Evelyn smiled and looked much more relaxed than when she walked in. “Thank you. I hope you’re right.”
I looked up and saw Drew watching us, listening to our conversation. His eyes glistened with things he couldn’t say, or wouldn’t say, and he cleared his throat. Evelyn jumped up to shake his hand when he introduced himself.
“Evelyn, if you’d be okay with it, I’d like Carrie to sit in with us. She’s familiar with the project and we’d like her to be a part of the meeting.”
Evelyn smiled warmly at me and nodded. “I’m okay with that.”
“Great, thanks. If you’ll just head down the hall, you’ll see Xander in the conference room to the left. Carrie and I will be right with you.”
When Evelyn was out of hearing range Drew stepped closer to me. “It means a lot that you have faith in us. We wouldn’t have a chance with her if it weren’t for you. If you see a reason to step in during the meeting, please do so. She trusts you. Trust is everything to a new client.”
I nodded, honored that he was putting that level of faith in me. Being given permission to take charge of a meeting and influence a client was something I’d never had the chance to do before. Beth always made sure I knew my place was beneath her, not beside her.
Drew and I joined Evelyn and Xander in the conference room. They were making small talk and Xander seemed eager to get started with the presentation. He smiled as I walked in and took a seat next to Evelyn but didn’t say anything to me.
“Now that we’re all here, Evelyn, we have some ideas we’d like to discuss with you about improving your home. If you have questions at any point, feel free to stop us to ask. Are you ready to get started?”
~*~
An hour later Evelyn walked out of the office with a smile and a signed contract for XD Home Restoration to improve her home. I walked her out and she thanked me for the help, and for giving her the courage to listen to what Drew and Xander had in mind.
I confirmed Evelyn’s contact information again and waved as she walked out. Xander wasn’t far behind her to meet Mandy for a doctor’s appointment. Which left Drew and I alone in the building.
After our heated moment earlier, before his mother doused the flames, I was apprehensive about being alone with Drew. I didn’t know what he was thinking and after the bombshell Mandy dropped on me at girls’ night, I didn’t know what I was thinking either.
I wasn’t prepared to be a rebound. Or a fling. I was drawn to Drew, there was no doubt about that, but it was best for me to stay away from him.
Until he walked out of his office.
The determined look in his eyes reminded me of the way he looked at me that first night, when he’d utilized every trick in his book to have me panting with need. I glanced down to his hands, remembering the feel of them on my skin, and leaned toward him unconsciously. My chest heaved with my attempt to breathe, aching to feel him pressed against me.
I was in trouble.
He stopped just in front of me, forcing my neck to strain with the effort to look up at him. He appeared to be as confused and torn as I was. His hand scrubbed across his face and the sound of the whiskers against his palm made my nipples stand up and beg for the same attention. I took a deep breath and tried to think of anything other than the way his calloused fingers felt as they brushed my skin, dove under my panties, and brought me to the best orgasm of my life.
“I’m sorry about my mom,” Drew said.
Yeah, that took care of the riotous desire filling me.
“What are you talking about?” I feigned ignorance.
Drew cocked an eyebrow at me and tilted his head. I could tell he wasn’t buying my act, but I wasn’t going to come out and say his mom was a bitch.
“You know what I’m talking about, Carrie. My mom wasn’t very kind to you. She takes a while to warm up to people. She grilled me all of lunch about what she walked in on.”
“What did you tell her?” I asked, suddenly afraid. If the woman hated me on sight there was no reason for her to like me if she thought I was dating, or screwing, her son.
“I told her the truth.”
He was intentionally avoiding answering my question. His eyes glinted with mischief and the corner of his mouth ticked up. He was trying to hide it, but I could tell he was screwing with me.
“Come on, boss,” I teased, knowing the title would irritate him enough to talk.
“Again?”
“Self preservation. What did you tell her?”
Drew grinned and shook his head. “I told her I didn’t know what was going on but that it was my business and not hers. I also told her she needed to treat you with respect or we’d have issues.”
I huffed out the breath I’d been holding, more irritated than anything. Maybe a little relieved, too, but really he was no help. If he didn’t know what the hell was going on with us, then how was I going to figure it out.
Then again, I’d already decided nothing else wasn’t going happen with him.
Who was I kidding? Seeing him every day was only making me like him more. I wanted him badly enough to push aside my reservations and be on board with whatever he wanted. If he wanted something.
“What do you want to happen, Carrie?” he asked, his voice low. I felt his words as much as I heard them. The deep timbre vibrated through me, sending sparks of awareness through my body before they settled between my legs. Again I was aching for him, wanting him, needing him.
And he was asking what I wanted.
Digging deep I told him what I truly wanted to know. “Tell me about your ex, Drew.”
His eyes flashed with pain then anger. He turned from me and walked away. His footsteps pounded across the room and down the hall until I heard his office door slam shut.
