"I have a surprise idea for something nice to cook for you," I told him as I made his breakfast. "But of course you don't have the right ingredients." I scraped the omelet onto his plate.
Jack grinned at me. "Guess you'll have to come back here another night."
28
Jack
After my latest encounter with Chloe, she was all I could think about. Even just seeing her walk around my apartment in my T-shirt and barefooted like she belonged there, I just wanted to wrap her up in blankets and make her stay with me always.
She had returned to her apartment, but she left the costume in my bedroom. It smelled like her and sex. My cock was hard in my pants.
"You didn't even fuck her yet," I told myself.
She was supposed to get a taste of me and become smitten, but instead, I had only succeeded in whipping myself into a frenzy. I couldn't stop thinking about her. Unfortunately, I needed to, because I had to give Greg and Carl Svensson an update on my progress with Frost Tower.
* * *
When I walkedinto the conference room later than morning, Chloe was still permeating my brain.
Focus, I told myself. I had to spin my lack of progress somehow.
"So,TheGreat Christmas Bake-Offis proving to be a lucrative marketing avenue," I began. "Platinum Provisions projections are up, and—"
"This is not a meeting about Platinum Provisions," Greg interrupted. "What is going on with the tower? Gunnar told me you've been distracted with one of the contestants. I don't see sleeping with the only person making that show profitable anywhere in your business plan."
"I haven't slept with her," I told Greg, which was true. Sort of.
"I don't want a play-by-play of your bedroom activities," Greg said, scowling. "You need to make progress with this tower."
"You said I had until the end of the next quarter," I countered.
"Yes," Greg said, "until the end of, meaning you can't show up here at the end of March with a handful of potential leads. I need to see condos sold and tenants booked by the end of the quarter. I will know as early as the end of January whether you will hit that target or whether I have to do all the work. From the looks of things, it seems Iwillhave to do all the work."
I glowered at him. Greg was unfazed.
"Get out of my office and go find tenants. Trust me when I say I will sell your tower if you don’t deliver."
I stepped out of the Svensson Investment tower into the hazy winter light. It was still early afternoon, but it already felt as if it was starting to grow dark.
Greg was right, though. Chloe was a distraction. I couldn't stop thinking about her, especially in that outfit. I wondered if she had any more.
She hadn't been wearing any underwear.
On a whim, I stopped at a boutique lingerie shop I passed whenever I came to the Svensson Investment tower. Previously, I had never had a reason to buy any woman anything of the sort. It felt weird to buy something so intimate for someone I had only met a few weeks ago. But I felt as if I had to see Chloe in one of the sexy scraps of fabric in the window. I craved it.
"We have a special Christmas sale," the associate said when I entered the store. "What size is your special lady?"
"I'm not sure," I admitted. That earned a patronizing look from the sales associate.
"Don't worry, you're not the only man who comes in here and doesn't know his girlfriend's size. Is she bigger or smaller than me?" she asked, motioning to her body.
"I'm not stupid enough to answer that question," I told her.
"Maybe a picture, then?" the sales clerk said with a small smile.
I pulled up Chloe's Instagram on my phone. She had a picture of herself in the sexy Santa outfit. I was suddenly furious that she had shared the picture with the world.
"Ah, I have just the thing for curvy girls." The associate winked at me.
