Between You & I

by Susan Cairns

  “Fran’s?” Brian asks, entering the conversation. “Isn’t that where you hooked up with that chick who won’t call you back?”

  Oh fuck, apparently Adam gossips like a little girl. I wonder what else he said about me and that night. Tucking my head down, I look at Adam out of the corner of my eye, gauging his reaction to Brian’s question.

  “All right, guys.” Mark’s voice has me looking up at him. “That’s enough. This is a business meeting, not the locker room.”

  “Thank you, Mark,” Reid says, nodding at him.

  “I think we should talk about it, Dad,” Brian says as his eyes meet mine.

  Well, shit, I guess Adam gave a little more detail than the fact that I didn’t call. Clearly Brian has put two and two together, and from the way he’s looking at me, I can tell he finds it absolutely hilarious.

  Saved by the server! Rich picks the best moment to come back with our food. Starting with Brian, he makes his way around the table without missing a beat, placing the correct meal in front of everyone and finishing up with me. The distraction is just what was needed too, because everyone lets the conversation go and dives right into their meal. Until Mark decides to bring up sports, which I completely check out of. I don’t do sports talk. Instead I take the opportunity to clear my mind and enjoy the amazing food in front of me.

  It’s not until I notice Reid raising his voice that I come back to the land of the living. At this point, I have no idea what they’re talking about, but I hear Adam chuckling to my left as Reid blows a gasket to my right. Reid’s face is beet-red and he looks as though he’s about to jump over me to kick Adam’s ass, which makes me wish I had paid even some attention to what was going on around me.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” I ask, placing my hand on Reid’s forearm and leaning in so only he can hear me.

  “You weren’t paying attention? Why don’t you ask your boyfriend over there?” Reid grinds out through clenched teeth, not even trying to lower his voice.

  “Umm, I’m not really sure what’s going on, but Adam is not my boyfriend.”

  “Well, he’s spent the last ten minutes telling all of us the plans he’s made for the two of you.”

  “What?” I whip my head around to Adam, “What are you talking about?”

  “I was just saying how a bunch of my buddies and I have Bisons’ tickets and that we’re going to go to a few games, that’s all.”

  “We’re not, and I’ve already told you this isn’t the place for this conversation. This is my job, and you’re making it very awkward for everyone here.”

  “Nah, he’s not making it awkward. You did that when you neglected to tell me we were meeting with your boyfriend and his uncle,” Reid says, raising his voice to make sure the whole table can hear him, then he throws his napkin on his plate before sliding out his chair and disappearing toward the front of the room.

  “Mark”—I look across the table with an apologetic smile—“I’m really sorry, but we’re going to have to pick this up tomorrow.”

  “It’s okay. I didn’t know that my knucklehead nephew weaseled his way into this meeting as a ploy to get to you.” He gives me a small smile. “Now you two”—he points between Brian and Adam—“get your asses out to the car while I speak to Taylor for a minute alone.”

  “Ah, sorry, Taylor, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Brian says as he stands.

  “Yeah, me too. I didn’t mean to cause shit with your coworker,” Adam says, following Brian’s lead.

  “Go, now,” Mark says with authority behind his words. After they’re gone, he continues. “I swear to Christ, sometimes it’s like I’m in preschool around those two. I thought that now that they’re adults, I wouldn’t have to put up with this shit, but apparently I was wrong.”

  “No, I didn’t know Adam was your nephew. I should have said something earlier, before things blew up, but I didn’t think—”

  “That he’d be a complete dick?”

  I giggle. “Yeah, well, that too. Anyway, we’ll talk more about the plans for the new location tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good to me. I’ll make sure Tweedledee and Tweedledumb are nowhere to be found.”

  “I’m sorry for the way Reid reacted. It was really unprofessional.”

  “No need to apologize. Adam was doing a damn good job goading him. No worries, and just to let you know, this”—he motions around the table—“will be staying between us.”

  “Thank you, I appreciate that,” I add while he stands.