I jumped at the sound and shook my head. His reaction said it all. He was still too hurt by her to even think about being with someone else. As much as I wanted him, I knew I made the right choice by not jumping into something with him. It would have been a mistake, that much was obvious.
~*~
Drew basically avoided me for the rest of the week. He would say good morning and was cordial, but he didn’t go out of his way to speak to me or be nice. He spent most afternoons out of the office checking on projects. I missed him, and our banter, even though I knew it was my fault.
Every day he withdrew I knew how much his break-up was bothering him. I wanted to take back my simple question and return to the way we were before, but I couldn’t shake that it was for the best. Even if I still wanted him.
The following Monday, after a boring weekend spent alone, I went back into work expecting more silence. It was wearing on me. I could only hope Xander would be in the office for the week instead of on site. Or maybe Drew would be on site all week again and I wouldn’t have to see him.
With a fresh cup of coffee, I sat down at my desk and started my work for the day. I updated the projects we had ongoing with the information Drew and Xander sent me late Friday. I kept a running total of costs and progress for each project so we could see if we were running on track with money and time. Every week I passed on the progress to the client with a projected final cost and date.
It was another change I’d made and everyone seemed happy with it. Especially the customers.
Drew walked in and nodded at me. He didn’t say anything on his way to get his first cup of coffee, but I’d already learned that until he’d finished one cup he wasn’t very talkative. He disappeared into his office, but I didn’t hear his door close so I figured that was a good sign.
Xander came in a bit later and stopped by my desk with his cup of coffee.
“How are things going?” he asked as he pulled up a chair.
“Good,” I lied, not wanting to burden him with my concerns about Drew. After all, telling him I asked about Drew’s ex would lead to questions about why I asked. I wasn’t ready to go there with anyone, let alone my other boss.
“Are you sure? You’ve been a bit quiet the last fe
w days. I wondered if something happened.”
I shook my head. “I’m okay. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“So there is something going on, but you don’t want to talk about it?” Xander surmised.
I smiled. “You’ve been married too long. No, I take that back. Turning your powers on your wife is a good thing. Using them against me is not necessary.”
Xander laughed. “I know I’m not one of the girls, but I do want you to know I’m willing to listen if there’s something you want to talk about. Mandy would be too, I hope you know that. She mentioned you haven’t been yourself since you accepted the job, and I’m worried you’re regretting your choice.”
I shook my head. What did Mandy see that made her think I wasn’t myself? I only saw Mandy at girls’ night and I was sure she was too absorbed with baby stuff to notice anything about me. That and I thought I was doing a better job at hiding my internal conflict.
Between my relationship with Drew and Xander’s admission that the company wasn’t doing as well as they’d initially expected I was on edge constantly. Messing around with the boss was as good a reason as any to get fired, or be on edge about your job, but if that job was shaky anyway it was like a double whammy.
Obviously Mandy had picked up on something. I couldn’t help but wonder who else had and if they were talking about me. If they noticed, it was only a matter of time before they pounced on me and demanded to know what was going on.
It had been almost a month since Drew and I hooked up at the launch party and I still hadn’t told anyone. If my friends grilled me about what was going on, why I was acting funny, I knew the whole truth would come out.
I’d never kept something like a relationship from my friends. Usually I was more than happy to discuss my sexual escapades. Something about Drew made it feel different though. I didn’t know if it was because he turned out to be my boss or if it was something else, but I wasn’t ready to talk about him.
And that told me it was more than the fact that he was my boss.
Being with him was the single most powerful, connected sexual experience of my life. Working with him and seeing him every day had kept me on edge, and not talking to him had hurt more than I cared to share with anyone. It felt like a rejection of me, of what I thought we could have had.
“I’m loving the job,” I told Xander. “I am a little concerned, of course. I know I needed to leave my old job, but the idea of starting over again is hard to take. I guess I’m just letting it get to me more than I realized.”
Xander huffed out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. He wore his stress on his face. I hated seeing him look like he’d been doing more frowning than laughing. I wished there was something I could do.
“Yeah, it’s bothering me too. With the baby on the way I almost wish we hadn’t jumped into this. Our clients loved the work we did before, but now that we’re an actual company instead of a couple guys doing this shit on our own it’s like people expect more.”
“Like what?”
Xander shook his head. “Hell if I know. I feel like we nail it when we’re doing something like a kitchen or bathroom, but when we start getting into other rooms the clients want furnishings and decor and shit we just don’t know how to do.”
I chewed on my lip and tried not to sound too eager. “I could help with that sort of thing. I mean, maybe I’d look at it a different way and could help. If you guys are having trouble with it.”
My breath froze in my lungs as I waited for him to answer. He looked me over carefully then slid his gaze to my desk, which I knew was neat and organized. The urge to fidget or explain further crept up on me, but I pushed it away, waiting for Xander to speak first.
“I think we’ll figure it out. We’ve asked a lot of you already. You shouldn’t have to add this onto your workload, too.”
