“We’ll deal with your insecurities later. I have my hands full with Doug’s right now.”
Doug turned and pointed toward the bar.
“See the hot girl behind the bar?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think we’re well matched? Do you think I’d have a shot with her?” He was only looking at Alyssa as Grayson choked on his beer.
“You want to shoot for Chanda?”
“I’m asking Liss if she thinks I have a shot.”
The petite bartender had the words Wild Thing stamped on her forehead. Doug looked very corporate boardroom in his button-down and khakis.
“Yes,” she answered confidently.
“Yes?” Gray and Doug said at the same time with equal looks of disbelief.
“If you smile and talk to her like you talk to us, without all the schmoozy pick-up lines and crap, you would have a good chance.”
“Wow.” Doug looked completely perplexed for a moment, and then he laughed. “So that’s how I did it.”
“Did what?” Gray asked.
“I’m dating her. Like for real. We’re together. The first time, I figured she didn’t have anything better to do, but it’s been a few weeks now. She’s met Lucy. I’m really into her, and she seems to be into me. I just couldn’t figure out why.”
Alyssa laughed at the look on his face.
He pulled out his phone to text something. A few seconds later, Chanda pulled the phone from her back pocket. Alyssa could tell by the smile on the woman’s face that she was totally into the sender.
She looked up, ducking to the side to see them, and then waved and blew a kiss.
“Holy shit.” Grayson sat back against the booth.
“See? I told you.” Doug ran a hand over his hair. “I’m worried I’m going to mess it up.”
“So don’t mess it up,” Alyssa offered.
“I think I’m in love with her. I have to keep biting my tongue so I don’t blurt it out.”
“Most women like to hear it when a guy falls for them.” Gray shot a look at her. She couldn’t miss the inflection on the word most.
“You have to know if she’s serious before you go throwing that word around. If she’s not, it will have her running for the hills.” Alyssa stuck out her tongue at Grayson.
“How do I know if she’s serious?” Both men looked at her for an answer.
“Hell if I know, but good luck to you. Here she comes.”
Chanda didn’t hesitate when she got to the booth. She slid in on Doug’s side and gave him a quick kiss and a smile. Then she turned to them and gave them a smile as well.
“Chan, this is Grayson and Alyssa. Guys, this is my girl.”
“We’ve met,” Gray said. “When you bring me drinks on Fridays.”
“Which I’m happy to do.” She looked at their glasses. “You’re set for now I see.”
“Is it time for your break? Can you sit for a second?” Doug asked, hope in his voice.
“Sure. I have a few minutes. My name isn’t on the outside of the bar. Let that Scottish bastard earn his keep,” she joked, causing Alyssa to laugh. She liked the woman, and it was obvious Doug more than liked her.
“Chanda is also an artist. Sculpting and painting, but she can also draw a mean caricature on a napkin when given the opportunity.” Doug beamed with pride and wrapped an arm around her. It wasn’t a possessive gesture, more that he just couldn’t keep his hands off her. “Gray and Liss work with me.”
“It’s very nice to meet you. I’m sorry you’re all so bored for the major part of your existence.”
“I see Doug has told you what we do.”
“He even tried to make it sound exciting,” Chanda laughed and leaned in for another kiss.
“Speak for yourselves. I happen to like my job,” Alyssa said.
“That’s because you’ve only been doing it for two weeks. You haven’t noticed how much it sucks yet.”
“It pays the bills,” Alyssa noted. Now that she was paying less in rent, she was getting closer to paying those bills off. They were the last part of her past weighing her down. A few more months and she would be free of the financial debt at least.
* * * *
Watching his friend with Chanda made Grayson want all the things he didn’t have with Alyssa. Things he might never have because of the walls she refused to let him through.
It was obvious something had happened to her. Something bigger than a run-of-the-mill betrayal like he’d experienced.
At the time, it had hit him hard. He thought the dual betrayal of a girlfriend and best friend would keep him from ever trusting again. But he found himself ready to commit to someone. Not everyone was his whore of an ex-girlfriend or his backstabbing ex-best friend. Grayson was over it.
He wanted what Doug had. He wanted the girl to actually be his girl.
He looked over at Liss and smiled. She smiled back, but he could still see the storm clouds in her eyes.
Blurting out his feelings wouldn’t work for them. He needed to convince her that he was safe. There had to be a way to convince her that being in a relationship wasn’t terrifying. Except that would ruin the small bit of trust he’d managed to earn. He was in a no-win situation.
* * * *
Gray wasn’t in bed when Alyssa woke on Saturday morning. She could hear the shower running so she knew there was no sense to get up yet. She rested her arm across her forehead and thought about the night before.
When they came home from the bar, they ended up in his bed. She assumed he would be tired and just want to get to it so they could sleep, but there was something different.
He continued his campaign to take his time making her feel good. In many different ways.
