by Vi Keeland
“Yes! That’s exactly what he did to me. He told some crazy story about our first kiss in eighth grade and how I’d gotten a bloody nose in the middle of it. It was so far-fetched that it was believable.”
She shook her head and laughed. “There’s a fine line between genius and unhinged.”
When we arrived back at the street exit from the park, Samantha extended her hand. “It was really nice to get to meet you, Reese. I have to say, I was curious when Chase called me at home last night to ask me to look into helping you find something. He doesn’t usually mix his personal life and business. But I get why he’s so taken with you now. You’re down-to-earth, smart, funny in a quick-witted type of way—a lot like Chase, actually.”
“Oh…we’re not…there isn’t really a personal relationship to speak of. Just that one strange double date, and then we ran into each other again at the gym yesterday.”
She looked at me skeptically. “Well, you must have made a good impression on him, then. He doesn’t usually farm me out.”
My brows drew together. “Farm you out?”
“I left industry recruiting three years ago. I usually just recruit for Parker Industries now.”
“Oh! I just assumed…Chase said he knew a bulldog recruiter…I assumed you were also a corporate recruiter, not one exclusively for his corporation.”
“That’s what I used to do. But I’m glad he put us together. I have a lot of contacts in the women’s product industry from Parker Industries. I’ll put out some feelers to see who might be hiring. I actually know someone who might be in the market for a product brand manager. It’s a lower-level position than what you’re leaving, but it’s soup-to-nuts advertising and marketing for a few products, so you’d get to do a full rebranding campaign. Although, they’re looking for someone to start as soon as possible. Is that something you’d be interested in?”
“My last day at Fresh Look is next Friday, and I don’t have anything lined up yet. I’m not the type of person who likes to sit around, so I’d definitely consider something like that.”
“Great. Give me a day or two, and I’ll see what I can do.”
***
Tonight was my third date with Bryant—fourth if you counted the afternoon at the gym. He’d invited me over to his place for a home-cooked meal and a movie, and I knew that given the privacy, things were likely to progress physically between us. We’d shared some heated kisses, but that had pretty much been it so far.
In the shower, I thought about whether I was ready to have sex with him. By no means was I a prude, nor was there a certain number of hoops a guy had to jump through in order to get me into his bed. I’d had first dates that ended in sex, and I’d had four-month relationships that never progressed there. For me, it was what felt right. As I shaved my legs, I tried to wrap my arms around exactly how I felt about Bryant. He was a nice guy—thirty-one with no kids or ex baggage—handsome, held a solid job as a mutual fund manager, and wasn’t afraid to show affection. Yet, as I ran the razor up my thigh, I found myself thinking of someone else entirely. Chase Parker.
I tried to tell myself it was because of the stories Samantha had shared today at lunch. His wax invention—I was shaving my legs. That’s why I was thinking about him in the shower instead of my date. When I washed my torso, I thought of the small ring in his nipple. I might have let my hand linger a little too long as I sudsed up my breasts. They need to be washed, after all. And I was only thinking of Chase as I closed my eyes because I was curious about what his handsome face might look like if I took that ring between my teeth and tugged. I stopped my hand from lingering anywhere else, but it wasn’t an easy feat. I had Chase on the brain when I should have had someone else.
On the way over to Bryant’s, I stopped and picked up a bottle of wine I knew he liked. When he opened the door, he was sweet. “You look amazing,” he said, then gave me a nice, welcome kiss.
A buzzer was going off in the kitchen, so he told me to follow him. I checked the apartment out as I walked through. It was clean and modern—even had some artwork on the walls. Most of my previous boyfriends thought decorating meant hanging a sixty-inch TV. Progress.
Bryant lifted the top off a pot and put it aside. Opening a box of rigatoni pasta, he smiled. “I make two dishes: rigatoni alla vodka and chicken parmigiana. You had pasta primavera the first time we went out, so I thought rigatoni was the safest bet.”
It was thoughtful that he remembered what I ate. “Can I do anything to help?”
“You can grab two glasses from there.” His chin pointed to a cabinet on his left as he poured the pasta into the boiling water. “There’s a bottle of wine in the fridge I already opened. I’ll get the pasta going. You can pour.”
He watched me while I filled each glass. “What?”
“I want to say something, but it might come off as creepy.”
“Well, now you have to say it.” I sipped my wine and extended his glass.
“All right. I couldn’t stop thinking about you when I was in the shower today—how gorgeous you are.”
That should have made me feel good, but instead, it made me feel like complete shit. While the great guy I was dating had been thinking about me…I’d been feeling myself up to thoughts of another man.
I forced a weak smile. “That’s sweet. Thank you.”
He stepped closer and brushed a lock of hair behind my ear. “I mean it. I like you. You’re smart, beautiful, and driven. I know it’s early, but I feel like what’s going on between us is a really good thing. It has legs.”