He said it as though he was doing me a favor. I wanted to tell him I loved doing stuff like that and it wouldn’t feel like work, but I kept my mouth shut. I’d had a lot more practice shutting down around my boss than I did standing up for myself.
Xander looked at me thoughtfully then his gaze travelled back toward the hallway, where I knew Drew was working. “Is everything okay with you and Drew?”
“Why would you ask that?” I blurted out. If he’d picked up on anything between us it was all over. Mandy would know and then so would everyone else.
“He’s been a bit off lately, too. He’s been quieter than usual over the last few days, just like you’ve been. Before that you guys seemed to be getting along well. All of a sudden you’re both quiet and reserved and not talking.”
“We’re talking. Drew’s just been busy, I guess. There’s no problem,” I lied.
“Listen, Drew’s like my brother. He’s great and he’s had my back more times than I can count. All that said, if he said or did something to you, we’ll handle it. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t talk to me if something happens between you. If he… crosses a line.”
“What are you saying, Xander?” I asked quietly, my tone matching his but laced with fear.
“I’m saying if he sexually harassed you or touched you or did anything inappropriate I don’t want you keeping it to yourself because you think I’ll take his side over yours,” Xander blurted out like he was embarrassed to say the words.
I snorted in laughter and shook my head. “Xander, do you honestly think he’s that sort of guy?”
He glanced back toward the hallway and I knew he was wondering if Drew could hear our conversation. “Honestly, I don’t. But I’m not a beautiful woman.”
“Has Mandy ever said she’s gotten a creepy vibe from him?”
Xander shook his head. “No, Mandy adores him. Sometimes I think if she met him first he’d be the one married and about to have a kid with her.”
I gawked at him. “You’re joking, right? Mandy adores you. You’re everything to her. Yes, she likes Drew, but she’s never said anything about him being attractive or that she wished you were more like him. You have nothing to worry about.”
Xander stroked his jaw. “I know. But this isn’t about me. Are you sure things are okay with you and Drew? And you’d tell me if they weren’t?”
I nodded and promised Xander I would come to him if Drew did anything that made me feel uncomfortable. As Xander walked away I knew we’d never have that conversation, both because if anything happened again it would be consensual and because it would require Drew actually speaking to me again.
Before long Xander was heading back out to check on one of his projects. I waved bye to him and shook my head thinking about our conversation then dove back into my work.
I was updating reports and testing out new forms for clients to use when I heard his voice right behind me, “We need to talk.”
Seven
My hand flew over my heart to calm the racing, but it did no good. Whether from him scaring me or him exciting me, my heart was going to pound for a few minutes. Especially when I glanced over my shoulder and saw the look he was giving me.
A look that said he wanted me.
Aw, crap, really? We were back to that? I wasn’t strong enough to reject him twice. Once had nearly killed me. And I didn’t even really reject him. I just asked him a question that I knew he wouldn’t answer. That wasn’t rejecting him, it was pushing him away.
“Is there something you need me to do?” I asked, praying the conversation was work related. If he needed help with something or had work for me to do then I wouldn’t end the day with my heart pouring all over the office.
“You know what we need to talk about. Don’t play dumb, you’re too smart for it.”
“Fine,” I said, annoyed and immediately worried. I’d spent the weekend preparing to be ignored, not for a discussion. I didn’t even know what he wanted to talk about. “Talk.”
“I’m guessing Mandy mentioned Brandi. Not that Mandy knows anything about her, but that’s the only way you would have known to ask. Most likel
y she told you we broke up and that I’m heartbroken. Is that about right?”
I didn’t respond. All of a sudden it felt like we’d been gossiping about him and that wasn’t the truth. Well, not really. It wasn’t like I could tell him Mandy warned me off of him. Even though she did.
“I’ll take your silence as agreement. Since you’re so interested I’ll tell you what happened. Better to hear it from me than for you and Mandy to sit around and talk about me and how pathetic I am.”
“Drew, that’s not-“
“It doesn’t matter,” he interrupted me. His anger was tangible. I was insanely curious about his ex and their relationship, but I was also curious why he was telling me about her. What difference did it make what I thought?
“Brandi was friends with my mom, still is. They work together at Winterville High School. Mom’s the librarian and Brandi teaches home economics. Since neither of them had a group of other teachers they worked closely with they ended up becoming friends. After a while my mom got the idea that she should set Brandi and me up.”
I already hated this woman. Not only did she have Drew’s heart, but she was the home ec teacher? The job I’d wanted but knew I’d never get? It just wasn’t fair.
“Brandi was sweet. She was the perfect girlfriend, always attentive, kind, and great in -“ he stopped himself, thank God. “Anyway… we worked. After dating for about a year Brandi started dropping hints about getting married. I loved her, but I wasn’t entirely sure. I tried to delay it. We moved in together and I told her once XD was up and running we could talk. Brandi wasn’t that patient and after a few months of hinting around she came right out and asked me if I was ever going to propose. She gave me an ultimatum - either we get engaged or we break up. A week later I proposed.”
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