Free Rapturous by M. S. Force

us and hugs me. “I’m so sorry.”
    I appreciate the comfort and friendship she offers. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine. He’s an ass. I suspected it before I screwed him. Now I know it for sure.”
    “What can I do?”
    “This helped, thank you. I need to get myself togetherbefore Leah arrives after lunch.”
    “I can’t wait to see her. I’m so excited to have her here.”
    “We’ll take good care of her.” I wet a paper towel and use it to mop up my tears and the mascara that has collected under my eyes. I look like hell. This day just keeps getting better. “He had a good idea in the meeting.”
    “He certainly did.”
    “At least he’s good for something.”
    Natalie laughs andgives my arm a squeeze. “You know where I am if you need to talk.”
    “I do. Thank you, but I’m all done talking about him. It’s time to cut my losses and move on.”
    We leave the restroom together, and I’m relieved to see no sign of Hayden in the hallway. Natalie smiles at me before she ducks into Flynn’s office. I love her, but I can’t stand that she feels sorry for me. I don’t want her or anyoneto pity me. I got exactly what I wanted the other night. If I haven’t gotten what I wanted since then, well, so what? I’ll survive. I always do.
    In the next couple of hours, I throw myself into work. Flynn and Natalie are going to Italy in March for the wedding of Dylan Martin, an actor he’s worked with several times. I plow through the scheduling of the plane, the reserving of a suite at a hotelunder a fake name and confirming the wedding itinerary with Dylan’s assistant.
    I move on to reviewing the details of Flynn’s schedule for the promotion of the film that defies naming. It’ll be out in July, and Liza is already arranging interviews and appearances around the premiere. After five years of working for Flynn, the cycle of shooting, postproduction—which he has a hand in when he’s alsoproducing—promotion and premieres around the world has become somewhat predictable. It’s always a little different from one film to the next, but the steps involved don’t change much.  
    I’ve got a list of questions for Liza, things I anticipate that Flynn will want to know. I’m ten minutes into composing an email to Liza when Mackenzie appears at my door carrying a massive and colorful bouquet.They positively dwarf her petite frame, and when she peeks around them, her brown eyes dance with glee.  
    My heart staggers when I realize they’re for me.
    Goddamn him. Goddamn him and my staggering heart.  
    Mackenzie puts the vase on my desk. “Someone has been keeping secrets.”
    “Not me. I have no secrets.”
    “Who’re they from?”
    “I have no idea. Is there a card?”
    Mackenzie points to the envelopeburied between yellow and pink roses. The fragrance overpowers my senses as I reach for the envelope. I’m afraid to open it in front of her in case he’s signed it. He wouldn’t do that, would he? “Um…”
    “Oh, okay. So it’s like that, is it?” Winking, she smiles and turns to leave the room.  
    We’re friends, and we talk about guys and hookups and other such things. But there’s no way I can talk about this guy or hookup with her or anyone else tied to Quantum. It’s bad enough that Natalie knows—and if she knows, Flynn probably does, too. Moaning at the mess I’ve made of things, I open the envelope to read the message: I’m sorry. Please forgive me?
    I drop into my chair, undone by the simple sentiment and the grand gesture of four-dozen roses, delivered to the office, of all places. “Damn you,Hayden.” He’s got my attention, that’s for sure. Now what?
    I have no time to answer that question or to think about Hayden and the flowers or his note or anything else, because I’m needed at the luncheon to welcome Leah to the Quantum team. Leah, who’s tall and lean and adorable with curly brown hair and big blue eyes, is so excited about her new job that she all but bounces with