His Temptation (X Enterprises Book 4)

by Tanya Gallagher

  “I don’t know what you want me to say, Avery.”

  “I want you to say that you’ll figure out another way to deliver programming in a way that lets you be happy, too.”

  “I need to impress these guys.”

  Exasperation pinched her voice. “They’re just one company! You’re buying into this idea of scarcity, but there are always more opportunities if you look for them.”

  He had to hope there’d be other opportunities with girls too since right now he was walking away from the one relationship that had felt so critical to him.

  “You know you just spent all this time talking about other people,” Avery said, her voice shaking, “but you still didn’t answer my question. Do you want this?”

  Geoff lowered his eyes to the floor and shook his head. This relationship hurt too much to be the right thing for him. “I don’t know what I want. But I know what people expect of me.”

  “Geoff, people expect that one of these days the dating expert will find the right girl and know when to stop looking.” Avery pressed her hand to her chest. “And me? I expected you to know the difference. You might not know what you want with your career and your life, and that’s okay. But if we’re going to have a relationship, the only right answer is me.” She dropped her hands from her body. “At least, that’s the answer I know I deserve.”

  Avery clenched her jaw and strode past him. Out of his apartment and out of his life, and he watched her go without speaking.

  She’d never sat down at all.

  Chapter 25

  “You look like your cat just shit the bed.”

  Avery glanced up as Naomi dropped into the desk chair next to her, and Avery’s face crumpled. “What do you mean? I look awesome.”

  She’d pulled together a power outfit to trudge through this Monday at work—a form-fitting dress, killer red heels, and a face full of makeup that hid the bags under her eyes—hoping that looking the part would lift her spirits. It’s what she’d always done. Even back when her family was poor and she had to wear the same outfit two days in the week, she’d do her makeup differently just to make it look like she was wearing something brand new.

  But according to Naomi, there was no hiding the heartache on her face.

  “Your outfit is fantastic.” Naomi frowned. “But your face looks like something stinks.” She used the pen she’d carried over to nudge the Tupperware container that held Avery’s lunch. “Or maybe that’s just your salad. I thought you’d moved on to more delicious options.”

  “Yeah, well the more delicious options are bad for me.”

  Naomi shot her a look. “Why do I feel like you’re talking about more than just food?”

  “Because I am.”

  All Geoff did was prove that theory.

  Avery sighed and dropped her fork into the container, then pushed the whole thing to the edge of her desk. “What’s going on?”

  Naomi consulted the notebook she’d carried with her. “Vanessa asked me to stop by and see if she could snag ten minutes of your time. She’s on a call right now, but if you head over to her desk in five, I bet she’ll be ready for you.”

  “Thanks, Naomi.” Avery stood and smoothed her hands over her skirt. “I’d better pull myself together. Don’t want to look like the cat shit my bed.”

  Naomi winced. “Sorry, that might have been a little harsh.”

  Avery waved away the apology. “It was a big shit.”

  Naomi snorted out a laugh. “If it helps, I think you’re awesome.”

  “It does.” Avery gave her a watery smile.

  She ducked into the bathroom to gather herself together, then headed toward Vanessa’s desk. Even though Vanessa now ran the X Enterprises charity contributions committee and was marrying the owner of the company, she’d kept her original desk in the middle of the Sales area. As Avery strode toward it, a view of downtown Seattle filled her view. The days were shorter now, but at least up here they could take advantage of what little light they got.

  The tall buildings of the skyline were pitched against pale gray clouds, and seagulls wheeled on gusts of wind. If only Avery could feel that carefree herself.

  Instead, she was a lead balloon dropped off the fifty-sixth floor.

  Vanessa turned as Avery approached her desk, her face lighting. “Hey, Avery.”

  “Hey. You rang? Or rather, you sent Naomi?”

  Vanessa nodded. “I wanted to check in on Operation Cookie. I’m going to reach out to Sophie later today, but I wanted to know if you’ve gotten any sneak peeks of the goods.”

