Chapter 3 #2
Halle gripped my tie, wrapping it around her wrist and tugging me forward until my lips met hers. Her kiss was passionate and needy. And fuck…I was right there with her.
Right. Fucking. There.
She hastily unbuttoned my shirt, her lips swollen. Hair mussed. “Why do you have on so many clothes?”
“Why do you?” I smirked, tugging at the zipper on the back of her dress.
I stripped off my suit jacket and tie, desperate to give her exactly what she wanted. But I also wanted to take things slow. To savor her and what little time we had left together.
It wasn’t enough. I wasn’t sure it would ever be enough. I was in over my head.
She finished with the buttons on my shirt and shoved the material down over my shoulders. I yanked it off and tossed it aside, not caring where it landed. And then I helped her out of her dress.
Fuck me. She was gorgeous. Standing there waiting for me in that sheer bra, her nipples poking through the material. Matching black thong and sky-high black heels.
She moved to kick off her shoes, but I shook my head. “Leave them on.”
Nate cleared his throat, and I jerked my attention away from Halle, feeling as if I’d been caught. Everyone was looking at me expectantly, including Leith.
Shit. Had he asked a question while I wasn’t paying attention? And if so, what was it?
Nate leaned in and murmured, “Keyless entry.”
Right. The new technology.
I was going to have to figure something out because this couldn’t happen again. I couldn’t allow myself to be so distracted by Halle that everything else became background noise.
I responded to Leith’s question and didn’t look at Halle again for the rest of the meeting unless she was speaking. Because when she did speak, it was impossible to look away. She was confident and persuasive, and the rest of the board seemed equally captivated.
When the meeting wrapped up, I closed my laptop and stood.
“Ready?” Nate asked, watching me in a way that was unnerving.
My siblings and I always tried to have lunch together after our board meetings. Since our schedules were so hectic, it was an easy time to schedule something. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Halle typing on her laptop.
“Give me a sec to finish up a few things, and then I’ll meet you there.”
“Sounds good.” Nate patted me on the back.
Everyone else filed out, leaving me alone with Halle. When she looked up from her laptop, I glanced away, trying to hide the fact that I’d been staring, studying her as I searched for a clue to her thoughts.
She tilted her head. Why did she have to be so goddamn beguiling? “Is this going to be a problem?”
“What?”
She gave me a meaningful look as if to say, “Oh, come on.”
“Us working together?” I asked, wanting to make sure there was no miscommunication.
She nodded, her eyes tracking someone as they walked past the glass windows of the conference room. Everything about her was so buttoned-up; there was no way anyone watching would guess at the true topic of our conversation.
I supposed I should be thankful.
I wasn’t.
I tucked my hands into my pockets, debating my response while telling my body to ignore its reaction to her. “Why? Is it a problem for you?”
I really hoped it wasn’t, but I didn’t know where we stood after all this time. Did she hate me for what we’d done? Regret it? Wish for a repeat like I did?
I doubted it.
It had been nearly eight months since our fling, and we hadn’t spoken since. At least not about anything meaningful, not about anything other than work.
Before I’d left London, I’d tried to talk to her about our future, but she’d shut me down. I’d tried to tell myself it was because she wasn’t interested in a long-distance relationship. But now, I wasn’t sure if distance had been our biggest obstacle.
“I don’t want it to be.” Her words were heavy with meaning, her eyes practically begging me not to create an issue.
“Then it won’t.” I forced out the words. “We’re both professionals, right?”
She closed her laptop and stood. “Right.” I wasn’t sure if the skepticism I heard in her voice was imagined or real.
“So we’ll just…” I stepped closer, drawn to her as if tugged by some invisible force. “Keep it professional.”
“Exactly,” she said in a chipper voice. “Professional.”
“But friendly,” I added. After all, we’d been friends and colleagues before we’d become lovers.
“Professional,” she said again, this time more firmly.
I held up my hands. “Of course. We’ll be nothing but professional in all our interactions.” God. Stop saying professional!
I’d known Halle for years, and it had never been so fucking awkward. I hated it.
While I didn’t want to erase last summer together, I would if it meant that I could still have her in my life in a meaningful way.
She gathered up her things and tucked her laptop beneath her arm. “Great. I’m glad we got that cleared up.” Her tone was dry and impersonal.