Normally she wasn’t comfortable accepting pleasure, but Gray had convinced her he was getting pleasure out of it as well. This knowledge allowed her to relax enough to make it amazing. The guilt was still there, hiding in the darkness, waiting for the moment she was alone to pounce. But she wasn’t alone when she was with Grayson.
She didn’t realize she was smiling until Gray walked in the room, grinning around a toothbrush. Not a toothbrush. Her toothbrush.
“What are you doing with my toothbrush?” She pulled the sheet up to cover her naked body since he was wearing boxers.
He shrugged with his mouth covered in foam.
“I just grabbed one out of the cup,” he mumbled before he returned to the bathroom to spit.
“There are only two toothbrushes in the cup. How could you possibly get confused as to which one was yours?” she yelled at him across the hall until he walked back into her room.
“What’s the big deal?” He shrugged it off as he came to sit on the edge of the bed to kiss her with his minty fresh breath.
“It’s gross.”
“I had my face between your legs last night, why can’t I borrow your toothbrush?”
“It’s not the same.”
“I beg to disagree.” His blue eyes were practically sparkling.
“Do you want to beg to disagree or find yourself begging for something else?” she threatened.
“What about French kissing. Our tongues are in each other’s mouths.” He had a point, but she wasn’t ready to give him credit for having a point.
“Just don’t use my toothbrush.” She pointed at him as she got up and made her way to the bathroom.
“Fine, but our toothbrushes were touching in the cup anyway.”
“Still not the same thing.” She shut the door, but not before she heard him mutter, “Is too.”
They spent the weekend doing mundane household things like laundry, dusting, and mopping the kitchen floor. His neatness gave hers a run for its money. When they were done, they watched television, ordered take-out, and ended up in bed together.
It was the most perfect lazy weekend ever.
Since they were both running late for work the next morning, they got ready in the bathroom together.
They were brushing their teeth, and Gray was trying to talk around his own toothbrush, making her laugh because she couldn’t understand what he was saying.
He reached out to turn the water on at the same second she went to spit and she ended up spitting toothpaste all over his arm.
That caused another bout of laughter.
As he washed off his arm, Alyssa caught a glimpse of them in the mirror and nearly froze at the image of them.
They were still laughing, but it was something more.
She was happy.
Not just fun orgasm happy, but deep down happy. It wasn’t acceptable. Giving up these little things with a man was her penance for destroying someone else’s happiness.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Gray frowned, no doubt confused by the change in her expression. She smiled as best she could and brushed it off. It wasn’t his fault. She wouldn’t make him pay for her stupidity.
“I have to say, I like your toothbrush better than mine. This one sucks,” he said, clearly trying to lighten the mood. She swallowed and went along with it.
“I’ll pick you up a new one when I stop for groceries tonight,” she offered.
“Thanks. Hey, can you get those cookies with the stripes and the hole in the center? I love those.”
“Sure. If you think of anything else we need, text me.”
They both stopped for a second, letting the situation soak in around them. It was very domestic. She didn’t want him to read too much into it.
“This is a perfectly normal roommate conversation,” he stated calmly.
“Really? Did Trent ever buy you a toothbrush?”
“Well, no. We did split a box of condoms once. Condoms and dental hygiene are just a few aisles apart.” He shrugged and seemed perfectly fine. She thought back to her living arrangement with Sasha—before she turned into a demon—and nodded. She’d stopped for tampons on more than one occasion. Tampons were only a few aisles from dental hygiene too. His logic seemed sound.
Chapter 13
“I swear if you don’t wipe that fucking smile off your face I’m going to hack my doughnut all over your desk.”
“Good morning to you too, Doug,” Gray said as he sat at his desk unloading his messenger bag. “What’s your problem?”
“I’m sorry. I asked Julie if I could keep Lucy overnight on Saturday. We were having so much fun with Chanda, and Luce begged me to make her rabbit pancakes for breakfast.”
“And Julie said no.”
“She said no with that hoity-toity attitude that drives me nuts. I actually think she enjoys torturing me. How did I not know she was evil when I married her?”
“Women are cunning beings. Maybe we would notice if we could look away from their boobs for a few seconds.”
Doug laughed at that and shook his head.
“I don’t just enjoy Chan for her boobs—as wonderful as they are. It’s her. She has this way of looking at things that blows my mind. It must be the artist thing. I see something and then she mentions things like lines and color and depth, and bam! I’m seeing it completely differently and it’s beautiful.”
“Maybe she’s a witch. Have you eaten any apples she’s offered you?”
“No apples. And trust me, if she was a witch I think she would have used her powers to turn Julie into a toad. She was as angry as I was. She loves Lucy. And Luce loves her too. I’m telling you this woman is everything I didn’t know I could ever have.”
Grayson’s thoughts turned to Alyssa and how she was everything he wanted in a woman. With the big exception of how she refused to be in a committed relationship. That was a bit of an obstacle. But maybe one day he could win her trust. He wasn’t giving up.