  “Yep.” Avery’s stomach sank. On top of losing Geoff, she didn’t have Sophie, either. And apparently, the world was going to keep throwing that back in her face. She’d picked him and lost both of them. Some game.

  Avery had tried to reach out to Sophie after Halloween, but all her apology texts went unanswered, and there were only so many times she could send a crying cat face emoji without a reply.

  She forced a smile now. “I did see the cookies, and they look great. Taste fantastic, too. Your guests are going to love them.”

  Vanessa clapped her hands together. “I’m so happy to hear that! My maid of honor, Bea, was a little surprised when I told her I was giving Sophie the job.”

  “Oh. Really?”

  Vanessa laughed. “Yeah, Bea used to work at an erotic bakery, and she thought she’d get tapped to make the cookies.” She shrugged. “These days she’s painting full-time, and I figured it would be a safer bet to use Sophie. No penis cookies necessary.”

  Avery couldn’t help but smile. “Probably not wedding-appropriate. But for the bachelorette party…”

  Vanessa blushed, her blue eyes sparkling. “Someone else is planning that, so there’s no saying what might happen. I can’t be held responsible.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  Vanessa lifted her eyebrows. “Guess we’ll see. By the way, I’m excited to meet your date for the wedding. If he’s the same guy who sent you the flowers, you’re a lucky girl.”

  Yep. The world was definitely rubbing it in.

  Avery made her voice go bright, but all she sounded like was a half-manic Valley Girl. “Totally.”

  It was too soon for the truth. Too soon to admit that she’d lost out to Geoff’s career. She couldn’t handle it, and no one needed to see her cry.

  Chapter 26

  Geoff stepped through the doors of Portage Bay cafe in Ballard on a Friday morning two weeks after his breakup with Avery. The smell of French toast, bacon, and strongly-brewed coffee wafted over him, and he had to give himself a pat on the back for creating a job that let him work whenever he wanted so he could avoid Portage Bay’s normal weekend crowds.

  Sophie stood by the wall of flyers just inside the restaurant’s front door, clutching a ceramic cup of complimentary coffee.

  She sighed in his direction but otherwise ignored him. Apparently, the silent treatment was in full force.

  Geoff read the flyers over his sister’s shoulder—the MoPOP had a new exhibit, The Twilight Zone was being performed live onstage next week, and there was a Thanksgiving Day Turkey trot coming up. At last, the hostess took mercy on them and seated them in a sunny spot in the front window.

  Sophie plopped into her chair across from Geoff, waiting until they’d placed their orders before she finally spoke. “For the record, the only reason I’m even meeting up with you is for Mom. We need to figure out what we’re doing for Thanksgiving and since you, prodigal son, have returned to Seattle to grace us with your presence, you can actually help plan a thing.”

  “Okay.” Geoff spread his hands. “I’m here because I’m on board. You can email me whatever details you want, and we’ll make it the best Thanksgiving ever.”

  Sophie gave a noncommittal shrug and took another sip of her coffee.

  Geoff groaned. “I get that you’re still mad at me. But you don’t need to worry, okay? Avery and I aren’t together anymore.”

  Sophie’s shocked exp
ression transformed into anger, and she leaned over the table to punch him on the shoulder. “Why the hell did you do that?”

  “What the fuck, Sophie?”

  The mom at the table behind Sophie glared at him, putting her hands earmuff-style over the toddler smearing strawberries onto the fabric napkins.

  Geoff rubbed his shoulder. He shouldn’t have taught his sister to throw a punch so well. It hurt more than he’d expected. “I like how you assume this is my fault.”

  “Isn’t it?”

  Well, shit. “I thought that’s what you wanted,” he said instead of answering directly. “For me not to date her.”

  “No! You don’t understand people at all.” Sophie frowned at him. “I want you to be happy, you moron. And Avery, too.”

  Their waitress delivered two plates of breakfast to the table, and after Sophie topped her pancakes with fresh fruit and whipped cream from Portage Bay’s signature fruit station, she returned to the table to continue her rant. “You know,” she said, pointing a fork at Geoff, “I think you and Avery might have been happy, too. Until you fucked it up.”

