Match Me Up

by Parker, Weston

  30

  Thomas

  I walked back into my bedroom with two bottles of water. I was wearing nothing but my briefs. Lily was sitting on the edge of my bed in the shirt she’d practically torn from me twenty minutes earlier. “Here you go,” I said and handed her the water.

  “Thanks,” she said and gulped half down.

  I sucked down on my own water. I was trying to recover from the rather shocking surprise attack. A good surprise attack. I had walked through the door thinking about work when Lily launched herself at me. I was dragged into my bedroom and stripped naked. It was about the best welcome home gift I’d ever gotten.

  “Thank you,” I said and climbed onto my bed. I stuffed pillows behind my head and patted the spot next to me. “I think I could get used to coming home to that every night.”

  “Surprised?”

  “Uh, yeah, you could say that,” I said. “What got into you?”

  “I was at school and couldn’t stop thinking about you. Then I was at work and browsing some of the romance novels. Needless to say, here we are.”

  “Ah, you were reading dirty books.”

  She slapped my shoulder. “I was not.”

  “I’m hungry,” I said. “You?”

  She nodded. “I’ll make us something.”

  “No, stay,” I said. “I like you in my bed. I’ll order something. What are you in the mood for?”

  She waggled her eyebrows. “I’m not sure you can order that.”

  “Damn, girl,” I teased. “How about burgers?”

  “Works for me.”

  We moved to the table to eat our meals. She stayed in my shirt, which made me very happy. It was the sexiest thing I’d seen. Her hair fell loose around her shoulders. Her cheeks had a pretty pink tone from the exercise in the bedroom.

  “Did the investors call you again?” she asked.

  I nodded until I could swallow the bite of burger. “Yes, but it’s not a done deal. I’m still not sold on the idea.”

  “How about the dating app?”

  “It’s moving fast,” I said. “Faster than any other app I’ve done. I’m hoping to push through a few more tests before we move to publish it.”

  “That fast?”

  “Yeah, well, maybe,” I said. “We’ve got some differing opinions about the rollout.”

  “Like what?”

  Damn if the woman didn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy. She was genuinely interested in my day. In my work. It was like someone outside the people at my job finally gave a shit about my passion.

  “There’s been some frustration with the launch of our last couple of apps,” I explained.

  “As in?”

  “As in I don’t have a marketing expert on staff,” I said. “I didn’t think we needed one. This last app didn’t do bad, but Chris is convinced it could have done a lot better if we had a professional launching it with a marketing campaign. I did try some basic stuff, but it wasn’t enough, I guess.”

  “Why don’t you have a marketing manager?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “I didn’t think it was necessary. We weren’t really a big company. The investors are asking for some specifics about how we do business. The marketing thing is a point of contention. Take no offense, but I just didn’t see the need to pay someone to do something any of us could do. I wrote the press release, and we did a little social media push, but it wasn’t enough. We’re a small company. I didn’t think we could afford another staff member. A staff member that was only needed a few weeks a year.”

  She scowled and shook her head. “You know a marketing manager does a lot more than that. They don’t just work a few weeks. A marketing plan is year-round. You don’t just market for a week and then shrug your shoulders and walk away.”

  I was realizing the error of my ways. “I didn’t know what to look for in a marketing person.”

  “Why didn’t you ask me?” she scolded. “I could have helped you.”

  “I didn’t want to pile anything on your plate,” I said.

  She rolled her eyes. “This is what I do. It’s what I want to do. It’s fun for me. It’s a challenge I like.”

  “I didn’t want you to feel obligated,” I said. “You had just moved in and were already feeling like you owed me something. I didn’t want you to think you had to help me out because you were living here.”

  “Let me offer you some help,” she said. “Please. It will be a chance for me to exercise my marketing chops. This is what I live for.”

  “You have a full plate,” I said.

  “Stop it. I’m going to help. You’re getting ready to launch the dating app, right?”

  “Yes.” I nodded. “That’s the plan.”

  “When?”

  “Soon.”

  She cringed but I saw her switch into pro mode. “These things generally require a full quarter to plan, but all is not lost. I can put together some ideas. You won’t have to spend a lot. Do you have a marketing budget?”

  I felt like such an idiot. “Uh, no. Not really. I figure pretty much whatever we need.”

  She slapped a hand to her forehead. “You should have told me.”

  “I didn’t want to bother you.”

  “I’m not bothered. Tomorrow, we’ll go over what you need and what your goals are. I’ll put together a few plans.”

  I hated the feeling of taking advantage of her. “Babe, I know of so many other things we could do tomorrow. I’m sure you have to study.”

  She waved a fry at me. “Actually, if you’ll let me, I’ll use this as my project for my class. I had another one started, but this one is much more interesting. I want to help. Let me help.”

  “Okay,” I agreed.

  I told myself it was okay because she was going to get credit for doing the project. It wasn’t going to be just for me. It served a dual purpose. We both won. And lord knew I could use the help. It would get Chris off my back as well.