  “I’ll flag the server down and send him over.”

  “Great. Thank you again.”

  “Stop, it’s no problem at all. You just get things straightened out with your guy.”

  “He’s my coworker,” I correct Mark.

  “Yeah, and I’m Terry Pagula,” Mark says with a chuckle before heading in the same direction Adam, Brian, and Reid went.

  “Well, that went well,” I say to myself just before Rich walks up to the table.

  “You’re all set,” Rich says. “The other guy in your party took care of the bill.”

  “Oh, okay. Well, thanks.”

  “No problem, you have a great night,” Rich says with a smile then walks off.

  Before I stand, I rub my hands over my face a couple of times, thinking about what I’m going to say to Reid when we get in the car. Right now I’m so pissed that I think it’s probably best to keep my mouth shut and face things in the morning, but we’re going to be in a small confined space for at least fifteen minutes. I’m not sure if I can contain myself that long. Wondering where he ran off to, I get up and head to the bar. It’s empty, so I make my way out to the parking lot and my car. Reid is propped up against the passenger door, and he throws it open as soon as I press unlock on the key fob.

  “Okay, I guess he’s not talking to me either. Two can play at this game, asshole,” I remark to him even though he can’t hear me.

  You could probably cut the tension in the car with a knife on the way back to the office, which only pisses me off more. What the fuck is he so mad about? I’m the one he embarrassed. I’m the one he left at the table to clean up his damn mess. What an asshole! By the time I pull up next to his car in the parking lot, I’m fuming, and as soon as he slams the passenger door, I peel away, squealing my tires. Take that, Mariano!

  Chapter Eleven

  Reid

  “Shit,” I say, slamming my hands on the steering wheel after I watch Taylor pull out of the lot. “That fucking kid and his wandering eyes. Fuck.”

  The meeting with the landscaping company/nursery should have gone off without a hitch. Taylor and I had a solid marketing plan for them on top of all the projects she’s already lined up for their new location. But no, that little fuck Adam had to go and screw with my head all night. Flirting with Taylor as if we were at a bar instead of a business meeting. And then there’s me, who was acting like a jealous boyfriend instead of a coworker. Yeah, I feel like a complete asshole. Not only did I make the rest of the meeting uncomfortable, but I also made Taylor ignore me on our ride back to the office.

  After taking a couple of deep breaths and a few more steering wheel punches, I head home. Much to my surprise, I find Jennifer sitting on the couch as I bang my way through the door.

  “Hey, what’re you doing?” I ask, sounding more like a parent catching their child doing something they shouldn’t than a boyfriend.

  “Watching TV?” Jennifer replies, giving me a curious look. “What are you doing?” She mimics my tone.

  I blow out a huff as I step through the door, letting it slam behind me. “Sorry, the meeting didn’t go as smoothly as I had expected.”

  “Really?” Jennifer asks, sitting up straight and looking truly interested. “They didn’t like your ideas or something?”

  “No, nothing like that. It was just a little uncomfortable. This guy Taylor went out with was just promoted to a management position and was invited to join us. He just made things a little tense.”
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  “That sounds very professional,” Jennifer says sarcastically.

  “It wasn’t anything that Taylor did. It was him. She honestly tried to stop it, but he just wasn’t listening,” I say, moving across the room to drop my bag next to the breakfast bar.

  “Still, it shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

  “You’re right, it shouldn’t have, but neither Taylor, nor I could have known what he was up to.” I round the couch and plop down haphazardly next to her. “We’re going to the location tomorrow, so I need to make sure things are good between Taylor and I, so Miranda doesn’t catch wind of what happened. I was a little out of line with her.”

  “Try not to let it bother you.”

  “You’re right, I shouldn’t worry about it. Not tonight anyway.”

  “Well, other than the drama, how was the meeting?”

  “It was good!” I say, rolling my head against the back of the couch to look at her. “Mark seemed to like our mock marketing plan, and now that I know him and his business a little better, it’ll be easy to come up with something more concrete. Seeing what I have to work with tomorrow will only help.”

