Hard For My Best Friend's Sister

by Ava Jackson

  George wasn’t there yet, and only a single one of the senior partners had arrived, the chronically early Lily.

  I smiled at Lily and took my seat at the head of the table.

  “I’ve just started going over the paperwork,” Lily said. She was blond and eternally perky. No matter how early in the morning it was, she acted like she’d already had five cups of coffee. The weirdest part was that I’d never seen her drink caffeine.

  She leaned toward me and whispered conspiratorially. “You didn’t hear it from me, but you did really good work on this. I’d say you’re a shoe in.” She winked.

  I resisted the urge to steal a glance at Cameron. Had he heard? I wanted to ask him what he thought, but I couldn’t do that in front of my own team. If the senior partners found out I’d slept with him, even though it had nothing to do with the deal and everything to do with our complicated past, then I’d be in trouble for sure. Everything I’d arranged would be thrown into question. Even Cameron’s ethics would be questioned.

  Holy shit. My stomach churned and twisted. I hadn’t thought through the consequences of our actions last night. We should’ve waited. And if we couldn’t keep our damn hands off each other than we both should have asked to be taken off the deal. But that would have meant kissing my promotion goodbye.

  It was too late now. I would just need to make sure it didn’t happen again.

  I carefully didn’t look at Cameron as the rest of the group filed in. George took his place beside Cameron and the other two senior partners who were attending took their places at the table.

  Charles was in charge of the group. He was a real hard ass and a stickler for details. If anyone was going to question me, it would be him.

  He shuffled the papers in front of him and peered at George over the top of his glasses. “You’ve made quite the concession to us,” Charles said. “Fifty percent of your company is a lot to sell. It’ll mean we have equal say in every decision you make.”

  Was he trying to talk George out of the deal? I wanted to scream. Why would he point that point?

  “I don’t think we’ll be that interfering,” Lily said. She gave George a warm smile. “We’ll only bother you about the big stuff. The day-to-day operations will still be largely up to you.”

  They were playing good business partner, bad business partner. It was ridiculous. George was intelligent enough to figure out what they were doing. Why not just treat him like an adult?

  For the first time, I wondered if I even liked the senior partners. I supposed it didn’t matter too much whether I did or not. My dealings with them were strictly professional. I preferred the professional ethics I’d seen in Cameron to theirs, though.

  “I would prefer to deal exclusively with Dylan, if you don’t mind,” George said, shocking the entire room.

  I blinked twice. I really hadn’t expected that. I pulled together a response. “That’s very flattering, George, but I’m only an associate. I’m sure you’d be better off dealing with a senior partner.” I forced a smile and nodded toward Charles and Lily.

  “Then you should be a partner,” George said. “I want to deal exclusively with you or I don’t agree to close this transaction.”

  Fuck. Charles was glaring at me every time George looked away.

  Had Cameron put George up to this? I’d told Cameron to leave business out of it. He couldn’t possibly be ridiculous enough to try to get me a promotion this way, could he?

  I tried to catch Cameron’s eye, but he didn’t look my way. He was focused on Lily.

  Jealousy shot through me. Perky Lily with her stupid blond hair and slim body. She was probably way more Cameron’s type than I was.

  “Our internal matters are none of your business,” Lily said firmly. “We can’t promote an associate because you want to deal with her. It’s not done.”

  George leaned forward. “I’m selling you fifty percent of my very profitable company for a very large amount of money. We’re supposed to be partners here. Isn’t that how you’re pitching this deal? So if we’re partners, your internal matters are my business. I liked what I saw of Miss Butler yesterday and I trust her. Frankly, I don’t trust either of you.”

  If I’d been drinking something I would have snorted it out of my nose. George had just called the senior partners on their bullshit. I knew their silly tactic was going to backfire on them.

  “We’ll take it under consideration,” Lily said. Her smile looked significantly more strained.

  Cameron hadn’t said anything this entire time. I wanted to shake a response out of him. Mostly I just wanted him to admit whether or not he was behind this mess.

  “I need to confer with my client,” Cameron said.

  “By all means,” Charles said. It was clear he was hoping Cameron might talk some sense into his client. I wasn’t so sure.

  George and Cameron walked out of the room. Cameron still wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  What the hell was going on?

  And then I was alone with the senior partners. Thick tension settled over the room.

  “I didn’t know he was going to do that,” I said. “He seemed very reasonable when I was dealing with him yesterday.”

  “You may have misjudged him,” Charles said.

  My heart fell and my body went cold. My hard-earned career was crumbling in front of my eyes. “I could talk to George,” I said desperately. “See if I can get a read on what he’s thinking.”

  “You’ve caused enough trouble,” Charles said.

  I wanted to melt into the floor and die. I was done. No matter what happened next, Charles had condemned me as a troublemaker in their eyes.

  I had to find a way to fix this. I could get George alone and put this deal back on track.

  Cameron and George walked back into the room and took their seats.

  I tensed in my chair.

  Cameron picked up the paperwork and slid it into his briefcase. “I’ve spoken with my client and he’s assured me that he’s determined on his point. We’ll give you until tomorrow to think it over, but there will be no deal without Miss Butler taking the lead on closing it and handling all post-closing matters.”

