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Chapter Twenty-Two

Carly

Chance:

What are you in the mood for tonight?

Me:

You.

Smirking, I lean back in my chair and wait for his response.

As soon as I agreed to take things slow with him, he enforced a no sex ban on us and no matter how ridiculous I told him it was, he refused to budge. He said if we were taking it slow then sex had to be off the table since our relationship started out that way but really, he’s just trying to punish me for ignoring him for so long. Okay, so I don’t really know that for a fact, but it certainly feels that way. I missed him and I just want to lose myself in him for a little bit, remember the initial connection that made him so hard to ignore. Not that I ever forgot. My phone buzzes.

Chance:

You sound a little desperate, baby.

Me:

I am. I might even have to take drastic measures.

A lot has changed for me since I found out Chance is not married. When he asked me to take things slow, I had assumed it would take me a while to get over the heartache I experienced when I thought I’d lost him but that isn’t the case. We’ve spent every free moment we have together and it’s like nothing has changed. My pain is forgotten and it’s almost as if the whole thing never happened. Except we’re not having sex… or talking about those three little words I kind of said to him. My phone buzzes again.

Chance:

Tell you what, Princess…

You let me take you on a real

date tonight and maybe I’ll

satisfy your hunger afterward.

Is this supposed to be a compromise?

Me:

Deal.

“Hey, Carly,” Mercedes says, poking her head in my office and I glance up from my phone. “Ready to look over the timeline for your page?”

My heart skips a beat and I smile as I set my phone on the desk. “Absolutely.”

I’ve been so excited about finally getting to work on my design page and I love how enthusiastic Mercedes has been about it, too. It’s such a stark difference from working at The Times I sometimes have to pinch myself to remember that it’s real.

Mercedes strolls into the room and sits in the chair across from me before spreading some papers out in front of her. “So, I talked to Cara and she thinks, realistically, the two of you could get something designed and ready to go within two weeks.”

“Wow,” I mutter, reading the timeline. “That quickly?”

“Yes, but ideally, I’d like four weeks, at least, to advertise it and really hook some businesses who would like to advertise on your page.”

I nod. “I think I’m more comfortable with four weeks. It will give me plenty of time to come up with a few articles before the site goes live so it doesn’t look so empty.”

“I had the same thought. Oh, and I spoke to my real estate agent. There is an apartment for sale that would be perfect for an investment property if you’re still interested in overseeing it and writing about it.”

“Absolutely.” It’s still a little hard to believe that she’s willing to put so much trust in me but I’m excited to take on the project and make it the best I can. “What angle are you wanting on this? DIY stuff, managing an entire project like this, or something else?”