Page 7 of Room Thirty: Perfect Little Doll

“Same, Coco. How’s Lucas doing?”

“Same as always.” She gave him a tight smile, and I dared to look over my shoulder.

Just like any time I looked at Carey Monroe, my heart fluttered. He was gorgeous. I was positive if I did a Google search for tall, dark, and handsome, Caraway Monroe’s broody image would pop up.

“Serena,” he sighed. I sat up straighter at the tone he used to say my name. It was different.Disappointed almost.“We were looking for you.”

“You’ve found me,” I mustered up. My eyes connected with his, and I knew he’d heard me talking, but the big question was, how much of my conversation had he heard?

“Hmm.” A muscle under his eye twitched, and I felt like I’d done something wrong. “You didn’t tell us you were stepping away from your desk.” I blinked. That thing in my belly tightened.

“It was my lunchtime,” I responded quietly.

“Right,” he clipped, running his fingers through his hair. Somehow, his perfectly coiffed hair didn’t get messed up. If anything, it always looked even better. “Well, I hope this doesn’t run long. We need you back upstairs.” He jerked his head, and my stomach dropped.

Shit! Did I forget about a meeting? A report they asked for? A contract to be delivered?

“Oh. I’m sorry. I’ll be back soon. I’m almost done here.”

“Serena,” Coco called, and I turned to look at her.I’m sorry, I mouthed, and she frowned.

“I’ll see you Sunday?” I asked, reminding her of our weekly standing date. No matter what was going on, we always found time to meet up on Sundays. Especially now that I lived three buildings away from her. Coco’s gaze searched mine, probably to make sure I wasn’t freaking out. Out of the two of us, I was the most sensitive. Coco was a badass, whereas I was too much of a softie.

“Brunch,” she noted with a nod. I could tell she wasn’t happy I had to rush back, but she of all people understood what demanding bosses were like. Her eyes were kind on mine before she turned them up to Carey.

“Great to see you,” she said with a tight smile as she stood and picked up her purse. She hugged me. “He didn’t hear anything serious,” she whispered low enough for only my ears before pulling away.

With a small wave, she walked away, heading toward the elevators that would take her to the floor where she worked.

“You hardly ate,” Carey observed over my shoulder.

“Oh, yeah.” I shrugged. “I'll eat later.” It wasn’t like I had an appetite after being rushed away from lunch since he or the other two men needed something.

“Hmm,” he grunted. He waited for me to stand, then handed me my purse and followed me, close enough his hand rested on the small of my back. His touch was warm, searing my skin despite the fabric that lay between us.

Usually, on the rare times I’d had lunch on my own, I looked forward to returning to the office. Working for them the last six months had been great. It was tough at first, learning and getting things down, but I had always been a fast learner. I’d had lunch with Coco about once, sometimes twice a month. But never had I had to leave early. Carey and I stepped into the private elevator that went directly up to their office, and a knot twisted and tightened in my belly.

I hated feeling like I’d messed up. Like I’d done something wrong.

“Did I forget something?” I blurted out and winced. I sounded like a chicken shit.

“Excuse me?” Carey asked. He turned to face me, his chest in front of me. I dared to look up at him. My eyes widened with how he crowded me a little against the elevator wall.This is a first.He’d never moved in that close to me. Out of the three men, he was always the one who gave me a wide berth of space.

“I mean, you came down to look for me. Did I forget something?”

“No.” He frowned.

“So, you took me away from my lunch with my friend early because?”

“You didn’t tell us where you were going,” he clipped. My brows bunched together.

“Excuse me?” I whispered, and Carey moved.

Fast and completely unexpected. I had no idea how to react, so I didn’t think. His large hand rose and cupped my face. I was weak. I leaned into his touch, and my eyes fluttered shut.

“You’re so fucking beautiful it hurts to look at you.” His deep voice sounded scratchy in my ears. His body heat felt like it radiated off his body in waves. “Have I ever told you that?” His tone contained a raspy quality I had never heard before.

One that was full of sinful promise I prayed he would make come true.