  “That’s great! I knew they would love your ideas,” Jennifer says, touching my forearm. “You have a lot to offer the client, things they haven’t been presented with before.”

  “Yeah, I just hope they don’t give me pushback because it’s something they’re not used to,” I say and turn my attention back toward the TV.

  “I’m sure they won’t. You’re working to help them grow their business. They’ll see the benefits once you present them. Who do you meet with next?”

  “Tomorrow night we’re meeting with a salon owner and her husband. She’s another one who’s expanding and opening a second location.”

  “Sounds like it’s right up your alley?” Jennifer jokes.

  “I can’t say that I’m the most knowledgeable about salons, but I did work on a social media campaign for a hotel spa, so that should help.”

  “I’d make sure to mention that.”

  “Trust me, I’m going to.” I look at Jennifer from the corner of my eye.

  “Do you know where you’re going to meet them?”

  “Some barbecue place in Lockport. I guess they’re more low-key and that’s close to where they live.”

  “Ah. Lockport is kind of far. You’ll probably be home later tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, I wouldn’t count on me getting home early. She’s open to six, and we’re not meeting them until seven. So no Big Bang Theory tomorrow. You have to wait for me.”

  Jennifer laughs. “I wouldn’t dream of watching without you. But at the rate we’re going, it’ll take us a year to catch up to the current season.”

  “You’re probably right, but at least it’s something we have for rainy days and nights on the couch,” I say, slipping my arm around her shoulders and pulling her in to cuddle my side.

  “I can’t complain about that!”

  Jennifer’s body pressed up against mine helps ease the tension from the evening. We stay on the couch for another half hour or so before heading back to the bedroom, where we take our usual positions with her tucked into my side. It’s nice, but I’d much rather be working up a sweat with some heavy panting from both of us. Of course, when my thoughts drift that way, it’s not Jennifer I see. It’s a very angry Taylor. Who could potentially cost me my job for the way I acted. I just hope she isn’t as pissed as she seemed.

  Needing to do some heavy groveling, I stop at Starbucks on my way to the office. I assume by now Casey is well aware of what went on last night, so I not only grab two lattes, but I also throw a mocha frappachino on my order. I can’t even imagine what I’m about to walk into. Even though Taylor never voiced how angry she was, I know she was fuming. Sadly, I didn’t realize how much of an ass I made of myself until it was too late. I’m just hoping that she smoothed things over with Mark so there’s no kickback with Miranda.

  Driving through the parking lot, I see Taylor’s car and pull into the spot next to it. Thankfully she’s here so early that the whole office won’t hear what happened last night, because I’m pretty sure it won’t be a quiet discussion. At this point, my only other concern is if Miranda is in the office and tries to catch us before she gets too busy with other things.

  Making my way through the office, I bypass the aisle that will take me by Taylor’s desk and go around the opposite way to leave Casey’s drink for her. I’ll e-mail Taylor and let her know I’m here, giving myself a little buffer to prepare. But, just my luck, as I round the corner, she’s walking out of her cube and heading right toward my office.

  “Hey,” I say, testing the water and locking eyes with her when she stops just outside of my door then leans against the wall.

  She gives me a raised eyebrow look, her lips pulled into a frown. “She doesn’t know, just in case you’re trying to buy her off.” Taylor nods toward Casey’s empty cube.

  “I wasn’t sure if you had called her last night.”

  “I’m not a gossip.”

  “I didn’t say you were, but I don’t know… I thought you might have needed to vent or something,” I backpedal, stalling the inevitable.

  “That’s gossiping.”

  “Okay, I got it, you’re not a gossip,” I say, closing the distance between us then ducking into my office.

  Taylor follows, shutting the door then leaning on it. Tension is crackling off of her. She doesn’t look pissed, just indifferent, but I know better.

  “Are you going to sit down?” I ask, standing behind my desk and waiting for her to make a move.

