Chapter 10
RYAN
December
I stare at my screen, my brain’s fried. It’s Friday night, and Cooper and I are at it again. It’s already seven, and I can feel myself tapping out. We’ve got so much to catch up on. I’ve been gone all week, traveling for work. The nice thing about traveling is that usually it’s to Phoenix, where headquarters are, so it’s a free ticket home to see my family and friends. I left for Arizona Tuesday morning and got back late last night. I managed to squeeze in a night with some friends and stopped in to see my parents while I was there.
Cooper and I have been working on this project for almost three weeks now. In a week and a half, we head to Austin, Texas—where we decided to base the new expansion. Austin’s a big tech hub, and the numbers made sense. We’ll be there for three days, trying to get a feel for the place and hopefully find something that fits. Then, we’ll go back in January to finalize everything.
Things have been pretty good with Cooper. Surprisingly good, actually—almost fun. There’ve been moments of flirtation, which confuse me, considering she’s engaged. I know I’m partly to blame for it; I initiated it. And I feel a little bad about it, but it’s also innocent… mostly.
It’s been fun getting to know her beyond the initial awkwardness. She’s smart, quick-witted, and has a sense of humor that matches mine in the best way. She’s proven to be a valuable asset—not just to this expansion, but to Nexlytic as a whole. Her ideas are sharp, and her drive is impressive. If I’m being honest, I like her more than I probably should.
I still don’t know how I feel about the whole sleeping with me while she was broken up for a week thing. It bothers me, but hey, I got to sleep with Cooper Bradley, so no real complaints here. The problem is, every time I look at her, I wish it would happen again. I think about it too much—at work, at home, everywhere. It’s becoming a distraction. And if she wasn’t engaged, maybe I’d stand a chance.
I close my laptop, too distracted to think. “Want to take a break? Grab a drink at Viv’s upstairs?” I ask.
She pauses. “Is that allowed?”
“Sure it is. Honestly, almost anything’s allowed as long as we get our work done. I wouldn’t recommend drinking before three on a workday, but hey, to each their own. Come on, I need a break. We can bring our work with us.”
We gather our things and head to the elevator, riding up to the tenth floor. It’s not crowded yet, since it’s still early. I assume most of the people here this early work in the building. It usually picks up around ten. Soft bench-style seating lines the far end wall, with round tables spaced between and lounge chairs and stools on the opposite side. We grab a table in the corner, Cooper taking the booth side while I sit across from her in a chair.
The cocktail waitress comes over, and I order a tequila with soda water. Cooper orders a spicy margarita. “Is that all you drink?” I ask, remembering that’s what she was drinking in Newport.
“No,” she says with a smile. “I usually drink spiked seltzers or darker beer, but at a cocktail lounge, you order a cocktail. And spicy margs are my favorite.”
“Is Brad working late tonight?” I ask. I recently found out her fiancé is Brad, though I haven’t met him yet. She says he works nearby, and I wonder why he never swings by to say hi, or meet her for lunch. That’s what I’d do if I had a fiancée working close by.
“No. He’s been in New York all week for work. He comes home early tomorrow morning.”
“How often does he travel for work?”
“It varies, but usually three to four times a month, depending on the deal and where it is. Most of the time, it’s just short trips—two or three days. But this week, he was trying to finalize a merger and close another big deal, so he extended his trip.”
She opens her laptop to start working, and I know I should do the same, but I just need a break. I can’t help but watch her as she focuses in, pursing her lips together. God, her lips . She’s got that whole Scarlett Johansson vibe—full lips, flawless skin, striking features, big boobs—she’s curvy. Shit . I can’t be thinking about her body right now—or ever. We’re still at work, and she’s engaged. I’ve got to keep things professional.
Her long hair is down, one side tucked behind her ear, the other falling around her face. We have a pretty chill dress code, but management positions are expected to keep it slightly professional. Cooper always does. She’s in a tight white dress that shows off every curve. Her arms are toned, just enough to give them that sexy shape.
We work for a solid thirty minutes, mostly in silence, with only the occasional question or comment. We’re on our second drink when she shifts in her seat, bumping my leg under the table—giving it a playful kick. “God, get your long-ass legs out of here,” she teases. “You’re in my personal space.”
I can’t help but smirk. “Your personal space? You’re the one trying to play footsie.”
She kicks me again, more firmly this time. “Footsie? What am I, twenty-one, trying to flirt with my boss? Get them out of here!”
