Chapter 35
thirty-five
. . .
WYATT
I’m back in the TWA offices and stop by Blair’s office to surprise her with her favorite coffee from Caffe Luxxe before I join Lance and the rest of the team for meetings that will last all day.
My heart rate speeds up when I see her, and my hands twitch with the desire to touch her. She’s so fucking gorgeous in a black pencil skirt and a basic white button-down shirt. She’s wearing those damn heels again. I swear I will fuck her with only those shoes on at some point. She’s pulled her hair back today; it makes her look like a sexy librarian, and the stir in my pants agrees.
She looks happy to see me, so I shut her door to give us a moment of privacy.
“I didn’t know you were coming by!”
I wrap my arms around her waist and rest my chin on top of her head, breathing in that citrus and vanilla scent I love so much before giving her a quick kiss.
“I took a chance you might want a coffee.”
“I love this place! How did you know?”
“I didn’t, but it seemed like a place you would like.”
The look she gives me makes me want to confess that I’m ready to move her into my house. We can have our wedding out on the beach and live happily ever after. Kids negotiable.
“How was dinner last night?” I ask. We exchanged a few texts, but between her late dinner and my working late to prove to my dad that I was taking this merger seriously, we didn’t get to talk.
“It was great! Naomi mentioned something interesting, though.”
She hesitates while I stay quiet. I give her time to decide whether she wants to confide in me.
“She said TWA is going to lay off a ton of staff to hit targets before the deal closes.”
Blair keeps her eyes latched on mine with a look that says she won’t ask me directly but she wants me to tell her what I know. It takes every bit of restraint to keep my face neutral. It’s not the time or place to have this conversation. I don’t want to lie to her, but I’m not ready to tell her anything.
“So, how long have you and Naomi worked together?”
“Oh, gosh, almost five years now. She moved to LA from NY but arrived fully connected in this town.”
“Do you guys hang out much?”
“Ok, message received. You’re going to be late for your meeting,” she says. Her eyes narrow in suspicion, so I lean in, hoping a kiss will distract her.
“Have dinner with me tonight?”
“Fine. But let’s order in. You come to my place.”
She runs her hands down my chest, smoothing over my shirt. She’s avoiding my gaze, and I can tell she’s disappointed by the direction of the conversation. I just need her to trust me for a few days, and then she’ll understand why I couldn’t say more now.
“I should be done by six, and then I’ll head over,” I tell her as I lean in for one last kiss.
When I open Blair’s door, I almost run into Lance, and the irritated look on his face rivals the guilty shock on mine.
“Wyatt,” he says, “I didn’t know you were already in the office.”
“He had some questions on behalf of Sophia. He’s helping her review a proposal I’ve given her,” Blair says as she steps up behind me to play out the excuse.
“That sounds promising,” Lance says.
“I’ll connect with Sophia and have her reach out,” I tell Blair with a nod and exit her office.
“Hang on, Wyatt. I’ll walk over to the conference room with you.”
I give Blair a quick look, and she responds with the slightest shake of her head, implying that I should say nothing—about us, Sophia, or something else; I’m not exactly sure.
As we walk away, Lance clamps his hand on my shoulder and leans in close to my ear. “I hope your relationship with Blair will not be a problem,” he whispers.
“I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”
“I think you do.” He slaps his hand on my shoulder and walks over to greet everyone in the conference room.
After finding me in Blair’s office, Lance is relentless with the meetings all day. He’s usually the first one to ditch, but today, he stays for every single one and does his best to ensure they last as long as possible. I barely have time to check in with Blair, and lunch is a granola bar from the basket of snacks on the credenza in the room.
The meetings continue into the late afternoon. At the rate we’re going, I’ll be lucky to finish here by six, so I reach for my phone to give Blair a heads-up.
ME
Hey, still here. Not sure we’ll wrap by six.
BLAIR
I’m sorry. Lance can be a dick. Just come over when you’re done.
ME
Ok, I’ll let you know when I’m on the way.
“Wyatt, have you reviewed all the contract language and the notification messaging?”
I look up to see Lance glaring across the table. I already shared earlier that I reviewed all the documents and nothing raised any red flags. “Yes, we’re all good there.”
I don’t know why he keeps staring at me with such irritation. Ever since he saw me in Blair’s office, he’s been acting as if I’ve spoiled some grand plan. I worry for a minute that the hypothetical executive having an affair has something to do with him and Blair.
ME
You and Lance…anything ever happen between you two?
BLAIR
Are you kidding me?
ME
Definitely been a shift in his behavior since seeing me in your office.
ME
Maybe he has a crush?
BLAIR
No chance.
ME
You never know.
BLAIR
Believe me, I know.
BLAIR
Watch your back, though. He’s evil. And if he’s being a dick, there’s something he’s not happy about.
ME
Great.
As predicted, Lance keeps us throughout dinner, but at least he has the decency to order in food for everyone. As I drop my trash into the bin out in the hallway, I hear him call out my name.
“Hey, great work today. I really appreciate everything you are doing. I can’t tell you what an asset you’ve been to our team.”
I turn my head to look at his hand, which is back on my shoulder again. This must be a tell of his, a move that says, I don’t fucking like what is going on, but I’m not sure what is going on, so I’ll play along with a friendly grip on your shoulder.
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“Yeah, I was just speaking with your father. I wanted to make sure that we’re all good.” Lance offers me his best display of his twinkling white veneers.
I’m confused. I’m not sure what he would be talking to my father about. He must see it on my face.
“You know. That your relationship with Blair won’t be a problem. He let me know about your history with her and assured me that your priority is TWA. In fact, he was surprised to hear you were still talking to her. I explained our offices are on the same floor so you two were bound to run into one another.”
As if on cue, my phone buzzes in my pocket, and I don’t even have to guess who it is. I know it’s my father. And I already know he is livid that Lance called him.
“He’s absolutely right. My relationship with Blair is strictly professional,” I say through clenched teeth, unable to calm the rage running through my veins.
“And you’ll let me know any updates on Sophia’s proposal?” Lance says.
Everything is becoming super clear now. He knows Sophia wants Blair and, if Blair can lock her in before she’s terminated, it will be a year before Sophia can renegotiate with TWA unless she agrees to a huge penalty payment.
“I’m sure Blair will keep you updated. That’s really not my place.”
“But it’s your place to review a proposal from TWA, or Blair, actually?” Lance says. The question is rhetorical, and the subtext is that I need to prove my professionalism.
“We better get back in there.” I walk away before I lose control and tell that cocksucker to fuck off.
When we finally wrap for the evening, I’m too in my head to go to Blair’s house, so I head home. I feel like an asshole when I finally text her a few hours later with the lie that we’ve just wrapped. I’m hoping that she’s already in bed, but when she responds, I pile on to an already shitty day by telling her an even shittier lie.
BLAIR
I’m still awake. I can have a glass of whisky waiting for you.
ME
I better not. Lance sent me away with homework I need to finish by tomorrow. Raincheck?
BLAIR
Of course. I’m sorry you had a shit day.
I don’t respond to her because I’m that big of a dick. I need some time to figure out how I want to handle this.