“Me too,” I said, wondering if I sounded as miserable as I felt. “How’s Kai?”
I’d never met her son, but I’d heard so many stories and seen so many pictures that I felt as if I knew him.
Halle smiled, her shoulders relaxing. She seemed lighter for the first time all afternoon. “Good.”
“Jasper,” Sloan called down the hall. “You coming?”
Shit. I turned to face her, feeling as if I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t.
You were just talking. You weren’t doing anything wrong, I reminded myself. But if that was the case, then why did I feel so guilty?
“Right. Yes. Coming,” I said to my sister before turning back to Halle. But she had already turned and was walking in the opposite direction.
With a heavy sigh, I strode down the hall toward Sloan, clenching and unclenching my fists. It was almost as if Halle couldn’t get away from me fast enough.
I jabbed the button for the elevator, feeling unhinged. “Is Jackson joining us?”
Sloan shook her head, her attention on her phone. “He has a meeting.”
The elevator chimed, and I held the door open for her. Once we were inside, Sloan sagged against the wall, placing her hands on her stomach. It looked like she was carrying a basketball around in there.
“You okay?” I asked, trying not to let my panic show.
I’d read up on pregnancy so I could be a supportive brother, and it had been…enlightening. But I wasn’t a doctor, and so much of what was happening with Sloan felt out of my control.
After her health scare in France, I felt as if I was always on high alert. I didn’t know how Jackson did it. How he coped with the anxiety.
“Just tired. The third trimester of pregnancy is no joke.”
I could only imagine. “Maybe you should get a prenatal massage from the spa,” I suggested.
“Ooh. That sounds heavenly. Maybe I will.” She leaned her head back against the wall with a heavy sigh. “I’m just so relieved that Halle agreed to relocate.”
“I bet.” I kept my eyes on the mirrored glass doors in front of me, trying to maintain a neutral expression.
I was still getting used to the fact that Sloan was here.
Not for a visit or a longer stay, but permanently.
We hadn’t lived in the same city since before she’d gone off to college.
Growing up, we’d always been close, and it was nice to have her home.
Especially now that she was going to be having a baby.
“I couldn’t do this without Halle. She’s taken care of everything,” Sloan said. “She keeps my life running smoothly.”
Sloan’s comments were a reminder of why Halle and I needed to maintain a good working relationship—nothing more. My sister relied on her. Trusted her.
“Have you talked to her yet about the SVP role?”
Sloan had suggested that we temporarily promote Halle while she was out on maternity leave. I’d agreed because I knew it was the right thing for the company and for Halle, even if it would be torture for me. The board had already given its approval.
“Not yet, but soon. How’s it going with your new assistant?” Sloan asked.
“Not great,” I grumbled. “I’m finding it incredibly difficult to replace Darla.”
“I can imagine. Halle’s been with me for five years, and I rely on her so much. Darla was with the company for thirty.”
And she’d been my chief of staff for the past decade. Not only was I trying to find my footing as the CEO, but I was trying to find my groove without a chief of staff.
“I’m surprised Halle decided to relocate,” I said, attempting to keep my tone neutral.
“Me too. She might have loved London even more than I do, but I suppose this opportunity came at a good time.”
“How so?” I hedged, hoping I didn’t sound too eager.
“Between you and me, her dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s last summer.”
Last summer. Last. Summer. Before or after we’d had our fling? Fuck.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, hoping my tone didn’t betray my anguish.
“We’re lucky we never had to deal with that,” Sloan said, and I nodded.
Our grandparents had still been very independent up until their deaths. And it had all happened swiftly. That didn’t necessarily make their loss easier, but in a way, knowing that they’d maintained their quality of life until the end was a blessing.
“It’s been hard on her, as you can probably imagine,” Sloan continued.
“She’s an only child, and she’s always been close to her dad,” I mused, wondering how Halle was coping.
Sloan furrowed her brow. “Yeah.” She paused. “How did you—”
“You mentioned it in the past,” I added quickly, hoping my sister wouldn’t dwell on it.
Sloan gave me a curious look, but I ignored it, grateful that the elevator doors had just opened. Sloan hadn’t told me about Halle’s relationship with her parents; Halle had.
Be professional, I reminded myself.