The feel of her breast against my bicep fills me with discomfort.I peel her fingers off my arm and move closer to the armrest so our hips no longer touch.
She pouts before scampering off to her man.He welcomes her with open arms.
I don’t understand how he can be okay with her throwing herself at me every chance she gets, but the smirk on his face as she plasters herself to his side assures me he doesn’t mind.
“On the subject of new hires,” Samuel begins.
Cathy gasps and clutches his arm.
“Sebastian, you’re hiring?!I know the perfect male athletic model for your new products.You simply can’t say no.He’s perfect,” she gushes.
I tap my finger against the side of my water bottle and fight the urge to grind my teeth.After a shallow breath—the cloud of her perfume is strong enough to burn my lungs—I elect to humor her since it’s obviously what Samuel meant to lead up to.
“Oh?Who?”
“You might remember him, but probably not.He was in my graduating class in high school, but he chose a college out of state, so I lost touch with him until recently,” she prattles.
The plastic crinkles in my fist.I loosen my hold and take another sip.
With a shock, I realize Cathy started high school a year before Penelope, and since Penelope graduated early, they shared the same graduation ceremony.
I didn’t attend.Hell, I was so deep in passing my exams, supporting my mom and nana, and starting my business, I didn’t even realize I missed attending until a few weeks into summer break.
“Do you remember Michael Carlson?He was a linebacker.Tamsin had a crush on him,” Cathy continues as though I should know every person she’s ever come face to face with.
“No, I don’t remember him,” I say.
Her expressions falls, but she rubs her breasts against Samuel’s arm and simpers.
“My Sammy remembers him.His résumé is quite impressive now.He—”
I partially zone out, uninterested in hiring anyone who thinks they can get ahead off their friends’ backs, but guilt wriggles behind my sternum.
Last year, Samuel admitted he almost went bankrupt the year before but finally found a dependable client base and got himself in order.I had no idea he was struggling.I should’ve helped.
Giving his girlfriend’s recommendation a shot at an interview is my last act of kindness to make up for my shortcomings.No promises to hire him, though.After that, I owe my former best friend nothing.
“Have Samuel text me his information and I’ll ensure he gets an interview,” I relent when Cathy finally pauses to take a breath.
Sensing I won’t get an ounce of information from Samuel about Penelope, I excuse myself and make a hasty retreat.
After the valet creeps my car around the corner, parks beside the door, and hops down as though I asked him to drive a semi-truck, I hold back my exasperated sigh and thank him.He strides to the podium as though he saved lives.I chuckle, press the button for the seat, and wait for it to slide back and down for my pre-saved settings.
Checking the time before I shift into gear, I smile and back out of the parking space.I take a detour and park in an hourly lot before running into a few mom-and-pop shops near where I grew up.
I choose a few candies and muffins from the display case of the corner sweets shop and trek back to my SUV.
The entire drive home, my mind replays today’s interaction with Penelope, and when I pull into my dedicated parking spot, my cock throbs painfully in my trousers.
I growl, cover my face with my hands, and drop my head back for the second time in one day.I haven’t been this sexually frustrated in… ever.Even through puberty and with raging hormones as a teen, I never reacted so fiercely to anyone other than Penelope.
Maybe I should stop the background check I ordered and quit scrambling for ways to get closer to her.I’m a self-proclaimed workaholic.Chasing after my ex-best friend’s little sister will take time and effort, more so than most relationships, if today’s run-in is any indication, which I don’t have.She’s skittish—she always was—but the horror and fear I saw shining from her eyes underneath the table proves she has demons she didn’t have the last time we met.
Recalling her haunted expression dampens my lust and softens my cock.
The smell permeating from the treats in the back seat reminds me too much of Penelope’s sweet vanilla scent, so I exit the car and grab the paper sacks before locking up and striding across the parking garage.I nod and thank the attendant when he recognizes me and opens the double glass sliding security doors before I reach them.
After walking past the main elevators, I punch my code into the keypad and step into the private elevator for the penthouse.