  We cleaned up after dinner and settled in on the couch as usual. Her bare legs stretched out on the couch with her head resting against my bare chest. I could practically hear her thinking. I’d seen her study enough times to know when she was lost in thought.

  “What’s on your mind?” I asked.

  “I was just thinking about some witty slogans to go with the dating app,” she said. “Something along the lines of being a blind date with a resume or something. Do you have a name for it?”

  “Not yet,” I said. “We’re open to suggestions.”

  “I’m going to dig into this and I’ll create a presentation. It’ll be good practice for when I have to pitch companies.”

  “Whatever makes you happy,” I said with a laugh.

  “I am happy,” she said, “but there is something else on my mind.”

  “Is Gage giving you a hard time?” I asked.

  “No,” she groaned. “He’s not an issue.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “I have a little confession,” she murmured.

  My heart dropped. She was seeing someone. She didn’t want to be with me in an exclusive relationship. I could feel everything crashing in on me. I had been looking forward to a future with her in it. I had let myself fall for her and assumed it was mutual.

  “What is it?” I asked around the knot in my stomach.

  “So, I have been thinking about this for a little while now,” she said.

  “Thinking about what?”

  “Me and you. I thought about us and how that would work and what it would look like. I wanted to act on those feelings but I held back because of Tamlyn.”

  “Tamlyn?” I asked. “What does she have to do with this?”

  She slapped my chest. “She has a lot to do with this. I’m not sure if she would be okay with us doing this.”

  “You keep saying this. Can we call this a relationship? This feels very cold and disconnected. It feels like a lot more than casual.”

  “It is, but I don’t know how she would feel about that,”
she said. “Tamlyn is kind of protective over you. She sees you as her little brother. She feels like she has to protect you.”

  “You think she would disapprove of you?” I asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “What kind of reputation do you have?” I teased. “Are you a heartbreaker?”

  “Very funny. I’m just not sure she would be pleased with the two of us sleeping together.”

  “It’s a lot more than sleeping together,” I insisted. “But you’re right. I know what you’re getting at. I’m not sure she would be very happy with me either. She’s just as protective over you. When she told me you needed a place to stay, it was made very clear I was supposed to make sure you were okay.”

  “So, what do we do?” she asked with a sigh.

  “We could just tell her. We are adults. It’s not like she gets to decide what we do with our lives.”

  “I know, but I don’t want to disrespect her,” she said. “I don’t know if she would be angry with us, but I think she would be pissed we started something without telling her what we were thinking.”

  She wasn’t wrong. Tamlyn could be touchy. She had ideas about what was best for me and anyone else she cared about. She was so damn stubborn. We’d just gone through this on her last visit. She knew what she thought I wanted and that was that.

  “Why don’t we keep it to ourselves for now?” I suggested. “We don’t need the added drama. We’re still working through what we are doing.”

  “I agree,” she said. “I think it’s for the best. If we get serious, we’ll cross that bridge.”

  I kissed the top of her head. “Let’s think of this as us being in beta testing.”

  She burst into laughter. “Are we looking for defects in the programming?”

  “Basically, yes,” I said. “If this doesn’t get out of beta testing, there’s no reason we need to bother Tamlyn about it.”

  “I like the way you think.”

  “If you’re not okay with keeping this from Tamlyn, say the word,” I told her. I didn’t want to encourage her to lie or deceive anyone, especially not my sister.

  “I’m okay with it,” she said.

  “Now that we’ve talked about my sister and us having sex in the same conversation, I’m feeling dirty,” I joked. “I’m going to hop in the shower. You stay right here.”

  “I’ll be right here,” she said.

  I headed for my shower, glancing over at the bed that was completely destroyed after our wild romp. I smiled and shook my head at the memory of her launching herself at me. That was going to be a moment I didn’t forget for a long, long time. I showered and dressed in a clean pair of briefs before rejoining her on the couch. She was half-asleep.

  “Hey, let’s go to bed,” I whispered close to her ear.

  Her eyes fluttered open. “Did I fall asleep?”

  “Yes, you’re exhausted. Come to bed.”

  I helped her to her feet. She moved to go to her bedroom. I should have let her go, but I felt like sleeping with her that night. “Come to my bed,” I whispered.

  Her eyes met mine. I could see her debating it. This was another one of those sticky situations we were trying to navigate. We lived together, but we were technically just starting our relationship. Sleeping together and living together was a big step.

  “Thomas.”

  “Just tonight,” I said. “Let me hold you.”

  She walked into my arms and I led her to my bed. We crawled in and I pulled the blankets over the two of us. I held her close against me. I could feel her falling asleep in my arms. This was the kind of contented bliss I wanted in my life. I had never been comfortable with the parties and meaningless sex. I liked the stuff that I could grip onto. I wanted a person in my life I could count on. Lily was slowly weaving her way into my heart and that was just a little terrifying.

  31

  Lily

  I hit the print button and grabbed the sheet of paper. I quickly reviewed it and slid it into the folder I was putting together. The second copy popped out and I slipped that one into a clear sheet cover. I was saving time by putting together my school assignment and a portfolio I was going to present to Thomas. It wasn’t necessarily a job interview, but I wanted to impress him. I wanted him to look at my work and think I had done something awesome.

