inch of wet skin Cole had just put on display, and there was a whole lot of damn skin.

While his body came into view, the water slid over his strong muscular arms, ran down his powerful chest and rippling abs, and finally, dripped from his tight black swim shorts, sitting extremely low on his hips. As if that sight alone wasn’t hard enough to comprehend, throw in his hard nipples that were adorned with silver bars and tattoos that were screaming for her to trace with her tongue, and she was surprised she hadn’t started to drool.