  “No, I’m good here.” She pauses for a second, looking as though she’s either trying to reel in her anger or collect her thoughts. “What in the fuck happened last night? You were acting like an immature asshole. Jesus Reid, we're not fucking teenagers in high school. This is our job.”

  I rub my hands across my eyes then look at her. I swear she looks even sexier pissed off. Her sapphire-blue eyes are sparkling, her cheeks tinted with red, and her lips swollen, probably from biting them. I’m speechless, but I can’t take my eyes off of her.

  “Well? I’m waiting.” She crosses her arms, pushing her perfect tits up and enhancing her already visible cleavage.

  Saying nothing, I round the desk and walk right into Taylor’s personal space. So close that she needs to straighten her back to look up at me. I cage her in, leaning my left forearm against the door with my right palm flat on the other side of her head. Her eyes lock with mine, following every move mine make. I drop my gaze to her full lips and find the top tucked between her teeth, her cheeks a brighter red, and her breathing becoming more shallow with each breath.

  “Wha-what are you doing?” she asks.

  It’s now or never. I can’t seem to vocalize what seeing that prick hitting on her did to me, so I’ll show her. Moving my right hand to the side of her neck, I squeeze gently then crash my lips down on hers. The connection sparks like lightning hitting the ocean, making Taylor let out a surprised little gasp. Her body stiffens, and I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. About one-point-five seconds later, I get my answer when she pushes her back off the door, wraps her arms around my neck, and crushes her chest against mine. Needing to push it further, I slide my tongue against the seam of her lips and she immediately opens up for me, letting me take my fill.

  Our mouths fuse together while our tongues dance and caress each other. Little kitten noises escape her throat while growls of possession erupt from mine. I slip my arms around her back and try to pull her closer, but there’s already no room between us. I lift her, wanting her to wrap her legs around my waist, but her damn tight skirt is in the way. She tries to break the kiss, but my mouth chases hers and doesn’t let her go for more than a second.

  In another attempt, Taylor put her hand on my shoulder and pushes me away. “Wait, Reid.”

  “Huh?” I ask, still trying to take her mouth.

  “St
op,” she says with authority, and that gets my attention.

  “Okay, what? Sorry,” I get out, unable to form coherent thoughts yet, so I pull back a little more and give my head a shake.

  “What are we doing? We can’t do this, not here. Oh my god, we can’t do this at all. You’re an account executive, we work together, I don’t do shit like this, not at work. I mean, I wanted to do this with you, but not here, and I didn’t think it would ever happen,” she rambles, her words coming faster and faster.

  “You wanted this to happen?” I ask with a cocky smirk.

  “From all of what I said, that was the only thing you heard?” She throws her arms out, shaking them up and down as the words leave her mouth.

  “Well, yeah, it was exactly what I wanted to hear.”

  “What?”

  “Come on, Taylor, you can’t tell me you didn’t know?”

  “Know what? That you were going to do this?” she asks, pointing back and forth between us.

  “No, I didn’t even know I was going to do this. I just went with it because you looked sexy as hell standing there against the door, all pissed off.”

  “So you kissed me because I was about to tear you a new asshole?” Her eyes pop out and her mouth turns down slightly.

  “No, you can still tear into me, but I’d prefer if you did it naked,” I say, jostling her with my arms, which are still wrapped tightly behind her back.

  “Listen, Reid, I’m all about finishing what you started, but we absolutely cannot do it here in your freakin’ office! Someone will hear and then what are we going to do? I mean, I’ve worked hard to keep my name out of the gossip circle here, and now I’m standing in your office, wrapped in your arms, with your boner pressing against my crotch. No, this is not going to happen, not here.”

  “But it’s going to happen, right?”

  She narrows her eyes, the left slightly more than the right. “I can’t believe I’m even going to say this. I’m the ‘I don’t mix business with pleasure’ chick, not the ‘hook up with the new guy at work’ girl, but there’s a possibility it’ll happen. But first you need to explain what the fuck happened last night.”