I swallowed. I really did like him, too. But something was keeping me from jumping in with both feet. His words were what every single, twenty-eight-year-old woman wanted to hear from a great guy. Yet…I wasn’t there yet.
He read it on my face.
Pulling back, he said, “I’m freaking you out, aren’t I?”
I hated to make him feel bad, because I really did like him. “No…not at all. I like you, too. I just…I just think we should take it slow at the beginning. I haven’t had much luck in the relationship department, and I tend to be gun-shy, I guess.”
He nodded. And although he smiled, I could tell he was disappointed with my response. Hell, I was disappointed with my response. I’d been trying to talk myself into being crazy about him for a while now.
But that’s what was missing—that crazy feeling I should have had. This early on, butterflies should have been flapping their colorful wings when he said those things or looked at me like he did when he opened the door. I was determined to keep trying. He seemed worth it.
Even though Bryant said he agreed we should take things slow, a damper was cast on the rest of the night. Still, I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to make the choice about sleeping with him if things went in that direction. Because I’d realized I wasn’t ready yet. As the night came to an early end, I wondered if I would ever be.
Chapter 5
Reese
“I really need to start taking taxis,” I grumbled under my breath as I rushed up the subway stairs and headed down the block toward the building I would have already been at had my train not been stuck for twenty minutes. My interview was at eleven, and it was already eleven-oh-one. Perhaps changing my outfit eight times this morning hadn’t helped my punctuality either.
The Maxim building was a modern¸ all-glass highrise with more than fifty floors. Inside the massive, sleek lobby, it took me a minute to even figure out where the company directory was—everything was silver and shiny. Finding it, I scanned for Parker Industries and ran my finger across the glass to locate the corresponding location. Floor thirty-three.
Running to the elevator bank, I saw that one car was just about to close, so I stuck my foot in to stop it. It worked but almost took off my toes in the process.
“Shit. Ouch.” The doors bounced open, and I hobbled my way inside, unknowingly sticking my shoe’s thin heel in the small gap of the door track. With my heel stuck, my body kept going, yet my foot
didn’t, and I wobbled, falling forward. An arm caught me and kept me from landing on my face.
“Goddamn it,” I cursed under my breath, realizing my shoe was now completely off my foot and stuck in the elevator track.
“Nice to see you too, Reese.”
My head whipped up as I realized for the first time exactly who was keeping me from falling. “You’ve got to be kidding me. How many bad impressions can one person possibly make on another?”
After steadying me, Chase kneeled and pried my wedged footwear loose from the elevator. He tapped my calf to signal me to lift my bare leg and then slipped the shoe back onto my foot.
“Definitely not a bad impression,” he said, lingering on his knees longer than necessary. “You have great legs.”
“Thank you—for unjamming my shoe, I mean.”
He stood, and his eyebrows rose. “So you’re not thanking me for complimenting your sexy legs, then?”
I felt a blush creeping up and was relieved when he turned his attention to the button panel. “What floor?”
“Umm…thirty-three?” Is his company on more than one floor?
“You’re coming to Parker Industries? Are you here to meet Sam?”
“Yes. And Josh Lange.”
“Josh?”
“Yes. He’s who I’m interviewing with, right? The vice president of marketing?”
“Right. Yes. Josh is the VP of marketing,” he agreed, but I had the distinct feeling Chase hadn’t known I was coming to interview today.
We rode the elevator up in uncomfortable silence. When the doors slid open, he held out his arm for me to exit first, and we walked to the glass double doors of Parker Industries together.
The reception desk was empty.
“Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll let them know you’re here?” he said.
“Thank you.”
A minute or two after he went inside, the receptionist returned to her desk. “Hi. Sorry, I had to make some copies. I hope you weren’t waiting long.”
“Not at all. Actually, I came in with Chase, and he was going to let Samantha Richmond and Josh Lange know I was here.”
“You must be Reese Annesley. Sam asked me to bring you to the conference room when you got here.” She waved me back. “Come on, I’ll show you the way.”
The conference room had a long mahogany table with a dozen chairs around it. The walls to the hallway were glass like a fishbowl, but the blinds on a track were partially closed. Once inside, I took out my Chapstick and lined my lips, adding some MAC Rebel lipstick on top. As I finished, I heard Chase’s voice from the other side of the glass.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to hire Reese.”
My heart sank. Obviously, he didn’t see me.
I recognized Samantha’s voice when she responded. “Why? We have a position open that she would be perfect for.”
“She wouldn’t be a good fit.”
“That’s crap.”
“Don’t give me a hard time, Sam. Just don’t hire her.”
I couldn’t see her, but I pictured her folding her arms across her chest. “Give me a reason.”
“Because I said so.”
“No.”
“No?”
“That’s right. No. You’re punishing the woman because she’s beautiful and you’re attracted to her. That’s just as wrong as punishing someone because they’re old or have a certain color skin.”
“You’re totally off base.”
