Iwatched the screen, waiting for his reply.It came back so quickly he must have been expecting my text.
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SINCE I KNOW HOW MUCHYOU WANTED ME, WE’LL MAKE AN EXCEPTION THIS TIME.
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Well hell, I hadn’texactly thought that one through.The man didn’t need any help with his confidence.
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IWANT MY NIPPLE CLAMPSBACK.SURELY YOU MAKE ENOUGH TO BUY YOUR OWN.
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It took longer forhim to reply, and I was feeling a little smug for maybe finally leaving him speechless for a change.
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KITTEN, THE NEXT TIMEYOU SEE THEM, YOU’LL BE WEARING THEM.
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Iswallowed hard (Ihad a feeling it was going to replace my antacid habit), silenced my phone and locked up for the day.I didn’t stand a chance.
IFINISHED LISTENINGTO THE text-to-voice app read back the last of the string of emails and popped the earbud out.I’d already gone over the notes for the meeting a dozen or so times.I should be ready, but after the debacle with the GS case, I couldn’t afford to fuck this up.I’d messaged the other partners about my recusal and forwarded the files to one of the junior associates, but I’d taken the chicken-shit way out, disguised as business, and hadn’t actually spoken to anyone.I had no idea the extent of the fallout, but it couldn’t be good.
I’d been tightening the ropes around the shipping firm for months.Tonight was the night to close the deal and move my firm into the number-one spot as counsel for one of the largest transportation companies in the country.Hell, it was only a matter of time before they were number one in the world.If—when—I got them to sign with us, I’d be a superhero.
Assuming I didn’t let the distraction get the better of me.Alex had me twisted up in knots.I’d spent way too much time trying to push her out of my head, with only marginal success.I tucked the notes into my folio.The words had started to turn and run into each other anyway.I glanced down at my phone one last time to see if she’d responded to my last text.I hadn’t heard from her since her elevator text and that was too damn long ago.I could multitask with the best of them, but only if I could compartmentalize the different pieces.The sexy Dr.Smithson managed to work her way into everything, and I was having a hard time picking out the individual threads, which wasn’t going to work for me.I needed this dinner to go well.
The town car pulled to a stop in front of the restaurant and I tried to ignore the jolt I got from seeing the place where I caught Alex the first time we met.Maybe dinner at Matt’s hadn’t been such a great idea.I’d chosen it weeks ago because the staff knew me and would go out of their way to ensure the dinner went off without a hitch.As long as I managed to stay out of my own fucking way.
I thanked the driver and hurried through the front door.The pretty hostess smiled at me and led me to a table on the second floor overlooking the balcony, where Jared was already waiting, looking a thousand times more comfortable than I felt.
“You need to chill the fuck out, man,” said Jared, after I’d placed my drink order and dropped my folio on the floor.“Clients can smell desperation a mile away.What’s wrong with you?”
