Page 13 of Challenging Luke
“Or maybe I could teach you how to be more selective,” Luke shot back.
“I’m all about equal opportunities, my friend!”
That was for sure. With a shake of the head, he left the building, not realizing how late it was until he walked outside. Streetlights illuminated the area and a few people were still milling around. He questioned his logic of pit-stopping at Monica’s. There was the slight chance she would be sleeping and that’s why she had rejected his call.
He would start by driving by and see how things looked. Then he would make his decision if knocking on the door was the right move or not.
CHAPTER NINE
“I told you she would still be working.”
Monica’s head sprang up at the familiar voice. She knew her best friends said they would fly in, but when they hadn’t shown up after twenty-four hours, she started to think Trista hadn’t been able to convince her husband.
“Why the fuck are you still at the office when it’s nearly eight at night?” Trista waltzed her fine ass into her office and plopped it down on the corner of her desk.
Trista St. Clair, well, now Trista Lamont, was a former model and overall dramatic human being. If anyone had told her she would be best friends with the obnoxious woman when they first met, she would’ve laughed in their faces. Now she couldn’t imagine life without the bubbly and insane personality in it.
“Why are you cussing at me in my own office, and where’s my niece?”
Not that she didn’t love her two best friends, but she hadn’t seen Mallory since she was born, and from the way Ash carried on about the little girl being constantly attached to her chest, she assumed Mallory would also be present.
“I left her with Bentley and Falcon,” Ash answered, leaning against the doorjamb. “This mama needed some girl time.”
Monica didn’t bother to hide the horror on her face.
“Don’t worry,” Trista said. “Falcon is playing bodyguard rather than uncle. He already warned me that the sexual favors I owe him have doubled since he wasn’t informed the little diva would be hanging with the men. His words, not mine.”
“My niece is not a diva,” Monica huffed.
She totally was. Trista’s wish that Bentley would have a little diva on his hands was, so far, becoming true. Monica wondered if that had more to do with the fact that Bentley was wrapped around the baby's finger. If Ash wasn’t spoiling her and holding her all the time, Bentley for sure was. That little baby had only to whimper and her parents came running.
“And I don’t need to hear about your sexual favors,” Monica tacked on. “I’ve never met someone so open about their sex life.”
“That’s because up until recently, you haven’t had a sex life. Vibrators don’t count!” Trista cut her off before she could even attempt to defend herself.
“Can we not talk about sex at my place of employment?” She tried to look past Ash, who was still standing in the doorway, but couldn’t see anyone. Then she remembered Trista had mentioned it was nearly eight in the evening, so the chances that anyone else was still here were pretty slim.
“We all know you’re the only crazy person still working this late. Even Daddy Dearest's office is dark.”
Ash nodded in agreement, and Monica let out a sigh of relief. Finally, she managed to do something right. Although she wasn’t sure what that said about her if working so late was considered the right thing to do.
“I just need to finish up a few more emails and then we can get out of here.”
“Nope.” It would appear Ash was done letting Trista be in control of the conversation. Her best friend walked over and manually shut down the computer before Monica could even register what was happening.
“Hey!”
“Don’t hey me. This is for your own good. There’s not a single email that can’t wait until tomorrow. Now grab your coat. I have several bottles of wine and an order to place with my favorite Chinese place.”
“Since when did you get so bossy?”
Ash used to be the quiet one. The go-with-the-flow friend. Then she met Bentley. The man had been determined to get her to open up, and he succeeded. Ash was a force to be reckoned with now.
“I’ve been this way for years. I just don’t usually turn it on you because I thought I was doing you a favor letting you focus on work. I see that was a mistake, and since my father is insistent on making your life hell, I’m here to give him a piece of my mind as well.”
“No, you can’t interfere.” She shrugged her coat on and slipped her phone into her bag. “He would only resent me more.”
“Then you need to stand up for yourself,” Ash fired back. “He wants to see that you’re worthy of the position and the company. You can’t do that if you continue to let him walk all over you. Now we’re going to drop the subject for tonight. This is my first night away from my baby and I fully plan to spend it hearing all about this mystery man you met in Rome and drowning out my loneliness with some wine.”