“Okay. Then give me one good reason we shouldn’t hire her. She’s perfect for the job, and she’s able to start right away. With Dimitria going out on maternity leave soon, the timing couldn’t be better. Marketing is already understaffed, and Josh was planning on hiring someone for the branding team anyway. She can pick up some of Dimitria’s projects and then start new ones after Dimitria is back from leave.”
“Whatever. Do what you want, Sam.”
Sam’s voice became more distant. “I plan to.” She must have begun to walk away.
I closed my eyes. I certainly didn’t want to work somewhere I wasn’t wanted. But I needed to thank Samantha for her consideration before I left. Deciding it would be a waste of everyone’s time to even interview, I stood and began to walk back to the reception area. I would have the receptionist call Samantha for me. Of course Chase was coming down the hall as soon as I exited the conference room. I quickly turned and walked in the other direction, not even knowing where it would lead.
“Reese? Where are you going?”
“Why do you care?” I kept walking.
He caught up and fell in step with me. “What’s the matter?”
It pissed me off that he was acting all innocent, so I stopped and faced him to continue. “I overheard you in the conference room. I’m leaving.”
He closed his eyes. “Shit.”
“Yes. Shit. That’s how you made me feel.”
I began walking again, and Chase grabbed my elbow and steered me into an empty office, shutting the door behind him.
He raked his hand through his hair. His stupid, sexy hair. “I’m sorry. I was being an asshole.”
“Yes. You were. A big one.”
Chase dropped his head and chuckled. “You and Sam will get along great.”
“I take it you didn’t know Samantha had invited me here to interview today?”
He shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”
“Well, I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted. Please thank Samantha for me.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“I don’t even know what I think. You have me so confused.”
Chase stared at me for a moment, looking back and forth between my eyes. “Trust me, I’m trying to do the right thing.”
“Trust you? Because you have such a great track record of telling the truth when you’re around me?”
He glared at me.
I glared right back.
“Okay. Fine. You want the truth?”
I folded my arms over my chest. “That would be a refreshing change.”
He took a step closer to me, inching into my personal space. “I’m attracted to you. Really attracted to you. Have been since the first time I saw you. Tried to be respectful, considering you were seeing someone. Done doing that. If you work here, I’m going to try to get you into my bed.”
I opened my mouth to respond. Then closed it. Then opened it. “I can’t believe you just said that to me.”
He shrugged. “You wanted to know the truth. That’s the truth.”
“You do realize that I’d have to agree to sleep with you. Which wouldn’t happen if you were my boss, so it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“Oh. Well, then… Sounds like we wouldn’t have a problem after all. I was concerned for nothing. I’ll hit on you, and you’ll shut me down.”
“And…I also have a boyfriend.”
“Baron. We’ve met. The dope.”
“Bryant. And he’s not a dope.”
“Then we’re all set. Sam was right. You should work here if Josh wants to hire you. Won’t be an issue.”
He leaned in a little closer.
I stood my ground. God, he smells amazing.
“So we’re good? I apologize, you accept? You’re going to kick ass in the interview and get hired, then I’m going to try to get in your pants, and you’re not going to let me.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. The man was truly absurd.
He extended his hand. “Deal?”
“I’ve probably lost my mind, but, hey, why not? I’m days from being unemployed.” I put my hand in his, but instead of shaking it, he brought it to his mouth and kissed the top. I felt it all over. God, I’m in trouble.
He smiled wolfishly, revealing a dimple I hadn’t noticed earlier. It was a good thing he hadn’t taken that thing out before. Dangerous.
“All we have to do is get you hired now. You want some inside info?”
“Sure.”
“Tell Josh he looks like
Adrien Brody. He loves it.”
I smiled warily. “Good to know.”
“And for Sam…never say you’re a Mets fan, even if you are. Yankees all the way.”
I squinted suspiciously. “You think baseball will come up in my interview for a marketing position?”
“You never know.”
“Why do I think you’re screwing with me?”
“One other thing, Josh isn’t hitting on you. That’s a twitch he’s got going on with his eye. Thought he was into me for the first week he worked here.”
I laughed. “Okay.”
Chase walked me back to the conference room, where Sam and a man I presumed to be Josh (since he looked exactly like Adrien Brody) were talking.
“Showed your interviewee the way to the ladies’ room,” Chase said and then introduced me to Josh. After we all shook hands and the three of us had taken seats in the conference room, Chase lingered in the doorway.
He held up a hand. “Nice to see you again, Reese. Good luck with your interview.”
“Would you like to stay for the interview, Chase?” Sam asked.
“No. I’m good. I’m sure you two have it covered.”
“Any questions or anything before you go?” she added.
“I don’t think so.” Chase pivoted to leave and then stopped. “Actually, I do have some quick questions. Do you mind, Reese?”
“Not at all.” What is he up to?
“Great. Favorite baseball team?”
I squinted at him, debating whether I should trust him or not. He looked amused when my answer didn’t come quickly. I took a deep breath, followed by a leap of faith. “I’d have to say the Yankees.”