CHAPTER TEN - CHLOE
I WAS A wreck.
My hands were clammy. I hadn’t stopped sweating. I’d already put on deodorant three times that morning, and it was barely eight AM. I was running on two hours of sleep. Tyler had asked me multiple times what was wrong throughout the night, had tried to console me thinking it was nerves for the new client or anxiety about the wedding since his sister had come over for dinner and drilled us about details instead of us being able to go out like I’d wanted. Lana had drunk herself silly and passed out before Tyler’s sister had even left.
His attempt at making me feel better had left me feeling frustrated and annoyed rather than relaxed. All because the only thing I’d been able to think about while he was pleasuring me was Gavin’s stupid face—and not in a good way.
And now, I had to look Gavin in the eyes and pretend as though he hadn’t invaded my mind all night.
I put on a neutral face as I forced myself to stop pacing in front of my desk, and I took a deep breath.
Breathe, Chloe, I told myself.He’s just another man. The connection you felt with him was only lust, and just because you had the best sex of your life and can’t fuck anyone else without thinking of him doesn’t mean anything except that he knows how to use his cock. And his tongue. And his hands. And…
I didn’t realize I had my hand around my throat and my eyes closed as I braced the other against my desk until I heard someone clear their throat.
“Ahem,” came a voice toward the now clicking-shut door.
I snapped out of my daze and looked that way, only to find Gavin staring back at me. He had his bag halfway off his shoulder and was eyeing me with quiet curiosity, a smirk looking to be tugging on his lips.
Shit. He wasn’t supposed to be there yet. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t prepared—not for him, not for the meeting, not for…anyone.
“Gavin,” I managed, blinking and exhaling my breath. “I… I don’t think I realized you would be here so early.”
“Okay?” he asked, and the amusement in his tone made my jaw tick.
“Yeah,” I said, smoothing out my shirt. “Yeah, fine. I was just setting out some preliminary vision boards on the table here. Ezzie rarely arrives before nine on Monday’s so I thought I had time. And usually the client goes to her first, not me.“ There was a twinge of annoyance in my tone that I couldn’t squander. I ambled to the large table in the middle of the room and shifted around some of the papers as Gavin waited patiently to place his own materials down. He sat his bag in one of the chairs and opened the top, pulling out what looked to be a binder.
“What can I help you with?” he asked.
“Ah…” I paused, pushing my hand into my hair. He had caught me off guard, unprepared for dealing with someone and having to talk design before I was ready. I ordinarily had some time to get myself together and ready the room so it was prepared when Ezzie came in with the client. And that was on a typical day.
“I actually just need a minute,” I admitted, requiring time to gather my wits.
“Do you want coffee?” he asked.
A hollow sigh left me, my arm swinging downward. “Coffee would be amazing, actually. You can just tell Jas—“
“I’ll get it,” he said. “I fucked up your routine. Point me toward your coffee area.”
I finally looked at him. He was watching me expectantly, his blue sports coat open to reveal a pressed white shirt beneath, three buttons undone at the top and tucked neatly into his belted slim dark khaki pants. The look on his serene face helped me remember to breathe, like his being there and asking to help was calming me down despite the fluster I’d just been in—even the fluster I thought I would be in while in his presence.
“Sorry, what did you ask?” I said.
A smile flinched on his lips. “Are you always this flustered in the mornings?”
“When I’m faced with a man who I just called an asshole two nights ago as a client, and he shows up early before I’ve had time to gather my wits and have some alone time to figure out my day, yes,” I said without thinking.
As a client, Gavin could have balked at my tone and gotten angry or upset. But he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, his smile broadened. “Coffee, Chloe,” he repeated. “Where can I find it?”
I considered him another moment, my hands on my hips. “Break area is to the right when you walk out of here. Red walls,” I answered. “There’s an espresso machine, a couple coffee pots made, a pour-over. But you can just tell Jas—“
He headed towards the door as I spoke, and before I could tell him to find Jasmine to make it or even how I liked my coffee, he was gone.
I watched him mingle with my co-workers for a moment, being his charming self, and I hated the pang of jealousy in my stomach when some of the women smiled as he walked by and spoke to them.
I forced my attention back to the vision boards I needed to organize and started making eight piles: Ezzie, two from her team, three designers from mine, Gavin, and his marketing manager. Organizing helped calm my nerves. It helped me to see it all out—my designs, my team’s designs, all the keywords and inspiration photos we’d gathered.
I spotted the binder Gavin had brought in and let my curiosity get the better of me. He was still chatting with a few of the team in the break room, so I had a few minutes to peek. I opened it just enough to glance inside, and found he’d made his own vision boards.
