by Kelly Harper
She’s wrong, but trying to explain that to her is a lost cause. Women don’t understand when I say that I’m not looking for anything more than sex. I’m not looking for an emotional attachment. That ship has already sailed, and I have no interest in trying to duplicate the feelings I once had for that girl, long ago. I have no interest in opening myself up like that for anyone else.
In my younger days I had never quite understood why so many of the girls I bedded were so guarded against me. I never understood why they couldn’t just let themselves open up and have some fun. It’s not like I ever lied to any of them, or was unclear about my intentions, so why couldn’t they just go with the flow and do what we both knew they wanted to do?
But when Sofie came into my life, I began to understand what it was those girls had been guarding themselves against. The difference is, after living with the pain of losing her, I have no interest in ever going through something like that again.
Not ever.
And if that means all the other girls that come through my life are going to get hurt in the process, then so be it. Besides, I still never lie to them. I can’t be blamed for them reading something more into the sex than they should.
It’s no different with Charlotte. I’ve always been very clear with her that what we have is nothing more than something physical. Take it or leave it.
And she always seems more than happy to take everything I’m willing to give.
I make my way out of the office without looking back. My mind has already returned to business mode, and back to the real world. I shut the door to my office before leaving, giving Charlotte whatever privacy she needs before she gets back to her own life, too.
Chapter 7
Sofie
A familiar ding sounds from my computer as a million new emails appear on my screen. My jaw drops open in confused horror. How is it humanly possible for one person to receive so many emails overnight? I literally just checked them before leaving work the night before—I can’t be seeing what I’m seeing, right?
I take another drink of my Starbucks latte. Clearly the morning’s caffeine hasn’t kicked in, yet, because what I’m seeing in front of me just isn’t making any sense. My sleepy eyes must be playing a cruel trick on me. There’s just no other explanation.
But the caffeine doesn’t seem to have the effect I’m wanting. I stare at the screen a while longer, convincing myself that something will change and all of the little red dots next to all of the unread emails will magically disappear.
But they don’t.
I heave a sigh, dreading this ominous start to my day. Well, there’s no time like the present. I might as well start clearing through the long list of work that’s piling up in front of me.
I settle in and start clicking through them. Thankfully, most of the emails are just junk that I don’t need to pay attention to. Within a few minutes I’ve already cleared through most of them and am finally settling into a nice groove. Maybe the caffeine really did take a little longer to kick in than I was expecting. Now that I’m making progress, this really isn’t so bad.
And that’s when a familiar voice interrupts me.
“Didn’t expect to find you here,” the voice says.
It’s my work-wife and best friend, Aimee. She also doubles as my roommate. Or maybe she’s my roommate who doubles as my work-wife?
We met about a year ago when I first moved to New York City. I was searching through Craigslist, in desperate need of a place to stay, when I found her ad listing a good deal on a fifth floor walkup. Miraculously, I’d found the ad immediately after she posted it, and hadn’t wasted any time in racing over to meet her and check the place out.
I thought I’d been pretty quick, but apparently I hadn’t been quick enough. A creepy, middle-aged man with balding hair and a scraggly beard had beaten me there. He’d been wearing a suit that was a little too loose and looked like he might be featured on the next episode of To Catch a Predator.
Even though we didn’t yet know each other, Aimee had clung to me and told him that I was already her roommate and that there was no more room for anyone else. He’d gotten pretty mouthy and vulgar with us after that, but Aimee, somehow, managed to put him in his place. She’d told me that learning how to deal with men was one of the benefits of having three brothers.
After going through that ordeal together, she said she didn’t even care that I had basically no credit to my name and couldn’t afford to pay her first and last month’s rent up front. She let me move in my few possessions later that very same day, and we’ve been best friends ever since.
“Where else would I be?” I ask, only giving her a half-glance from the corner of my eye. Her sudden appearance caught me off guard. I’d been so focused on clearing through my emails that I hadn’t expected to be interrupted so soon.
She leans against the edge of my cubicle, her long, blonde hair falling against the side of her face. There’s a playful sparkle in her bright blue eyes. I swear she’s one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever met—I never understand what she means when she says that she’s cursed because guys never approach her. I’ve been out with her a few times, and between her flirty smile and her endless hair tossing, it seems like she has every guy around her practically wrapped around her finger.
Me, on the other hand…
Well, let’s just say that it’s been a long time since I’ve been the object of anyone’s affection. And it’s been even longer since anyone has been the object of mine.
“It’s Friday,” she says, giving me a look. “Didn’t you tell me that you have some big meeting today?”
I give her a confused stare for a brief moment before everything clicks into place. In an instant, my eyes bulge and my heart begins pounding hard in my chest.
“Oh shit!” I exclaim, nearly shouting it out loud for the entire office to hear. “The Accounting Regulations Update Seminar!”
How could I be so stupid? The seminar is the one big thing that I have going on this week, and somehow I managed to even mess that up, too. I know people say it all the time, but I’m pretty convinced that I would forget my head if it wasn’t screwed on. Maybe I’m just not cut out for this corporate life?
