CHAPTER 23
LUKE
We got our clothes back on. I ditched the Santa suit and put my regular clothes back on. The sweater didn’t bother me as much this time. I kind of liked that we matched. It said Clara was mine. Back off.
I sent her out of the office first, then waited a few minutes to exit as well. As adventurous as my love life had been in the past, I had never slept with anyone in the office. And I certainly had never done it on one of my bosses’ desks. It had been a risky move, but when Clara sat on my lap, common sense flew out the window and I had to have her right then and there.
Back out at the party, Clara was talking to Kerri by one of the dessert tables, laughing about something. The glow in her cheeks made it difficult for me to look anywhere else but at her. No woman had ever had this kind of effect on me and I barely knew what to do with myself.
Everything with Clara was different. It was scary and uncertain, and I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt so alive.
She caught me staring and smiled at me. I grinned back, loving the connection I felt even across the crowded office. There was nothing fake about it.
I got a drink while Clara talked to her friend. The two were chatting like they’d known each other for years, and I didn’t want to interrupt. I wasn’t even sure what to say to Clara. Were we a thing now? Did I want us to be? And what did she want?
I figured the best approach would be to see how she behaved and follow her lead. We would be heading back to Texas before we knew it, and I really didn’t want to complicate things until our arrangement was over. And sex always complicated things.
Clara wandered back over to me eventually and asked if I was ready to go. I took her hand and almost ran to the elevator. The ride back to my place was quick. Clara cuddled into my side, but she wasn’t saying much. It was still nice.
Back in my penthouse, she gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek, thanked me for a magical evening, and went into her room. I floated on air into my bedroom, where I took a long shower and thought about her until I finally drifted off to sleep. It was the best rest I’d gotten in years.
The next morning—well, closer to noon—we headed into the office together. Clara was going to help Kerri tear down the decorations and I had meetings about the upcoming games for the week. I wanted to take some time to prep. And I needed a little space from Clara so I could think clearly.
Rational thought became impossible when she was around. All she had to do was look at me with those gorgeous green eyes, and I was under her spell. I would say yes to any request. It wasn’t the best state to be in when trying to think about football stats.
I had been working for a few hours when Clara texted me she was finished with Kerri and was heading back to the penthouse. Kerri was having her driver take them, so I wasn’t worried about her finding her way back.
I texted Clara not to have any parties, and she replied:When the cat’s away the mice will play.
I was pretty sure she was kidding.
Over the next few hours, my concentration was shot. No matter how much I tried to focus, I kept thinking about Clara back at my place, all by herself, bored and waiting for me. We only had about a week left together in the city. It seemed a shame for me to waste that time working.
My job had gotten stale over the last couple of years. Or maybe it was my whole life in general that had lost some of its shine. I didn’t hop out of bed excited every morning the way I used to. I had since Clara had come to visit, though. She made my days special.
Part of the reason I wanted to get promoted at the network was for more of a challenge. I wanted to have a bigger say in the programming, using the things I’d learned over the years. I barely cared about being on camera anymore.
Would it be crazy to take more time off?
I decided to talk to Bonnie about it. I knocked on my producer’s door and she called for me to come in. I hesitated, took a breath, and grabbed the door handle.
I wasn’t usually the nervous type, but I had been doing a lot of unusual things lately. Like asking for more time off during the busy holiday season. There was a decent chance Bonnie would throw a mug at my head.
“Hey,” I said, putting on my most charming smile. “There’s my favorite person.”
Bonnie rolled her eyes and groaned. “Oh, this ought to be good.”
“What?”
“You clearly want something from me. You’re never this fucking sweet.” Bonnie grinned. She was a few years older than me, in her early thirties, and tougher than old boot leather. She had to be, surrounded by meatheaded sports announcersand analysts like me. It helped that she could curse like an old dockworker.
I leaned my elbows on the back of one of the chairs in front of her desk. “If I call in sick for the rest of the week, will that totally screw up your life?”
She let out a long breath and stared down at her desk, the gears turning in her head. Finally, she shrugged. “We can probably swing that without too many headaches. What’s going on?”
“I just want some time off,” I said, playing innocent.
“Sure. I guess it has nothing to do with that girlfriend of yours.” She snorted out a laugh. “You know it’s funny. For years you’ve swaggered around here saying how no woman could tame you. You’d never settle down. And then it turns out you’re a big, ol’ romantic.”