  I checked the time and finished putting everything together. I thought it was going to take me longer to get it done. I was planning to present it to Thomas when he got home tonight, but now I was thinking I would take it to him at work. If I was going to learn the ropes, a professional presentation was the first step. I was making it professional because I wanted Chris to see the proposal and maybe lay off Thomas a little. I had heard all about the constant lecturing his friend gave him about the marketing thing.

  I had yet to meet Chris even though he had been at the Halloween party, but I felt like I knew him. I was hoping he would see my ideas and be on board with them. I also wanted to meet the only friend I knew Thomas to have. I kind of felt like we had a two-D relationship. Our relationship was focused in the apartment. We went out a couple of times, but the bulk of our time was spent alone together in the apartment. That was it.

  I stuffed everything into my bag and headed out of the school library to catch the bus to Thomas’s work. I found his office and walked into the building. It didn’t take long to find which floor his office was on. I stepped inside and was greeted by a woman who looked like she had way too much on her plate.

  “Hi, I’m here to see Thomas,” I said.

  “His office is straight back,” she said and gestured into the open floor plan with cubicles arranged around the area.

  “Thanks,” I said and headed into the pool of short walls and the sound of keyboards being tapped on.

  I saw the door that I assumed was Thomas’s office. It was partly open and I could hear his voice. Then I heard a female laughing. The hairs on my arms stood up and I saw red. I slowed my walk and stood just outside the door. A pretty young woman was standing next to his desk and giggling like a schoolgirl.

  I watched as she reached out and gently shoved Thomas when he said something I couldn’t hear. Thomas smiled at her and said something else. The woman was openly flirting with him. Like blatantly fawning all over him. Jealousy raced through me and made me very hot. My ears were burning. I stepped to the door and knocked on it, even though it was open.

  Thomas looked up and saw me. “Lily!” he exclaimed with surprise on his face.

  “Am I interrupting?” I asked in a tight voice.

  “Kristen was just giving me my mail,” he answered.

  I looked at Kristen. She was young. Like I wasn’t even sure if she was legal. “Hi,” the young woman said. “I’m Kristen.”

  And I’m not an idiot. “Hello, Kristen,” I said with a tight smile.

  “Kristen is my assistant,” Thomas added.

  I nodded once. “I’ll come back when you’re not so busy,” I said and turned to walk out.

  “Wait,” Thomas called out.

  I didn’t want to make a scene. I didn’t want him to see me jealous. I turned around and smiled again. “Yes?”

  “I don’t need anything else,” he said to Kristen. “Thank you.”

  “Sure,” she said in a perky voice. “I’ll send over that stuff.”

  “Thank you,” he said again.

  Kristen walked past me with a bright smile. Thomas approached me and gently pulled my hand until I was fully inside his office. He closed the door behind me. He attempted to kiss me but I turned my head.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “What brings you by?”

  I patted my bag. “I put together some ideas for the marketing on the new app.”

  “Already?” he asked with surprise.

  “Yes.”

  I stepped away from him and pulled the three-ring binder from the bag. Thomas walked up behind me and put his arms around my waist. He kissed my cheek, th
en my neck. “You smell good,” he whispered.

  I shrugged out of his grasp. “This is just a tentative plan,” I said and kept it professional.

  “Can I see?” he asked.

  “Yes.” I thrust the binder at him. “There are some social media marketing messages that can be tweeted or put on Instagram. It would be nice if you could afford to hire a couple of models to get some pictures to add to the social media posts.”

  “What kind of models?” he asked.

  “Couples,” I snapped. “People that look happy together. You want to project the idea they met on the app and blah, blah, blah.”

  “What’s this?” he asked when he flipped to the projections I created.

  “It’s just an example of the audience you can reach with targeted ads,” I said.

  I wanted to be excited and explain it all in detail. Seeing him being hit on by another woman stole my enthusiasm. He worked with this woman. He saw the woman every day. He was an attractive man and there were likely a lot of women that wanted him. I knew I had competition. I just didn’t like seeing the competition. It made me question my hips and my ass. Kristen was slender and I was not. Did he like that? Would he toss me to the side and start fucking her?

  Thomas flipped through the pages. He was nodding as he read. “This is amazing,” he said. “I can’t believe you got all of this done so fast.”

  “I’m good at what I do,” I said. “I told you that.”

  “Yes, you did,” he said. “Can I keep this?”

  “It’s yours.”

  He put it on his desk and came to stand in front of me. He was wearing slacks and a white button-up shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. His dark eyes stared at me through the lenses of his glasses.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  “Nothing.”

  He reached out and grabbed my hand. “I’m only with you,” he said.

  “Whatever,” I said with my chin raised.

  “You’re jealous.”

  “No, I’m not, but I do need to go. I’ll see you at home.”

  I tried to pull away, but he held my hand and pulled me close to him. “Lily, Kristen is my assistant. She’s young and energetic. There is nothing happening between us. Never has been and never will be.”