“You’re right.” I sighed. Part of the reason I’d agreed to the deal was to gain exposure, but the more we achieved that, the more I simply felt exposed.
“Come to my meeting and talk to Chad. He comes across like a bro, but he’s smart and you won’t find a more vocal advocate. If he isn’t a good fit, he can help you find someone else.”
“Okay. That would be helpful. Thank you.”
I glanced up to see him pulling his suspenders up over his still perfectly pressed shirt. “I thought we talked about this last night. You can’t wear those.”
He grinned and dropped them off his shoulders, leaving them hanging around his pants, which really wasn’t much better. “I’m doing the walk of shame here, wearing what’s clearly last night’s tux to get home.”
“At least you don’t have to do it in heels and latex. Are you ashamed?” I asked. I was torn between wanting to check in but not wanting to make it weird.
“Not at all. I feel like you’re showing me a whole new side of myself. Areyouashamed?”
“This isn’t anything new for me. What would I have to be ashamed of?” He turned away, so I didn’t see his reaction.
Liar. I was a lying liar who lies. Lots of this was new. My cheek muscles hurt from smiling so much around him. And I did feel shame that I was pathetic enough to have feelings for him. So I was ashamed that I felt shame because I had rejected that feeling a long time ago. For someone with a master’s in psychology, I was having a hard time sorting through my shit.
I asked, “Should I just meet you there?”
“No, I can swing by and get you around two.”
“Sounds good. Now go work on your muscles.” I gave his biceps a squeeze and he pulled me in for a kiss that left me breathless, heart still racing when he closed the front door.
27
Alex
“How was your morning?” I asked once I’d picked Elena up to go meet with Chad. Luckily, I had to focus on the traffic, so I couldn’t stare at her. It had only been hours, and yet I’d missed her.
Had I encouraged this meeting partly as an excuse to spend more time with her? Maybe.
“It was glorious. I did nothing but read. I still feel kind of useless because I’m not working, but mornings like this make up for it.”
“I thought this was work?”
She blinked at me slowly. “When I’m not with you I mean. How was your workout?”
“Brutal. But I told him not to go easy because my girlfriend likes my muscles.”
“Whatever…” She was pretending to play it cool, but she stroked her hand down my abs and left it resting on my thigh, forcing me to have a stern mental talk with my dick about staying down. He and I seemed to be talking more these days than we had since I was an adolescent.
I parked in one of the spots right by the door that was reserved for clients. It was Monday afternoon, so the parking garage was full.
Elena seemed amused when they checked my ID at security. When we got in the elevator, she applied the sticker badge to my chest. It was a shame she’d already done her own.
“I’m honestly surprised Chad is your agent after the way he behaved in negotiations.” Elena said.
“He’s not normally like that. Not sure what his deal was.”
“He’s not normally a bro-tastic misogynist you mean?”
“Okay, fair. He is usually pretty bro-tastic, but he swore he was going to apologize.”
Chad’s admin wasn’t at her desk, so we headed for his office, knocking quickly, then swinging the door open.
It wasn’t Chad, but Ophelia we found sitting at his desk. I stopped in my tracks trying to make sense of why she would be here. I glanced at Elena, assuming she would know, but she was as flummoxed as I’d ever seen her look.
She cocked an eyebrow at Ophelia in question. “Seriously?”
