She snickered at his gush of information.
“So you want to find a way to ask her to stop wearing shorty shorts?” she assumed.
“Hell, no. I want you to tell me how I can renegotiate this friends-only thing so I can sleep with her again.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. She thought he was on board with this arrangement. He hadn’t so much as hinted at having sex with her since they moved in together. She needed him to be the stable one, because she was already faltering after seeing him without a shirt while he brushed his teeth this morning.
“Uh…well…” She tried to come up with an answer that would dissuade him from pursuing her, but the truth was, she wanted the same thing. “Give me a sec.”
She picked up her phone, her thumbs flying as she texted Kenley:
I want to have sex with Gray. Give me permission.
Gray leaned against the doorframe silently during the minute it took Kenley to respond:
You’re an adult. You don’t need my permission.
You seemed to think it was a bad idea. I’m not sure it would be a problem, Liss shot back.
The important thing is that you’re honest with each other. So no one has unrealistic expectations.
Good advice. Thanks. Alyssa could work with this.
“Maybe you should just be honest with her and see what she says. She might be feeling the same way about how you walk around without a shirt.”
“Honesty, huh? Okay. I’ll give that a try. Thanks.” He backed out of her room and shut the door, leaving her sitting there with a confused look on her face. Should she have specified that he should be honest right that minute?
Before she had time to think about it too long, there was another knock at the door.
“Yeah?” she said, trying to hide her anticipation.
“Hey,” he said as he walked into her room, now wearing jeans and no shirt. Good play.
“Hey.” She couldn’t help but smile at his change in demeanor. “What’s up?”
“Funny you should ask. I’m up, and I have been up all night. I want you. Bad. What would you say to adding some fun to our friendship? No strings, just fun.” He even wiggled his eyebrows for dramatic effect as he laid on the smarm.
She needed to make him work a little.
“Nah, I don’t think so.”
His expression was priceless. His mouth was actually hanging open. She couldn’t hold it in; she burst out laughing and he pounced on her, playfully holding her down and rubbing all over her with his bare chest.
“As long as you understand this is just about physical pleasure. No emotions.”
“I understand. Maybe we should have shook on that instead of trying to ignore our base instincts. I might be new to this whole not-getting-emotionally-attached thing, but I have to say, it seems like you’re doing it wrong.”
“This is what happens when you take sex advice from someone who was a virgin a year ago.”
“Are we doing this or chatting? I’m dying here. I’m going to walk around in nothing but a towel tomorrow,” he threatened, making her laugh.
“Okay, okay.” She started taking her clothes off, but he stopped her.
“What are you doing? You know I like to do that part,” he scolded.
“Sorry.”
“That’s one of the benefits of having sex with the same person. They know what you like,” he explained.
“Yes, Grayson,” she said, using his name because she knew he liked it.
“See? That’s hot.” He smiled down at her as he pulled her shorts off. “So tell me what you like.”
And just like that, this new plan was suddenly uncomfortable. She didn’t want him knowing things about her. Personal things. She’d already shared more with him than anyone else. Granted they couldn’t get much more personal than having sex, living together, and working together, but this was different.
It was the real her. She didn’t share the real her with anyone. Not anymore.
“I like getting to point B.”
“Right, but maybe you could expand on something to aid in that venture.”
“You do great. Just do what you normally do.”
“Come on. Throw me a bone.” He peeled off her tight shirt and latched onto one of her nipples.
“You’ve already got a bone. Are we doing this or are we chatting?” she repeated his early words.
“We’re doing it, but if you don’t get to point B because you’re bored of my same old moves, it’s not on me.”
“Fine. Just shut up already.”
“You’re so mean, I don’t know why I like you so much.” He chuckled as he rolled on the condom. Then he turned over to lie on his back with his hands propped casually behind his head.
“Seriously?” she complained.
“It was your idea, you should do the work.” He was beaming adorably.
“It was not my—you know what? Never mind.” She shook her head as she straddled him and slid down his length slowly, making him hiss through his teeth.
“Damn, you have the best ideas,” he praised her.
She didn’t laugh this time. She was too busy rocking up and down on him.
His hands rested on her hips, pulling her down, guiding her pace.
“You are so unbelievably gorgeous with your hair hanging down in my face like that,” he said.
She let her hair tickle his chest and purred his name at the same time. She was learning all the things he liked. It made her feel powerful.
He reached down between them to rub her as she moved. He touched her the way she needed. Apparently, he was picking up a few things too.
“Come on, baby,” he said as he watched her.
As if she worked on voice command, she responded, clenching around him and collapsing on his chest as the tremors took her over. Her hip was cramping slightly, but it wasn’t enough of a distraction to keep her from enjoying every mind-blowing spasm.