  I couldn’t breath properly. My fingers curled on the table.

  Cameron and George stood back up and left the room.

  That was it. I was sure they were going to fire me now.

  Charles rested his chin on his fingers. “Miss Butler. Do you know of any way you might have caused this?”

  I slept with Cameron and now he’s gone crazy. “No,” I said. I needed to talk to Cameron.

  “We’ll want to discuss this new development amongst ourselves. You’ll need to arrange to stay an extra day in New York.”

  I nodded numbly. What the fuck had I done?

  “We’ll call you when we’re ready to talk.”

  I got up and fumbled my things together before leaving the room as quietly as I could. An extra day in New York City. That meant an extra night, which could mean extra time with Cameron.

  I tried to shoot down the idea, but it wouldn’t let go, even though Cameron was the reason the senior partners were now looking at me like I was about to blow up a deal.

  I called him as soon as I escaped the building. “Did you have anything to do with this?” I asked as soon as he answered.

  “No,” he said. “I swear, Dylan. I didn’t do this. Look, meet me for dinner tonight and we’ll talk.”

  I closed my eyes. Dinner with Cameron would never be just dinner. If I was smart I would hang up now and avoid him for another ten years.

  “Okay,” I said. “Pick me up at six.”

  I was so weak when it came to Cameron. Or maybe it was just that being blindsided today had knocked me off my normal stride.

  I rushed back to my hotel.

  “Dylan!” one of my coworkers called before I could catch the elevator.

  I paused and reluctantly turned toward her.

  Katherine was Charles’ assistant. I had no idea if sh
e’d heard about the debacle today or not.

  “I hear we’re staying for another day,” Katherine said. “Want to hit the town tonight? No place to party like New York City, am I right?”

  “Actually.” I shifted my weight from foot to foot. “I have plans.”

  Katherine looked at me blankly. “Plans? With who? You have friends in New York?”

  It was common knowledge that I never left Dallas. Not since my mother’s diagnosis, anyway. I could understand why Katherine would be baffled by my knowing someone clear across the country.

  “It’s, umm, a couple people I knew in college who moved here.”

  “Oh, okay. Good for you, keeping up acquaintances like that.” Her forehead was still wrinkled with confusion.

  I wasn’t very good at making excuses, but it would have to do. I could hardly tell her I was sleeping with the lawyer who represented the other side. Oh, and did I mention the other side was now arguing for my promotion?

  I cringed and hurried away.

  I should call Cameron and cancel. That would be the ethical thing to do. He deserved a chance to tell his side of it, though. He said he had nothing to do with George’s decision, and I wanted to believe him.

  I didn’t dress as provocatively as the night before. I wanted to pretend this could be nothing but a business meeting. I’d said I wanted a one-night fling, and I was going to try to stick to that. It didn’t matter that I had an extra night I could stay with Cameron. It didn’t matter that ten years apart hadn’t kept me from falling for him all over again. This is why I’d avoided him for so long. I couldn’t trust myself around him. Couldn’t trust my heart or my judgment.

  I couldn’t let any of that matter. My job was more important.

  Cameron picked me up exactly on time. I could come to appreciate his punctuality if I stayed in the city longer, but I had to remember that I was leaving as soon as possible. I needed some time and space to build my walls back up and get my head on straight.

  I couldn’t leave my home just to be with Cameron. That would be insane. And obviously he wouldn’t leave the city and his fancy job just to be with me.

  What the hell am I thinking? There was no Cameron and me. No us. We had no relationship. Our fling was already over. We’d had our fun. There would be no repeat performance tonight. Right, because I’m so good at resisting him.

  I climbed into his car and shot him a smile. “Where to tonight? Another fancy Italian place?”

  He shook his head. “I was thinking somewhere laid back where we could talk.”

  I liked the sound of that. “This isn’t a date,” I said abruptly. “It’s a business meeting to clarify what happened today.”

  “Of course,” Cameron said.

  I bit my lip. I didn’t believe either of us.

  Cameron drove us to a casual Chinese place that was remarkably quiet.

  I settled into my seat across from him and studied the menu to avoid looking at him. I couldn’t deal with being attracted to him right now. We have no future, I reminded myself.

  The waiter came by, and I ordered water and some egg rolls. No drinking for me tonight.

  When he left I finally looked at Cameron and prepared to start the conversation.

  “George blindsided me today,” I said. “I could lose my job over this.”

  “I know. I explained that to him, and he’s sorry. He didn’t like how the senior partners were treating him and he wanted you to see this through. You’re the one he trusts. His business is his baby. He doesn’t want to hand it to people looking to screw with him.”

  I tapped my fingers on the table. What he was saying made a lot of sense. It also meant the blame for creating this upset rested squarely with George and the underhanded actions of the senior partners. If Cameron had nothing to do with it, that meant my fling with him wasn’t to blame. That was a positive development.

  “I don’t want you trying to help me do my job,” I said.

  “I know. I would never dare. Trust me, I know you. You’d kill me if you thought I was trying to help you.”