My mind races, thinking frantically about what all I need to do. I grab a notepad and stuff it into my purse. It’s a quarter after eight and the seminar doesn’t start until nine. If I hurry, it’s possible that I won’t be too embarrassingly late.
Aimee doesn’t make any move to help me. She just watches me with an amused smile on her face.
“Are you just going to stand there all morning?” I ask, the question coming out more annoyed than I’d intended.
She doesn’t answer, though. She extends her fingers and inspects her new nail polish, as though she doesn’t have a care in the world. Under normal circumstances I might take the opportunity to tell her how the mauve color she chose looks beautiful with her skin tone, but I don’t have time for small talk. I’m running late enough as it is.
“Relax,” she says, calmly, over her nails. “What’s this meeting for, anyway?”
I let out a frustrated sigh.
“It’s just some technical accounting stuff,” I say. “Mostly a bunch of stuff that I’ll never need to know about.”
She switches hands, inspecting the polish on the other.
“Then why do you even have to go? It sounds like a waste of time, maybe we should go get massages, instead?”
God, I wish. A massage sounds wonderful right now. But I’d probably figure out a way to make a mess out of that, too.
“It’s for CPE,” I say. Then quickly clarify, “Continuing Professional Education. I need a certain number of hours every year for my license.”
She gives me a flat look over her beautiful, perfect nails. I wish my nails looked that good. Maybe I’ll treat myself to a mani-pedi this weekend?
“I’m not that blonde, I know what CPE means.” Her brow pulls together. “Besides, you don’t even have your lic
ense, yet. So what’s the big deal?”
The reproach makes me wince. Sometimes Aimee’s sorority-girl good looks can catch me off guard, making me forget that she graduated from NYU’s business school and has a very well paying job for a reason.
“I don’t have it, yet, but I do plan on sitting for my exams this year. I’m going to need the CPE either way, so I might as well get it while the company is picking up the tab…”
The corner of her lip hooks backward in a sideways leer.
“You think there will be any hot guys there?”
“Probably not, it’s going to be a room full of accountants, after all.” The disgusted look on her face makes me smile. “And besides, it’s a work function, not a social gathering…”
Aimee’s hand drops to her side, forgotten, as she fixes me with a familiar look.
“Sofe! You’re never going to meet anyone if you don’t put yourself out there.”
It’s not the first time she’s said something like that to me—we’ve had this conversation before. It usually ends with both of us getting stubborn and agreeing to disagree.
“Aimee, you know I’m not in the mood to get into a relationship. Between work and studying for my exams there just isn’t any time for stuff like that.”
She shifts her weight from one foot to the other, fixing me with a hard look.
“Sofie, I’ve known you for a full year, and in that time I’ve never seen you go out on a single date. Honestly, I’m starting to get worried about you… You have had a boyfriend before, right?”
My stomach gives a lurch as my mind instantly flashes to a particular time in my past. My mouth suddenly feels drier than the Sahara Desert.
“Yes, I’ve had a boyfriend before,” I say, quickly. “But I don’t want to talk about it.”
Aimee is usually feisty about the subject of men, so it must be something in my tone that lets her know not to push this particular topic of conversation. She hesitates, looking away in a brief moment of awkwardness before her eyes come back to me.
“Well, even if you don’t want a serious relationship, there’s no harm in having some fun. It’s good for the body, and I’m willing to bet that your body is seriously deprived.”
I let out an awkward laugh, swatting at her in disbelief. She laughs along with me. It isn’t the first time Aimee has suggested having some no-strings-attached fun. And, if I’m honest, the idea sounds more and more appealing each time she brings it up. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to have a little fling? Maybe that’s exactly what I need to spice up my rather boring life?
“Perhaps…” I pause, considering, then let out an exasperated sigh. “Anyway, I really need to get going. I’m running really late for this seminar.”
Aimee gives me a fine, have it your way look and shifts to the side to let me out of my cubicle. But just as I go to step around her, her eyes widen and she lets out a gasp.
“What is it?” I ask.
Her eyes are locked on a spot out over the rows of cubicles. I follow her gaze to see what caught her by surprise, and immediately know what she’s looking at. Or, rather, who she’s looking at.
Standing on the far end of my row of cubicles is a tall man in an expensive suit with light brown hair, styled in that messy way that makes it look like he’s just rolled out of bed when he’s actually probably spent a lot of time on it. I’ve never seen him before, but he’s engaged in what looks like an important conversation with Tim Matthews, my boss. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s what Aimee is staring at. He’s definitely her type.
If I’m being honest he might even be a little bit of my type, too. But I try not to let myself get caught up in such things.
“Who is that?” I ask, my brow furrowing in curiosity.
“You can’t be serious,” Aimee says, giving me an incredulous look. “That’s Wade Foster, the new Vice President of North American Operations. You know… your boss’s boss’s boss…
The furrow in my brow deepens, and I shake my head.
“I’ve never heard of him.”
