Care to Command

Bonus Chapter: We Saw a Therapist

"Seriously? You're drinking instant coffee?" Lucas shares his judgmental opinion, invading the peace and quiet of our kitchen. 

"Your face? Really?" I grimace. 

He just smiles devilishly, looking down at me. "The one that had you moaning against the headboard last night? Yeah. What about it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. You must've been dreaming." I pour the hot water into my to-go cup. 

He kisses my cheek, spreading his large hands on my hips. His hard chest warms my back, a husky murmur against my ear. "Why are you such a monster, huh?"

Thank the Lord he can't see my face, because I melt into goo. 

"Scoot." He shoos me away to open the drawer specifically organized for tea (organized by his mom, I should clarify). 

I admire as he bites on a burgundy teabag and tilts his chin aside, tearing it open. 

"Yes, daddy." 

He scoffs out a chuckle. "Idiot." 

Then begins to dunk the Earl Grey in and out of the water. 

Why. Why not just leave it in the cup like a normal person and let it seep. 

"Spill one drop on the counter I slaved away to clean and you shall pay with blood." I hold up a butter knife.

He yawns, brown eyes with blessed eyelashes watering. "Careful, munchkin. That's too dangerous for⁠—"

"Oh my God, my new Yelp review is in!" I gasp at my phone notification. "Ah, thank God. I've been waiting for⁠—excuse me? What the hell?"

"What?"

"Very nice experience. Thanks a lot?" I read out loud. "Seriously? I gave him a discount. I made him a website. Grew his Instagram follower count from a zero to ten thousand and all he has to say is very nice experience, thanks a lot?"  

"Not everyone is good with words." He kisses my forehead. "Relax."

"No!" Tears blur the six empty words. "I worked sixty hours a week for him. For way less than I deserved. I went above and beyond. The least he could do was spend a minute to write me a decent review."

This is too hard. Why did I quit my job? Who said starting my own business is a good idea? I'm good at analyzing numbers. Not networking. Not marketing myself. Not building a reputation.

"You have to be patient. You've barely started six months ago." Lucas tries to comfort me, as always. "Just keep going—wait, where are you going?"

"I have a meeting in two hours, I have to be ready." I run back to peck his lips, then rush out of the house. "Love you!"

I put on my sandals and swing my purse over my shoulder, nerves bubbling in my belly with anticipation. If I nail this interview, I'll win my biggest client so far. A new company from a wealthy family from Israel. They're making the latest home security technology, and if I sign with them, they'll pay me eighteen thousand dollars for three months of content data consulting. 

More money means finally hiring an assistant. Which means getting even more work. Which increases my Yelp reviews. Which ranks me to the top of the list in my field. 

"Did you forget something?" Lucas hands my coffee through the car window, and drops a banana on my lap. "Eat. It's not good to run on an empty stomach." 

"Thanks, but I already had my banana last night." I wink. 

He just rolls his eyes. "I'm serious. You've been having stomach problems, Layla. And you get nauseous."