Was this normal? I couldn’t remember being this way with Brad, but that had been so long ago, and we’d been in college when we’d met. I knew I wasn’t developing feelings for Jackson because I’d only seen him the four times we’d slept together and the whole point of this arrangement was that it was strictly casual. No dates, no labels, nothing serious.
But it was true that I felt a little bit intoxicated by him. Infatuated if I really thought about it, but I locked that thought away to worry about some other time. At worst, it was a crush. A harmless, completely casual, not at all serious crush over an extremely handsome man, who just so happened to be the best sex I’d ever had. And who was also smart, funny, kind, interesting. Nope, not going there.
It was just the honeymoon phase. That happened with fuck buddies, right?
I felt a burning in my chest, not completely unpleasant, and the churn of butterflies flitting about my insides. Whatever this was, it didn’t change the fact that I didn’t want a relationship. Not now. Maybe not ever.
Ok, that was likely an exaggeration, but honestly, I just didn’t want to think about it. All I wanted was some casual fun, and Jackson was on board with that. So why did it feel like my own body was betraying me?
The butterflies stuck around throughout my morning, a constant fluttering ache that kept Jackson close to mind, and it required effort to remain focused through my meetings. It didn’t help, then, when Jackson texted me.
Jackson: I can’t stop thinking about that sexy red bra. I don’t know how I’ll make it through filming today. I’m going to need to see it again.
Jackson: For science.
Jesus. He was going to be the death of me. For the first time in my life, I considered taking the rest of the afternoon off and heading over to his place. I’d never skipped out early before, and I could hardly believe I was even entertaining the idea. Surely I couldn’t? Could I? The very concept thrilled me. But I couldn’t. I was far too busy, and even if I did, Jackson was filming today.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t give a little back. Maybe even … make things a littleharderfor him …
Before I could talk myself out of it, I messaged him.
Me: Luckily I saved a visual aid for research purposes. Hope it helps
I attached a photo I’d taken of myself in that particular pair. After our successful shopping trip over the weekend, I’d gone home and tried everything on, taking photos of a few and texting Tiff for her opinion on which one would be best for seeing Jackson that night. I hadn’t deleted the photos afterward, and now I was glad for it.
I put my mobile down after pressing send, my giddiness skyrocketing. I’d never sent a man a suggestive photo of me before, and I felt like a teenager sneaking a guy into my room without my parent’s knowledge. I laughed at myself. What the hell was Jackson doing to me?
“Audrey, can you come into my office?” David was standing in my doorway, and my smile faltered a little. This sounded … well, not serious; he didn’t have his serious face on. But it was certainly curious. For David to call me in first thing meant something. I hoped it had nothing to do with the launch.
This was silly. I’d known David for years now, so why was there a bubble of anxious anticipation swirling in my gut?
David waved me in when I approached. “Audrey, I want you to meet Winnie and Jet.”
I looked over at two blond twenty-somethings, who were nervously smiling at me.
“Uh, hi. Nice to meet you. I'm Audrey.”
The girl standing closest to me came forward and shook my hand vigorously. “It's so cool to meet you. I’m really looking forward to working together.”
Wait, what?
I looked over at David, and he had a fixed smile on his face. If the blond babies hadn't been staring at me starry-eyed, I'd definitely have asked him what the hell he was trying to pull. But it would have to wait until later.
A nagging feeling stirred in me, and I knew before I asked, I was going to regret asking, “Working with me?”
“Yes, Winnie and Jet are our new interns, and I've assigned them to work with you on the MacMillan launch.”
I swallowed down my frustration. Did David really think I had the time to be mentoring two complete newbies? I’d told him I could handle it on my own.
Between the four other client accounts I was managing and the seven customer accounts, I barely had time to get home before dark most days, and the added launch would leave me with less time than ever before.
And now I was expected to show these interns the ropes and how to do my job in between all of that? It would result in every task taking twice as long, and I just couldn’t believe David thought this was a good idea. Why now?
Fully prepared to tell him to reassign them, the hopeful look on their faces made my resolve crumble. I still remembered what it had been like to start out. Hell, it was David himself who had been the one to show me most of what I knew once upon a time.
And now he was trusting me to do the same.
I swallowed my frustration. I didn't know where I'd find the time, but I would try and make this work.