“Liss seems to be more than just boobs to you,” Doug noted.
“Yeah.” Gray could only shrug.
“From what you’ve said, she’s a great roommate. You’re still sleeping with her, which must mean it’s good. What more could you want?” It was a valid question. Was it worth it to push her until she left just to be able to say they were in a relationship? Then he’d have nothing. At least for now he had what she was willing to give.
“I don’t know. On that first night, we decided there wouldn’t be any bullshit between us. No expectations. Just honesty. The thing is, I would be okay with more if it was with Alyssa.”
Doug wiggled his finger at him. “You like her.”
“Yeah. I told you I like her.”
“No. No. Not like that. Like her like love her.”
“I don’t,” Gray said a little too quickly. “I don’t,” he repeated for emphasis. He couldn’t, she’d made it clear that kind of thing was against the rules.
“We’ll see.”
“I hate to make your day even worse, but it’s time for our meeting.” Grayson wanted to end the conversation.
“I heard we’re doing team-building stuff today. You want to be my partner?”
“No.”
Doug fake-coughed the word love as they left Grayson’s office.
* * * *
Teambuilding? Alyssa held in her groan and looked across the table at an expectant Grayson. His nod in her direction communicated his intent clearly. Did she want to be his partner for this stupid exercise?
A quick glance around the room provided little alternatives. At least Gray wouldn’t cause her to cringe if there was any kind of physical contact involved.
She nodded back.
“Okay everyone pair up. Take out your phones and hand them over to the other person.” There was a shuffling of people. Most people finding the person they worked with the most. She noticed one person take the opportunity to leave, and wished she’d thought of it first.
She stood next to Grayson away from everyone else and gave him her phone as he handed her, his.
“Pull up the contacts list. Ask your team member about a few random people in their contacts list. Listen to how they describe those people. Can you tell by the other person’s body language and expressions how they truly feel about their contacts? We’re going to take ten minutes, and then we’ll move on to the next thing.”
Grayson was already frowning at her screen.
“What is this? You hardly have anyone in your phone,” he complained.
“You’re in there. Ask me what I think about you.” She wiggled her eyebrows and he moved on.
“Kenley? Didn’t she used to work here?”
“Yes. She’s my best friend.”
“Tell me something personal about her.”
“We complement each other well because she gets too attached to people, and I don’t. When we have an issue, the other person can easily step into the role of devil’s advocate.”
“Did you talk to her about me?”
Alyssa shrugged, and then nodded.
“Is she the reason you’re still living with me?” Another shrug and nod. “I like her. What about Mia?”
“She knows what I’ll say before I say it. It’s creepy.”
“And your mom?”
“I think it’s my turn.”
She scrolled through tons of names. Four passes and she was still only at the letter D.
“What about your dad?” She gave up and took the easy route.
“My dad is great. Very encouraging. He has a wonderful sense of humor and I hope you’ll get to meet him next month at my family’s annual get together.”
She choked on air.
“You’re kidding. You’re inviting me to a family event where I would meet your parents? What part of ‘roommates only’ are you not getting?”
“Trent has met my parents.” He brushed it off. “My dad has taken up cooking
since he retired and he thinks he’s good at it. He isn’t, but my mother praises him as if he’s a gourmet chef.” He shook his head and she could see how much he loved his parents.
“My mom is a great cook. Though when I come to visit, she thinks she needs to make all my favorite foods in one meal,” Alyssa shared without knowing why.
“How often do you visit?”
“Not often. I usually send her a ticket to come here.”
“I’m using my skills to see that you do not like to go home. Why not?”
“Bad feelings.” That was all she was willing to say. “But not about my mom. She’s a hard worker and so strong. I know she would be there for me no matter what. She’s already proven that.” Grayson tilted his head and opened his mouth to ask something else when Randy saved her.
“Okay everyone. Give the phones back. Next thing. Scroll through your photos and pick one to show your partner. Tell them about it. Partners, listen and watch that body language. See if you can see what the other person is feeling.”
“For the love of God, please make it stop.” Alyssa hung her head as Grayson scrolled through his pictures.
“This one.” He held out a selfie of the two of them in bed together. She was sleeping on his chest.
“Is that drool?” She gasped, and reached for his phone, but he snatched it away.
“You mean this puddle on my shirt by your mouth? Yes. I believe that is drool.”
“And that is your favorite picture?” Her voice couldn’t be any flatter as she looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was paying attention.
“Show me yours.”
She focused on the task and sighed, not liking her choices.
“There’s this one.” She held it up and he squinted.
“That’s the back of your television.”
“I needed to remember how the cables hooked up.”
“Try again.”
“Fine.” She gave up and showed him her favorite picture. It always made her laugh.
“That’s my—” He didn’t say the word ass, but it was—in a pair of boxers that had a duck on the back and the words Butt Quack.
“I can’t help it. I laugh every time.” She tried to stop, but laughed again as his face went serious.
Getting Down to Business Page 12