Mark throws his head back and laughs—long, hard, and it's hilarious. "Girl, you're going to get slapped with some sort of lawsuit over this whole thing."
"Nah. I'm going to spread a rumor that the company is making cuts and starting in HR. Then, I'll pull my department into a meeting tomorrow and tell them what's going on with me and Derrick and how if they have issues they can discuss it with the company lawyers. They'll be so relieved they didn't get fired, they'll forget they have an issue with me dating Derrick."
"Genius," Alex praises.
Derrick's smiling. "I'll make sure the lawyers are informed, but I doubt there'll be any problem."
"There is a problem," I inform him.
"What?"
"We have to sign a Consensual Relationship agreement stating this isn't unwanted attention and not sexual harassment," I tell him.
"Oh, that. Yeah," Derrick nods.
"Wait," Mark interrupts. "You're in a relationship? You're not just fucking?"
I give nothing away, waiting for Derrick to handle this because I don't want to be wrong and look stupid.
"If we were just fucking do you think we'd be here? You know my rules," Derrick reminds Mark.
"That's true. Well, holy shit. This has happened so fast I'm not sure how to feel about you stealing our manwhore friend from us. I mean, he drew in the best ass," Mark remarks.
"Classy," I retort and sneer at them all.
"Aw, come on, Audra," Mark coaxes, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
"You might want to give Derrick a few minutes to catch up with your way of thinking. Just because we have this… thing between us, doesn't mean he won't want to go back to his manwhoring ways someday," I remind them.
Derrick frowns, opens his mouth to say something but my phone rings.
Shannon. "Hello."
"Girrrrrrl you better give me some juicy details about DP and if he's as good as the rumors say he is," she says loudly—loud enough I walk into the other room. I don't need them hearing that.
"I don't kiss and tell," I hedge.
"Lies. Such lies. You gonna tell me when you get home?" she asks.
"Speaking of… think you can pick me up?"
"Why can't 007 bring you home?" she questions.
"Because he doesn't know I’m leaving," I inform her as I start throwing my clothes on.
"Uh oh. Trouble in paradise already?"
"No, I just got a reality check." I'd gotten comfortable—too comfortable. Stupid, stupid, stupid girl, Audra.
"I'm over that way anyway. Just left my mom's. I'll be there in five," Shannon says then hangs up.
Alex is standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb. "Don't do it."
"Don't do what?" I ask, not even thinking he probably saw my bare ass as I pulled my thong on.
"Run. He's serious about you, Audra."
"How would you know? You haven't talked to him since… before."