When her muscles relaxed, Grayson flipped her over in one move and began thrusting.
She moaned his name as her fingers clenched the sheets.
“Alyssa,” he said. “Look at me.”
She opened her eyes drowsily and let her fingers trail down his chest and stomach. She pushed off the bed to meet his next thrust and that threw him over the edge. His head went back and his eyes shut as he pushed in as far as he could possibly go. There was no room left.
He fell onto the bed next to her, breathing heavily. After a short time, he traced small circles along her ribs with his fingertips.
A few minutes later his breathing slowed back to normal.
“I’m so glad to be your friend, Liss,” he said, making her laugh.
“Are you going back to your own room now?” she asked as she made herself comfortable under the sheet.
“Do you want me to?”
“I don’t know. If we didn’t live together you would go home, right?”
“Not necessarily. I didn’t the first time at your place. I didn’t make you leave when you came here.”
“Do you want to snuggle?” She laughed at him. She didn’t want him to go. She liked sleeping next to him. He kept the bad dreams away.
“Would it be too much to ask for you to act like a girl sometimes?” he said, settling against her. Clearly he wasn’t leaving, so she cuddled up against him.
“Because girls like to snuggle? That’s a stereotype.”
“Most girls like to snuggle. I’m sure there’s been a study.”
“If I were like most girls, you wouldn’t have had to twist my arm to get me to move in here,” she pointed out.
“That’s true, but I want to stay and snuggle.”
“Was it so hard to just say that?”
“I guess not.” He kissed her hair.
“Gray?”
“Yeah?”
“We’re not together, okay? Like in a relationship. I don’t do relationships.” She wanted to make that very clear. The sex had been fun. Living with him was great. But she couldn’t take that next step. She didn’t want him to think they were on that path.
“Why is that?”
“I don’t do trust.”
“Right. That’s fine. I’m good with the snuggling and the sex and the sharing my home with you. I don’t need a label.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Good night, baby,” he whispered and she closed her eyes and let sleep claim her.
In the morning, Gray insisted they stop for coffee and walk to work together. She went along with it because she was just too relaxed to care. She’d been honest with him, and he seemed to get it. She was free to enjoy the sex and the roof over her head guilt-free.
It wasn’t until ten when she saw Martin Hasher’s name on her phone that she remembered the job that hadn’t been offered to her on Wednesday or Thursday.
“This is Alyssa Sinclair.”
“Hi Alyssa. Can you stop up?”
“Yes. I’m on my way.”
The whole way up in the elevator, she told herself this was a good sign. Surely they wouldn’t make her come all the way upstairs to tell her she didn’t get the job. That would be a waste of everyone’s time.
She saw Grayson as she walked to the office in the corner. His eyebrows went up, and then he smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. He must have thought it was a good sign as well.
Unlike the last time, she wasn’t made to wait in the sitting area. She was sent right in.
Mr. Borne and two women were sitting at the small conference table talking.
“Alyssa, thank you for coming. This is Megan, Director of Human Resources and Lindsey, Executive Account Manager.”
Liss smiled and nodded as she sat in the chair he’d gestured to.
“We’d like to offer you the position of account manager. These ladies will go over the details. Welcome to the executive floor.”
“Thank you for this opportunity.”
“Be at the meeting on Monday morning so I can introduce you to the rest of the staff.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
He left and she spent the next half hour filling out forms and having her mind boggled with instructions.
When she left, she looked around before sneaking into Grayson’s office and shutting the door behind her.
She let out a little squeal.
“I got the job!”
“Awesome. I knew it would be you. You were the best choice. You should have seen the other clowns they led in and out of here.” She laughed as he came closer and bent to kiss her.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m happy for you, so I’m kissing you in celebration.”
“We’re working.”
“Not at the moment. I’m on break.”
“We can’t do this at work.”
“We can’t even kiss behind a closed door? Come on. I did get you that nice job. I kind of think you owe me.” He smiled.
“I’m pretty sure those are the exact words they used on that sexual harassment video they made us all watch.”
“You’re accusing me of stealing my lines?”
She laughed.
“If you’re not going to play nice, get out of my office.”
She gave him a big kiss and opened the door.
“Thank you for believing in me,” she said.
“Thank you for believing in me too.”
She knew he wasn’t talking about work. He was talking about trusting him not to get attached. So far, he was living up to his end of the bargain. Maybe she could have her cake and eat it too.
It was Friday and she had gotten a promotion.
Life was good.
Chapter 10
As soon as Lucy was buckled in and the cab started for the Bronx Zoo, she turned to him very seriously and asked, “Where’s Chanda?”
“She’s working today.” This wasn’t entirely a lie. She would be working later that day, but she wasn’t working for the next four hours.
