Right, because I'm not wet right now.
His eyes narrowed slightly. "I didn't know that women checked men out like that."
"Of course we do! It almost makes me wonder if I should start a company for butt bras for men. Like it would lift everything up and give you a little butt cleavage. I'd call it Victor's Secret."
Mace cocked his head. "I think we need to focus-group that name. It's very unsettling."
"Fine," I said. "Herbert's Sex Dungeon it is, then. Happy?"
"Not yet," he said. He walked up to me, the intoxicating smell of him surrounding me. I took another bite of the cookie to calm my nerves.
"Do you want a bite of something else?" he whispered.
"I'm the one who offered a taste of my candy first," I told him around the cookie. I had taken too big of a bite. I picked up my water bottle to take a swig. Mace's hand crept up my side. Of course I couldn't have a sexy flirtatious moment with a gorgeous man who was a relatively normal person and not a homicidal maniac. Mace's hand hit the faulty safety pin, and it jabbed me in the side. I screamed, sloshing the water all over Mace's front.
"I am—that is totally my bad," I said.
What the hell, Josie? Get it together!
"I sure know how to ruin a moment, huh?" I said as I dabbed at his shirt. "I think this probably needs a dry cleaner," I told him as I helped him remove his suit jacket.
"You know," he said, "if you wanted me to take all my clothes off, you didn't have to ruin my suit to do it."
"Ha ha," I told him as I carefully unbuttoned his shirt before the water soaked through any more. "I hope you have a change of clothes."
"Of course. I plan for all sorts of situations."
He bent down over me, touching our foreheads together. I was very close to him, my hands on the farthest button. The outline of his abs was visible through the soft undershirt. The warmth made me shiver.
"You know," he breathed, "I may want a bite of candy after all."
"Lord have mercy!" I heard Tara say.
"It's not what it looks like!" I shouted, jumping back. "I sprayed him with water."
It wasn't just Tara's nose doing that twitching thing. Her cheeks and forehead looked like they were twitching too.
"I need you to look over this marketing direction, Mace," Tara said finally.
I clapped Mace on the back. "I have him all warmed up for you!"
28
Mace
My brother Parker was at the marketing meeting, and he was even less happy with the new direction.
"This isn't even how any of this works!" he shouted at me.
"I understand—"
"Do you want to get sued? Because promising all these things and confusing potential customers is how the federal government rains hellfire down upon you."
I was becoming seriously worried. "The conference is in less than a month," I told the team. "You have four days to come up with something good."
"Tara, do you have this under control?" I asked her as Parker stormed out. "I can bring in outside help."
"No," she insisted. "We will have something by next week."
