“N-no,” he answered, growing more intimidated by the minute, “but if you tell him Reed is here, I think he’ll want to speak to me.”
“I’m sorry, but Mr. Haywood is on a business call, and then he has another call right after that. I can take your name and information and have him get back to you.”
Brisk, efficient, and warning him off, Reed decided. That only made him more determined to see Carter.
“I’ll wait, thanks.” He turned his back and began to walk over to sit down in one of the chrome and leather chairs set about in the waiting alcove, when she called out to him.
“That will be impossible. Mr. Haywood has client meetings all day. He doesn’t have a free moment.”
“I’m sure he has to have lunch or take a break.” This woman had no idea how recalcitrant he could be when someone tried to tell him no.
“He had a lunch call. Now please. Give me your number, and I’ll make sure to have him call you.”
Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up and tucked it under her chin. “Yes?” She listened and began scribbling notes with her right hand while manipulating the keyboard of her computer with her left.
Reed took that as a sign that she couldn’t stop him if he took off looking for Carter, so without giving it a second thought, he strode right past her desk to the back of the office suite. He heard her call out to him but ignored her, and with the blood rushing to his head, hustled down the corridor, checking the doors to see if one had Carter’s name on it. All he could see were conference rooms, a file room, and a door marked “restroom.”
The hallway curved around, widening to a double door with Carter’s name on a placard. Finally. Without stopping to think, Reed pushed it open, stepped inside, and closed the door behind him. A thrill shot through Reed at the sight of Carter in his formal business attire of navy suit, stark white shirt, and bright-green tie. To the bar he’d always come casually dressed, and Reed remembered him with his clients—he’d had on a dress shirt, no tie and unbuttoned at the neck. And of course, Reed knew what lay beneath all the clothing: long limbs, lean muscles, and warm, naked flesh.
“What the—” Carter stood, a flush rising to stain his cheeks.
“Hi. I came to talk to you.”
Reed walked closer to the L-shaped desk with three computers and multicolored files stacked in neat rows across the top.
“Haywood, are you there?” A disembodied voice carried from the computer screen, and to Reed’s dismay he realized Carter was on a video conference, not a simple telephone call.
“Yes, yes, of course I am, Grant,” Carter said in a soothing voice.
There was nothing soft about the look Carter shot him, and chastened, Reed sank into a small chair positioned off to the side of the wide desk. This was the Carter from their last encounter at the bar: cold, hard, and strictly business. The hotly passionate man who held him in his arms and kissed him senseless during their weekends together was nowhere to be found. Before him sat a man he didn’t know and didn’t like very much. This Carter made him anxious, and the stupidity of his actions finally sunk in.
“I was saying that I believe the demographics being what they are now, with more people choosing to live in the city and have more than one pet, they will be driven to buy your pet food because they believe in high quality, natural ingredients, and having the best for their animals, who they consider part of their family. And we can push your ads to their smartphones and tablets when they’re in their favorite grocery store as well as any pet store.”
“Good. That’s what I want to hear. Let me think about it, and I’ll have an answer for you tomorrow.”
“Of course. Take your time, and give my best to Sharlene.”
Carter clicked the keyboard and then exhaled long and hard, his chin falling to his chest. Reed tensed and was about to open his mouth to speak when the phone buzzed and without even looking, Carter reached for the phone and hit the button.
“Yes.”
A woman’s voice filled the room, presumably the secretary up front. “Carter, a man came in and—”
“It’s okay, Lucy. Do me a favor, though. Hold my calls, okay?”
“But you have—”
“I know.” For the first time Carter looked directly at him, and Reed sucked in a breath at the hard glint in his eyes. “I’ll let you know when I’m ready. It won’t take long.”
Dismissed again. That choking sensation returned, the one where so many important things to say became twisted up and caught in his throat, yet he couldn’t get the words out fast enough. While Carter gave his secretary instructions, Reed talked himself down off his emotional cliff.
“Why are you here?”
Carter’s harsh tone, one he’d never heard before, jolted him back to reality. He’d been so busy inside his own head he hadn’t realized Carter was off the phone. Damning his shaking hands, Reed studied Carter’s hard, unforgiving face, trying to find some semblance of the man who whispered his desire while setting his body aflame.
“I, uh, um…” Thoroughly rattled now, Reed couldn’t answer. Furious with himself and his escalating anxiety, he blinked back the tears that threatened to humiliate him even further and attempted a deep, calming breath.
“Here.” Carter sat next to him and poured a cup of water from a pitcher on his desk and gave it to him. curving his palm around Reed’s to steady its shaking. “Take your time.”