He hadn’t told Chanda about Julie’s conditions. In fact, he’d kept his distance. How was it going to work for him to be dating someone who wasn’t allowed around his daughter?
“Awwww. I drawed a picture for her of a picture she liked at the Mets.”
He smiled as she pulled out her picture of a picture.
“And this one is us.” She held out another with three somewhat square bodies on it.
“It’s beautiful. What is this on my arm?” He pointed to a flower on the largest person’s appendage.
“That’s me. I have a tattoo.”
Doug didn’t know what to do. He hadn’t gotten a Dad Manual with his child.
“Sweetie, if you want to get a tattoo when you’re a grown-up, Daddy won’t mind. As long as you’ve given it a lot of thought. And it’s not a boy’s name.”
“Okay.”
“And if at some point when you’re an adult you want to dye your hair a bright color or have a giant needle shoved through your nose so you can put a hoop through it, I will support you, I promise.”
Lucy’s eyes were wide. Maybe he’d overdone it slightly.
“But until you’re as old as Mommy and Daddy, you can’t have real tattoos or piercings. You understand?”
Lucy nodded and frowned.
“I wanted to be pretty like Chanda,” she said in a small, pitiful voice.
“You are beautiful, just the way you are. Why don’t we call her and see if she can join us?”
“Yay!”
Doug put his phone on speaker and dialed her number. She picked up on the second ring.
“You’re calling me?” It was no wonder she was surprised. He thought he’d been doing the right thing, but what he was doing was reinforcing Julie’s feelings that people with tattoos and piercings were lesser beings.
“No. Lucy and I are calling you.”
“Hi, Chanda! Please come to the zoo with us. I want you to see my favorite animal and I drawed you a picture.”
He heard Chanda laugh on the other end.
“Don’t you want to spend time with your daddy?” she tried.
“I want to be with both of you.”
“I can’t very well say no to that, now can I?”
“That worked?” Doug laughed. “I thought her special powers only worked on me.”
“I guess not. I’ll meet you there.”
They spent the entire afternoon going from exhibit to exhibit. Each one was Lucy’s favorite. He and Chanda held on to each of Lucy’s hands and swung her in the air, making her giggle.
To the rest of the world, they might have looked like a normal family. He and Julie had never done things like this with Lucy.
“Thanks for changing your plans so you could come with us,” he said. Lucy took it as a prompt.
“Thank you for coming with us, Chanda.”
“Thank you for inviting me. I’m glad you have room in your special day with your dad.”
“I’m supposed to share,” his daughter reasoned.
“Even your favorite things like your dad?”
“Yes. I have to share everything. Especially when the new baby comes.”
Doug stopped walking, causing the rest of them to stop too.
“New baby?”
Lucy covered her mouth. “Uh oh. I’m not s’posed to say anything about the new baby.”
“Your mom is having another baby?”
Lucy nodded, looking upset.
“It’s okay, sweetie.”
“Are you mad? Mommy said it would make you mad.”
“I’m not mad at all. I’m happy
for your mom. I know she wanted to have another baby.” Just not with him. Every time he suggested they have another baby, she told him he didn’t make enough money to afford a second child. Everything came down to money with Julie.
Doug refused to grill his daughter with questions about whom his ex might be dating. It wasn’t any of his business.
“Can you make us pancakes for breakfast tomorrow? The bunny kind?”
Doug bit his lip and looked up at the darkening sky. He’d love nothing more than be able to take her back to his place. He knew she’d be asleep as soon as they pulled away from the zoo. He used to love carrying her to bed. She always looked so peaceful. And in the morning—energy restored—she would clap at his sorry excuse for animal shaped pancakes.
“I can’t. I have to take you back to your mommy’s tonight.”
“But I want to stay with you and Chan.”
“We would like for you to stay with us too. But I’m not allowed.”
“Because I don’t have a bedroom at your place?” He hated when she picked up parts of their grown-up conversations.
“That’s right.”
“It is?” Chanda asked, her brows pulled together.
“I only have a one bedroom apartment. Child services requires Lucy to have her own bedroom or she can’t stay overnight.”
“But your bed is big enough for her.”
“She’s not allowed to sleep with me.”
Chanda’s eyes went wide. “Are you kidding me?”
“I wish.” He shook his head. “She slept with me the first three years of her life, kicking and snoring the whole time, with two extra rooms down the hall. Now I have to provide a separate room.”
“Even if she doesn’t use it?”
“Right.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Not my rules.”
“Mommy says you can’t afford it because you’re broke, Daddy.” She looked him up and down. “What is broke? Member when I broke my pinky?”
“I do, sweetie. It still makes me queasy.” Seeing his baby girl with her finger hanging in the wrong direction, and the big tears.
Getting Down to Business Page 9