Her eyes widen even more and she looks at me like I’ve just said the stupidest thing she’s ever heard.
“How could you not know about him? What do you girls gossip about down here in accounting? He’s the only thing the ladies in marketing have been talking about for the last two weeks…” She leans in a little closer and lowers her voice while her eyes track back over to him, again. “Rumor has it that he’s some kind of serial bachelor. You know, a new girl on his arm every week, that kind of thing. Look at him—he even looks like he knows how to please a girl. I’d kill to have him all to myself for a night.”
I roll my eyes and give her a bemused half-smile.
“Well, he’s standing right there. Go talk to him. I’ve got to get to this seminar.”
I try to step around her again when Aimee grabs my arm and holds me in place.
“Wait,” she says, her voice sounding urgent.
“What is it now?” I say, annoyed. “I have to get going…”
“You can’t go…”
“What do you mean? I have to!”
She shakes her head, quickly. The almost panicked look on her face is unsettling.
“I mean you can’t go, because he’s coming over here!”
She points down the row of cubicles and I whip my head around to see what she’s talking about. And sure enough, she’s right. Wade Foster is walking right towards us.
And his eyes are locked on me.
Chapter 8
Sofie
I freeze in place. I’m not sure why, but having Wade’s eyes on me makes my heart pound even harder in my chest. It’s like the whole world is moving in slow motion as his long legs bring him closer to us. There’s a charming smile pulled across his face, and he has a way of tilting his head down when he walks that makes it look like he’s looking at me through his messy brown hair. It reminds me of George Clooney from when he was on ER.
I have to admit, with him looking at me that way, and getting closer, he really is an attractive man.
He slows and comes to a stop in front of us. Aimee has an excited look on her face, and I think she actually lets out a little squeak when he glances at her. The three of us stand there in a tiny circle, an awkward silence looming over us for a moment.
Wade darts a glance between us, but it’s clear that most of his attention is resting on me. I know I should say something to end this horrible first impression I’m giving him, but no words seem to want to form themselves on my lips.
Speaking of lips, Wade’s are rather appealing.
“Hi, I’m Wade Foster,” he says, cutting through the moment with an air of confidence. Another long second passes before he inclines his head toward me, his eyebrows rising as he does. “And you are?”
I give myself a quick shake, finally finding the sensibility to shrug off whatever tension has been holding my tongue still.
“Sofie,” I say. Then quickly add, “Bennett. Sofie Bennett. Accounts Payable.”
“I can see that,” he says, giving a quick glance back at my cubicle.
Heat blossoms on my cheeks when I realize the stupidity of my response. Of course he knows I work in Accounts Payable—he’s standing in my department, after all.
“Oh, right,” I say, shaking my head and feeling like an idiot.
“I’m Aimee Watson,” Aimee says. She takes a tiny half-step forward, as though trying to remind us that she’s standing there, too.
Wade flashes her another quick smile. Aimee is so naturally beautiful that I’m surprised when his attention comes quickly back to me. I’m not used to guys completely disregarding her like that. And, despite the fact that she claims guys never approach her, I don’t think she’s used to it either.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” he says. His voice is steady and calm. It’s obvious that he’s very assured of himself. “I’m still a bit new around here, so I’m still trying to get a feel for things. So, what kinds of ex
citing things happen in Accounts Payable on a Friday morning?”
An even bigger smile spreads across my face despite myself. But Aimee responds to the question before I can say anything.
“Oh, I work in Marketing, not Accounting,” she says. “Trust me, you don’t want me trying to handle the books. Let’s just say that God invented calculators because of people like me…”
She lets out a tiny giggle, afterward. She’s trying to flirt with him but, judging by his reaction, he doesn’t even seem to notice it. Wade flashes her another brief smile before his gaze returns to me. He remains silent while watching me, waiting for an answer to the question he asked.
“Well, today, nothing exciting is happening in Accounts Payable,” I say, barely biting back a cringe. “I actually have to get going—I’m running late for a seminar.”
His eyes perk up.
“A seminar? It’s not the accounting update one, is it?”
I frown at him, surprised by his response.
“Um, yeah, actually it is. How do you know about it?”
The smile on his face broadens.
“Well, it must be my lucky day,” he says. “I’m going to that seminar, too.”
“You’re lying,” I say, without even thinking about it.
My lips purse, tightly. Did I really just call my boss’s boss’s boss a liar? I guess getting fired might be one way of getting out of having to go to this seminar. I doubt the company would want to pay for the seminar if I’m not working here anymore.
Wade’s eyes narrow and he gives me a bemused, suspicious look. I can only imagine what he must be thinking about the frazzled girl in front of him.
“So, do you think all men are liars, or is it just me?” he asks.
My stomach squeezes into a tight knot. Yep, that’s it. I’m done. Time to start throwing my personal belongings into a brown box.
But the nervous tension is released when he winks at me and stretches another wide smile across his face.
“No, it’s not that… I mean… I’m sorry, it’s been a long morning already.”