  The lump of French toast he’d swallowed stuck in his throat. “Guess it doesn’t matter either way.”

  She huffed a sigh. “You are supremely stupid.”

  “Hey.”

  She gestured at him. “I mean right now. Not in general. In fact, your show had some good dating tidbits.” Her mouth quirked into a smile. “I liked your whole three-act structure.”

  He blinked at her in surprise. “You listened?”

  “I might have caught a few episodes after Halloween.” Sophie dropped her eyes. “We weren’t talking. How else was I going to hear your voice?”

  It made Geoff feel loved, despite everything, and he held out another tidbit like the peace offering it was. “Want to know what stupid piece of my own advice I took?”

  Sophie took a bite of her food and shrugged. “Do I?”

  “I broke up with Avery at my house.”

  Her confused face said more than enough. “Why?”

  He sighed. “It’s supposed to be easier on the other person. The theory is if you break up with someone in a place that the other person goes every day or sees a bunch, it sucks for them because they keep seeing the breakup place and it hurts them that much more. If you do it at your house, the other person won’t tie bad memories to any place except your house.”

  “O-kay,” she drawled.

  “Except now I can’t stomach the sight of my own apartment.” He’d spent the past few weeks crashing at Ryan’s house and playing an unhealthy amount of Grand Theft Auto, all to avoid the sight of his own bed.

  “Ah.” Sophie nodded. “Tough break. Maybe you need to replace those bad memories with some better ones.”

  “Yeah.” If only it were that easy. Everything about his place reminded him of Avery—even his damned recording studio, which was the cause of this whole mess. Or, at least, part of it.

  Sophie slid her last bite of pancake through a pool of maple syrup. She shoved the food into her mouth and then stood and grabbed her purse. “I’ll send you over some Thanksgiving ideas after I get done dropping off wedding cookies tomorrow.” She waved at her empty plate. “You’re buying breakfast, okay?”

  Geoff rubbed a hand over his chest. “Kick a man while he’s down.” He wasn’t sure what hurt worse—forking over the cash for his sister’s expensive meal or the reminder of the wedding he’d bailed out of.

  Actually, that was a lie.

  The wedding hurt worse.

  A lot worse.

  Sophie rolled her eyes at whatever face he was making. “Whatever. Since I’m feeling generous, I’ll give you some advice for all your troubles.”

  Geoff smoothed a hand over his jaw. “What’s that?”

  “Go listen to your shows, too, okay? They’re not so terrible. You might find what you’re looking for.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek and left.

  The great thing about How to Hook a Hottie and the age of the internet was that Geoff could listen to his show from any place he could get a cell phone signal. After he paid the check in Portage Bay cafe, he wandered out onto the sidewalk in Ballard and plugged his headphones into his phone. Then he opened his podcast list, selected an episode at random, and hit Play.

  He listened to his show as he strolled down the street toward the Ballard Locks. The Locks were a series of canals that connected Lake Washington with the Lake Union, and they were always a popular tourist attraction. The water levels in the two lakes were uneven, so the locks served as a passage point between the bodies of water where all the boats could get either lifted or lowered to the right level.

  He hunched his shoulders against the damp, chilly morning, and it took until he’d passed through the botanical gardens and emerged onto the docks before he got over the strangeness of hearing his own voice.

  A few recreational boats had lined up in the smaller lock, and as Geoff stepped onto the swinging walkway overlooking the lock, the sight of two kayaks down in the water made his chest squeeze.

  That day on the water with Avery had been a gift. And he’d traded it in for the stability of a few extra advertising dollars.

  He was such a shit.

  Geoff turned his attention back to the show, where he was talking about moving back to Seattle and how he was looking forward to reconnecting with the friends he’d left behind. How he’d missed the authenticity of sitting down with someone who really seemed to care, rather than bounce off of the New York bubble everyone seemed to construct around themselves.

