Page 15 of Illicit Education
My stomach twisted as my eyes narrowed. “Yes…?”
Marisa blinked a few times. “And you…” She paused, as though she couldn’t make sense of what I’d told her. “You explained the romance industry to him?”
“Risa?” Eloise nudged. “You’re acting weird.”
Marisa looked at everyone quickly, then back at me, eyes wide. “Are you saying that the man you rode the elevator with this morning, when you got to work, like, when I saw you… are you saying thathesent you this?” She motioned toward the center of the table, to my new most prized possession. “After you… youwent offon him?” she practically sputtered.
Ruh roh.“Yes? Why? What’s wrong? I didn’t mean to snap at him, I just…” With a sigh, I picked up my iced tea and stirred it with the straw. “Romance gets a bad rap, okay? And I’m tired of it.”
“You guys,” Marisa said, her voice low and serious. “I saw who she got off the elevator with.”
I swung my head toward her. “What? You did? Who was it? Do you know him?” She could have told me this information hours ago!
I hadn’t asked, but still.
Marisa snorted. “Know him? Yeah. You could say that.” She looked around at the others. “In fact, you could say weallknow him. To some extent, anyway.”
I scanned the other faces at the table–they looked as bewildered as I felt–then I turned my attention back to Marisa. “Well? Who was he?”
Marisa’s smile spread slowly into a wide, conspiratorial grin as she leaned back in her seat and splayed her hands. “Well, fall intern, that man you snapped at in the elevator was your new boss.”
My eyebrows made a slow climb up my forehead as those words sank in.
Marisa sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. “I honestly thought you knew. I mean, after the way you looked when you left the elevator, all flustered and frustrated.” She chuckled. “He has that effect on people, honestly. People either want to fuck him or fight him.”
“Risa!” Eloise gasped.
“Damn girl, enough with the suspense,” Hector complained. “Who was it?”
“Cabot Reed.”
Soft gasps slipped out of the others’ mouths, but mine was on the floor.
“Oh my God,” Hector whispered. “You mansplained Cabot Reed.”
Marcus laughed, raising his drink. “Rest in peace, new girl.”
“Hey now.” Marisa shot the two guys a warning look. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
Hector rolled his eyes. “Right. He’s such a kind, forgiving monster.”
“I’ve heard he’s a hard ass,” Eloise whispered.
“Hehasa hard ass,” Marisa said, swiftly covering her mouth to hide a giggle.
Hector snorted. “Hard ass is putting it mildly. The old man is a hard ass. Junior is something else entirely.”
“A sadist,” Marcus agreed. “I swear he got off on making you cry, babe.” Marcus reached over to rub Hector’s shoulder.
“He took over for a few weeks of my internship last fall, when Blanca had to fly out to the L.A. office, and I cried every day during that time, no joke. You have to have really thick skin to work directly beneath a man like that.” Hector shrugged. “I’m a lot of things, but thick-skinned is not one of them. I hated every moment of it.”
My stomach twisted into knots, and as the server returned with our lunch orders, I stared down at my niçoise salad suddenly lacking the appetite I’d had just a short while ago.
It just didn’t make sense. How could I have not known who he was? Could a haircut and shave change his appearance so drastically? I’d seen pictures of him while researching the Reed family, but he’d had so much more hair. A thick, long beard and wild long hair that reached halfway down his back. He’d been a cross between a California surfer–minus any sun-kissed blond in his onyx hair–and a homeless man stranded on an island, talking to a volleyball. “I don’t understand. He looks so different.”
“Gorgeous, right?” Marisa chuckled. “I’d always wondered what was hidden beneath all that facial hair.” She looked around the table at the others. “He chopped it all off.” She paused for effect. “Andshaved.”
“Ungh,” Hector grunted. “Tell me more.”