“Maybe you just need to get to know me a little better,” Beck countered, leaning in close to me, his chest resting lightly on my shoulder for a moment.
I gulped.
“Lunch?” I squawked, picking up my pace.
I was feeling out of sorts. Today had felt a bit too close to a date for my comfort. Actually, no, it felt like a family outing.
Which was even worse.
24
Beck
The furniture was being delivered when we arrived at the condo.
I hadn’t been able to read Tess over lunch. And I also wasn’t sure why it mattered. I absolutely wasn’t going to date her. She was my assistant for one, and two… well, two, I actually didn’t have a good reason. It had been nice to just be out with her doing normal activities. She had even taken it upon herself to order new furniture for me. Would it be so bad to have Tess in my life permanently?
Yes, yes it would.
Remember the coaster.
In hindsight, maybe it was funny.
No, it wasn’t funny. You’re just horny.
It had been a while. I didn’t have the patience for barhopping like my younger brothers. I had Quantum Cyber to run, plus Greg was constantly volunteering me to review the finances of my other half brothers’ companies that seemed to always have some sort of issue.
I didn’t have time for hookups, let alone dating. It all seemed complicated and inconvenient.
But Tess was very conveniently located across the hall.
There is a time limit on her staying in your house. You cannot afford distractions right now.
I got off the couch and stood by the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Central Park. I had been instructed to remain in the living room while Tess and my sisters finished the decorating.
It was oddly touching that Tess was being so thoughtful. Though a part of me wondered, was she only doing it because she felt like it was part of her job description?
Frustrated, I paced around the living room. The strange-looking people in the painting Tess had hung up seemed to follow me as I walked. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so personal with her at the store. I didn’t want her to feel like I was backing her into a corner.
I needed to get out of the condo.
Beck:Anyone want to grab a drink on the roof deck?
Walker:Does anyone want to what? Dude, its three in the afternoon. I just got my fucking ass kicked by our sisters at Chutes and Ladders, and now I have to sit through a tea party. How do you have all this free time?
Mike:It’s not fair because he has his assistant as his personal shopper.
Liam:I thought you hired a nanny?
Mike:She didn’t even last forty-eight hours before Ophelia ran her off.
Walker:That’s nothing. The nanny I tried to hire met the girls in the lobby foyer. One of them released a whole handful of grasshoppers, and the woman left screaming.
Liam:Shit, is that why my nanny interview canceled right after I told her the address? She said something about how she didn’t want bugs in her hair.
Carl:Anyone want to pool resources together for dinner?
Beck:Can’t. Tess is making Italian.
