Free The Meridian Gamble by Daniel Garcia Page B

out. But then a wave of panic hits me, as I suddenly realize
who they are for. And if there was any doubt in my mind, it disappears when the
girl manning the desk, Kara, looks up at me with excitement.
    She’s a plain girl with frizzy
blonde hair, fresh out of college. But with a straight perm and a few smart
outfits, she’ll be working on the 18th floor in no time.
    “Oh my gosh! Meri, guess what? You
have a flower delivery,” the girl says.
    Even though I know what’s going on,
I’m still hit by a subtle wave of shock. Of course, they’re for me. And it’s
shallow, but looking at the expensive arrangement, I can’t help but to smile.
    I pick up the vase, which is heavy.
But luckily, my office is only a few feet down the hall.
    “Aren’t you even going to read the
card?” Kara asks.
    “Oh, I already know who they’re
from. Some guy I can’t get rid of,” I say.
    “Wow. It sucks to have such
problems.”
    “Sucks is exactly what you would
say.”
    But despite my casual front, I’m
dying to read what Adam wrote, and I hurry toward my office. I pass the Mail
Department, and, of course, I have to listen to their taunts.
    “Woo hoo, look who has a new
boyfriend.”
    “Ay, que caliente, Loca!”
    I can hear Edison’s voice calling
out to me, but I choose to ignore him, as he follows me a half-step out into
the hall.
    “Say, if I give you some flowers,
will you go out with me, sweetheart?”
    “Not if you bought me the whole
shop,” I say.
    “Aw, why you gotta be so cruel?”
    “I don’t have to be cruel at all. I’ll
leave that for the guy who sent me the flowers. And trust me, you don’t want to
mess with him.”
    Edison squawks unhappily, but I say
it with just enough seriousness to put a bit of fear in him. And as I walk
away, I can hear the sound of the other mail runners laughing at him.
    I set the flowers on the dull brown
wood of my desk, the one that makes me feel like a schoolteacher. And they look
out of place in my office. These flowers belong on the 18th floor, at least at
one of the cubicles, and look ridiculous among the pile of invoices I have
messily stacked up. Ridiculous, yet beautiful, and I’m glad they’re mine.
    I stare at the card a long time,
afraid of the Pandora’s box I might be opening by touching it. The thought of
reading it makes my stomach do somersaults. Yet, it also excites me to think of
the dark, dangerous lover who sent them. But the smart thing would be to just
throw it all away.
    Curiosity finally gets the best of
me, and I snatch the small, square envelope from the flowers, including the
plastic fork that held it in place. I throw that little pitchfork away, so that
it won’t ruin the splendor of the gorgeous buds, and I open the card.
    Maybe the note will say that Adam
is coming for me. Maybe he’ll state that I belong to him, and that he’ll drain
me of each drop of my blood for refusing him. But instead, it simply reads,
“You’re spectacular. Always remember it.”
    Which gives me a warm glow, that
brings about a smile.
    And at that exact moment, the phone
rings, and I scream.
    The little display screen reads
“BLOCKED NUMBER,” but I know exactly who it is. And I answer it without
hesitation.
    “This is Meri …”
    “Technically, I didn’t lie. I said
you wouldn’t see me again, but I never said I wouldn’t send flowers. Or call.”
    His
voice is warm and smooth. It sounds like music coming from the other end of the
line, a welcome relief from the dull environment around me, which is full of
irritations.
    “You work fast. I’m impressed. They’re
very beautiful.”
    “I figured I owed you something for
ruining your weekend.”
    “You didn’t ruin it, exactly. You
just threw me for a bit of a loop. But at least you know how to keep a girl on
her toes. And I have to admit, I’m a sucker for getting flowers. No one ever
sends them to me.”
    “Then I’ll send you some every
day.”
    “No, you won’t,” I say, harshly. “If
you do,