Chapter 141
Chapter 141
The familiar, clean scent hit Audrey as a searing kiss landed before she could speak.
“Miss me?” Yann breathed roughly.
“A bit.” Audrey fisted the fabric of his shoulder, reeling from his scorching embrace. Her own voice shocked her since when did she sound so soft and breathy?
Yann’s hand clamped around her waist, pressing kisses from her lips to her earlobe. “Missed you like hell.” His fingers deftly slid under her shirt, brushing the tattoo on her lower back, where the skin felt slightly raised. “What’s this?”
Audrey grabbed his wandering hand. “Just a dumb tattoo.”
Yann’s hot breath on her ear made her shiver, her body going liquid in his hold. “What’s it of?” he pressed.
Audrey stayed silent, squirming as he kissed her breathless.
He kept brushing the tattoo. When she tried to pull back, he crushed her against him. “Is it a scar?”
The more she evaded, the surer he was she was hiding something.
Audrey’s face burned, her eyes dazed as she shot a panicked look out the window. “Not here. People can see!”
Paul had already suspected she was tangled with a higher–up over a single coffee. If he saw Yann’s car–with an Ironhaven plate or not–digging up Yann’s identity would be too easy.
Yann nipped her swollen lips one last time before letting her go, starting the car and pulling away.
Audrey flipped down the sun visor, checking her makeup in the tiny mirror. She thought, ‘Dammit, my lips are bruised again. Can’t he ever hold back?‘
She smoothed her hair, got a baseball cap out of her bag, and put it on. “How much longer will the battle between Ms. Smollett and Ms. Hale drag on?”
Cecilia was so obsessed with finding her grandson that she still hadn’t signed the contract. If this kept up, Audrey’d have to help track him down.
‘Will Ms. Smollett hold it against me?‘ Audrey wondered.
Yann let out a low chuckle and clasped Audrey’s hand in his. “What are you in the mood for?”
“Whatever.” Audrey intertwined their fingers, resting their joined hands lightly on the center console.
“Calvin recommended a place. Wanna check it out?”
“Sure.”
The revolving restaurant sat on the 60th floor of a commercial district landmark. Its slow spin offered a sweeping view of Ironhaven’s bustling cityscape.
Calvin had booked them a cozy booth. While Audrey ordered, Yann went to the restroom.
When Yann returned, Audrey had just finished choosing dishes. He scanned the menu and added a bottle of red wine. “Calvin’s driving us later.”
Audrey loved seafood but hated shelling it, so Yann spent the meal peeling shrimp and picking crab meat for her, and she happily ate every bite.
“Gotta use the restroom.” Audrey finished the last sip of wine and stood up.
“Turn left when you go out.” Yann picked up a damp napkin to wipe his hands.
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Chapter 141
Audrey gave an OK nod and exited the booth.
The restroom had a shared sink area, with men’s and women’s toilets on separate sides, so voices from outside carried clearly into the stalls Ancon Audrey stepped in, two women’s voices
rang out.
“Did your company bid on the government project?” Woman A asked.
“We did, but we lost.” Woman B sounded like she was applying lipstick, her tone scornful. “Some guy has veto power. If he hadn’t shot it down, we’d have gotten a piece.”
Woman A gasped. “Heard Kuinpul and Hawdia
se
him women,
but they got axed first round. Now Hawdia snagged a small project at the meeting”
The women walked into the restroom.
Woman B scoffed, “Hawdia knows how to schmooze. If we’d known he was gay, we’d have sucked up to Calvin instead.”
“Don’t talk crap!” Woman A said sharply, sounding panicked about getting dragged into trouble.
“After all these years, he’s never had a single rumored girlfriend. And he meets Calvin here regularly. Hell, he even set Calvin up with a three–million- dollar mansion and three or four luxury cars. If their relationship’s innocent, I’ll do a damn handstand!” Woman B hissed.
She ducked into the farthest stall, her clothes rustling as she added with a scornful laugh, “Guys like that always end up with some nasty disease.”
Audrey let out a cold laugh and hit the flush button. The woman on the other side jumped, going silent.
But Woman B didn’t care, clearly convinced no one knew who she was talking about. “You think he’s the top or the bottom? With how much he’s sucking up to Calvin, he’s probably the bottom. Imagine that calm, collected CEO getting…”
Bang. Audrey stepped out of her stall, slamming the door hard enough to cut off the crude remarks.
She walked to the sink, grabbed the hand soap, and came back to squirt a thick pile right in front of the farthest stall.
“Sounds like sour grapes to me,” she called out. “Hawdia Group won the bid because they know how to play nice. Trash like you who talks shit and spreads rumors? You’ll be broke before you know it.”
“Who the hell are you?!” Woman B snapped. “You work for Hawdia Group?”
Audrey didn’t bother answering. She turned and walked away.
The moment she heard footsteps fading away, Woman B hurriedly adjusted her clothing and dashed down the step, only to slip on the soap, crashing onto her back with a loud thud. “Ah!” she screamed.
Woman A finally shoved open her stall door. “Yelena! What’s wrong?”
“My back…” Yelena Carlos groaned, her face pale as she clutched her lower back. “Get an ambulance!”
As paramedics wheeled Yelena out of the restroom on a stretcher, diners craned their necks to stare. Woman A covered her face, humiliated.
Audrey stood by the booth entrance, watching them fade from view.
‘Others can’t speculate about Yann’s sexuality. Only Ms. Smollett and I have that right. And sarcastic insults are completely unacceptable!‘ Audrey thought.
“Why aren’t you heading back?” Yann suddenly emerged behind her, slipping
Audrey didn’t turn, reaching up to brush his cheek. “Watching the drama.”
They returned to the booth only after the commotion ended.
an arm around her waist.
Chapter 141
Calvin was already the ****
arriage with his ex wife and forging stance tuka
We was so tangled in his son tapil bubles that he had hy is just sitkataq otulleen
After Calvin finished, he crudied Audrey’s extinda wanita cu mugle bat egingo
Sensing the chill Varin we quidly nonating basis for drag chegud ko kung tung dan arw
clear wing cha
As the three to the hotel and crossed the tabby, Audrey saw a low mi
“Want to try?” Yann ashad
“No way, we’re not kids” Audrey pulled him toward the door. But once outaide, de dogged dan “You st something”
After watching them walk off, Audrey rushed across the street to a fruit stand. The lemons in the fridger had all wanted fresh ones for his coffee.
As she picked out some extra fruits, a sudden thunderous boom rang out in the distance
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