  He remembered recording the episode, sitting in his New York apartment with the smell of Chinese food drifting up from the street below. New York had been nice, but it was expensive, and the whole time he lived there he’d kind of drifted. Playing the dating scene was fun, but eventually everyone was so tied up in their work that they forgot how to connect.

  On the show, he told an anecdote about how his mom had refused to buy Sophie a cell phone until she’d turned sixteen and needed one when she drove, and how his sister’s friends just showed up at their house, unannounced. How an open-door policy in a physical way reminded you to keep an open-door policy in your heart. That love and other possibilities could show up any time. Even though Ryan had shown up on Geoff’s doorstep more often than not, nothing made Geoff’s pulse race like when he pulled open the door and saw Avery.

  He clicked on another show and heard himself talk about a girl he knew growing up who could make you smile just walking into the room. He’d told all his listeners to keep an eye out for that feeling, the feeling of a person who could turn your whole world upside-down just by sitting there, watching TV.

  And another episode, more recent, from after his first date with Avery. He described the feeling of kissing her, and how you had to seize the moments when they finally came.

  On and on Geoff clicked, skipping segments, listening to random bits while he watched the locks fill with water. He listened as the water lifted, as the kayakers made their way through.

  Oh shit.

  He’d recorded three seasons of episodes as a single man, but it was no wonder he’d never gotten serious with anyone. The whole time he’d been saving this spot in his heart for Avery. Even when he didn’t say her name, even when he hadn’t known it was her, she’d been there.

  He loved her.

  Geoff could hear it in his own voice, and he’d just done the stupidest thing he could, pushing her away.

  After everything, he’d told Avery this breakup was about the show, but she’d been part of his success all along.

  Geoff stepped over the bridge from one side of the locks to the other, the water rushing underfoot like blood in his veins. He had to make things right, but he didn’t know what he could do to fix the mess he’d created. Or if there was even time.

  Chapter 27

  Avery stepped out of her cab and tugged down the hem of her dark blue dress. She was glad for the way the sleeves protected her arms agains
t the chill, but any comfort she had dissolved as camera flashes exploded around her.

  Dammit.

  She’d drafted the press release for today’s wedding and run it by Jeremy and Vanessa yesterday before they left the office. When they’d given her the thumb’s up and thanked her for her hard work, she’d sent it to a few of the top news outlets under strictest confidence. But somehow the paparazzi had still appeared, DSLR cameras in hand.

  Avery gritted her teeth as she stepped inside the Arctic Club Hotel, glad she wasn’t famous. Also glad she’d managed to hide her puffy eyes under a layer of makeup.

  “Avery Beeker, get your gorgeous butt over here!” demanded Emma Harrington from outside the doors to the Dome Room, the Arctic’s signature ballroom.

  Avery hugged her clutch to her stomach as she threaded through the crowd toward the blond Quality Manager, smiling as Emma pulled her into a hug. Bex Kingsley, X Enterprises’ lead product designer, followed suit, then both of the Las-Vegas-based women introduced their dates.

  Fiancés, actually.

  Because a wedding was a perfect place for more soon-to-be-married couples to show off their love, along with their gorgeous engagement rings.

  Not that Avery was bitter or anything.

  “Alone today?” Bex asked, looking over Avery’s shoulder.

  “Afraid so.” Avery’s stomach flopped, and she squeezed back a pang of regret. Dammit, she’d wanted Geoff here—to dance with her, to laugh with her. But mostly just to be with her. Too bad wanting didn’t change things.

  Emma tsked. “Maybe Jeremy has a hot single friend for you.” She lifted an eyebrow and grinned. “You never know.”

  Avery’s smile was so forced it made her head hurt. She didn’t want any random hot single guys. She wanted Geoffrey. For all the good that did.

  “It’s okay,” Avery said. “Anyway, my friend’s doing the favors, so I’m not totally alone.”

  Except Sophie still hadn’t spoken to her, so it was mostly a lie.