  That got a little smile out of me. I’d always been too independent for my own good. I wanted to take care of everyone else, and I never let anyone take care of me. It was why it had been so easy for me to give up what I wanted in order to look after my mom.

  “I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions, then,” I said. “I’ll try to do it less often.” I’d drawn a lot of unjust conclusions about Cameron. I’d thought he was the same kid he was when we were younger, but now I could see that he’d actually grown up.

  I no longer felt like I needed to get revenge against him. Hurting Cameron wouldn’t be satisfying. I suspected I might even hurt myself in the attempt.

  “I understand why you thought that way,” Cameron said. “I panicked when George said he wanted you. I was sure you’d hate me over it. Here I was, trying to prove how much I changed and it looked like I was trying to trade you favors for sex.” Cameron sighed and rolled his eyes. “I wanted to tackle George to the ground and make him stop talking. Very professional, right?” He flashed a smile at me that made my heart melt. “Thanks for believing me. I don’t know what I’d do if you stopped talking to me for another ten years.”

  “I could never do that.” I scrunched the napkin up in my hand. The truth was, I didn’t want to leave tomorrow and lose Cameron. But there wasn’t another choice. Was there?

  The waiter brought our drinks and food. I sipped at my water and couldn’t manage to eat much.

  “I was happy when they told me I was staying another day. I’m glad I got to spend more time with you,” I admitted. I liked being around Cameron. He was warm and funny and I wished desperately that he could be around all the time, just like when we were kids. Only, a grown up version without the Barbies and G.I. Joes and more sex.

  “I didn’t get to see you watch an infomercial last night,” Cameron said.

  I froze. He was inviting me back to his place. I’d told myself I couldn’t but temptation pulled at every cell of my being. “No, I guess you didn’t. It wouldn’t have been very exciting anyway. I don’t cry anymore.”

  “I’m not sure I believe you.”

  He shouldn’t believe me. I was lying. I’d cried over children without shoes just last week. If I told him that, he’d tell me to come back to his place and…

  “Why don’t you come back to my place and prove it,” Cameron said. “It’ll be an infomercial challenge.”

  My hand tightened into a fist. I wanted to say no, but he’d challenged me. I couldn’t resist a challenge. “All right. We watch the infomercial, and then I leave tear free. Our fling is over, and we part friends.”

  “We’ll see.”

  I shivered. I knew I couldn’t resist him, but I walked straight back into temptation anyway with my eyes wide open. One of these days I was going to learn my lesson. But not tonight.

  * * *

  Cameron’s apartment looked exactly as it had the previous night. It was silly that I’d somehow magically expected it to change or something because it seemed that everything else had changed. I no longer had a clue what I really wanted to happen. We sat on the couch, but we weren’t touching like last night. I was trying to keep my distance from him, even if I didn’t believe I was going to succeed.

  Cameron turned on the T.V. and started flipping channels.

  “You’re not going to find one,” I said. I crossed my arms, feeling confident. “This is prime time TV. They show those ads late at night to catch the weak willed when they’re tired.”

  “I’ll find one,” Cameron said.

  He sounded so sure that I began to worry. He flipped to his DVR and pulled up a recording. He’d been planning this, the bastard.

  “That’s cheating!” I said.

  “No, it’s not. This is a real one that aired just last night.”

  “You recorded this last night? You didn’t even know I’d be coming over. I was supposed to be back in Dallas by now.”

&
nbsp; He kept his gaze trained on the TV. “I wanted to be prepared.”

  I didn’t say anything, but his tone made the small hairs on my arms stand on end. He had no reason to think I would ever come back, but he’d hoped I would, and he’d planned for it. Why would he do that?

  The infomercial came on and I resolved to stay strong as horrific images of injured birds played across the screen with a moving anthem about second chances.

  I blinked rapidly. My fingers itched to grab my phone. I’d never donated to birds before, and these ones were in need of dire help. I could save their birdy lives for a small donation of… I memorized the phone number then turned my face to the ceiling to make sure I wasn’t crying when Cameron looked over at me.

  They’re just birds, I told myself. Just poor, helpless, little birds.

  I’d been expecting Cameron to crow with victory, but instead he turned the TV off and wrapped an arm around me.

  “Sorry, Dylan, I didn’t really think—do you want me to donate? I can get out my credit card.”

  “No.” I pressed my lips together. I was going to donate later, anyway. The poor birds didn’t need money from Cameron. But what if my pettiness cost that poor little, brown bird its life? “Yes,” I sighed.

  Cameron dialed the number he’d already typed into his phone. He’d known I was going to want this, the bastard. Hell. It was hard to think badly of him when he was willing to give money to one of my “dumb causes,” as my brother liked to say. Cameron was going to lose some serious man cred for doing this.

  I sniffled and wiped a tear off my cheeks. “Thanks,” I said.

  He winked. “Anytime.”

  I believed him. Cameron wasn’t the boy who’d fucked me and left me anymore. He was the man who’d hold me in his arms and call cheesy charities to make me happy.

  Fuck. I really was falling in love with him all over again, and I had no idea how to stop myself.

  Cameron hung up the phone and smiled at me, and I might as well have melted all over his couch. I wanted him. I might also hate myself for wanting him in the morning, but I needed him right now.