“Ow! Is that a fucking heel?” I laugh, giving her a gentle kick back. “Maybe that’s exactly what you’re doing, and you just don’t know it yet.”
Her eyes narrow, then she raises an eyebrow, her tone turning unexpectedly bold. “Trust me, if I was flirting, you’d know.”
There’s an intensity in her voice I wasn’t expecting, and suddenly, the room feels hot. And damn if it doesn’t do something to me.
I lean back, pretending to be unaffected. “So, this isn’t flirting?”
She rolls her eyes, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. “Not even close.”
I raise an eyebrow. “So what does flirting with you look like, then?”
She bites her lip, as if considering how to respond, her gaze meeting mine. “I guess you’ll never know, huh?”
I chuckle. “Oh, I highly doubt that.” I cross my arms confidently, then lean forward on them, resting on the table.
“I wouldn’t hold my breath, Ryan… unless you’re planning to stay single forever.”
I grin. “So you’re telling me there’s a chance.” I say, mimicking Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber.
She laughs at that. “Well, lucky for you that we spend so much time together.” She leans back. “Plenty of time to wait and see, I guess.”
“I guess so,” I reply, eyes locked on hers.
She scoffs. “You really need to get laid.” My heart skips a beat. She lets her eyes roam over me, like she’s remembering what it was like to be the one to do that, and it catches me off guard. This is definitely getting interesting. If nothing else, it’s making work a lot more fun.
“Who says I’m not getting laid?”
She raises an eyebrow. “Are you?”
“Why? You jealous of all the women I’m sleeping with?”
She snickers. “Please.” Her eyes shift from her computer screen back to mine. “You’re such a liar.” She shakes her head, like she’s trying to convince herself I’m bluffing—almost as if she’s jealous, and that thought sends a surge of satisfaction through me.
“Think what you want—but I’m more than satisfied with my sex life. It’s not that difficult to find someone to sleep with. You remember, right?” I hold her gaze confidently, not giving anything away. She doesn’t need to know the truth—that the only other woman I’ve slept with in the past year is Beth. It’s been months since I’ve had sex, and it’s killing me.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” She laughs softly, not looking up.
I turn my attention back to my computer, though my eyes keep drifting to her. It’s annoying, how she can take up so much space in my head without even trying. A few minutes later, she scowls at her screen.
“Hey, can you take a look at this property in East Austin? I’m trying to figure out if the zoning would allow us to add another floor if we buy it. Does that seem possible?” She turns her laptop toward me, but I get up and move to her side, leaning in to look at her screen. My arm brushes against hers as I peer at the map.
“Let me see… It looks like it’s in a mixed-use area. We might be able to go up another floor, but I’m not sure about the exact limits here.” I point to a section on the screen. “Hmm. I could run this by Leo to be sure—he knows all about these kinds of regulations.” I click on a link to read more. Cooper’s no longer looking at the screen—her eyes are on me, and it makes the blood in my veins run hot. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s possible, but I’ll check with Leo.” I pull away from the screen, turning to meet her gaze.
She smiles. “Okay. Thanks for looking.”
For a moment, I’m transported back to Newport, lying across from her, staring at each other. I swear, for a second, her eyes flick to my lips and back. I swallow hard, my pulse racing.
“Cooper,” I start, glancing at her mouth, but before I can say another word, she cuts me off.
“I should probably get going,” she says. She closes her laptop and starts gathering her things, hurriedly. “It’s getting late. I need to call Brad before he goes to bed.” She stands with her stuff in hand. “Do you want to walk down with me, or are you going to stay a bit longer?”
Well, that’s one way to get out of a situation that’s starting to blur lines.
“I’ll come with you. I should get going too,” I say, glancing at my watch.
“Oh, you got a hot date?” she teases.
I chuckle softly. “Not exactly.”
I gather my stuff, and we head to the elevator. She’s antsy as we wait for it, checking her watch, like the one-minute wait is too much.
“You in a hurry to get somewhere?” I ask, raising my brows.
She looks over at me. “Sorry, I just didn’t realize the time, and it's an hour later in New York. I really want to talk to Brad.”
I don’t buy it. She felt something at that table. I know she did—because I felt it too. Now, she’s running from it, which I can respect. She’s doing the right thing. But it doesn’t mean she didn’t feel it. “Can I drive you home?”
She takes a deep breath. “No, I’m good. I’ll call an Uber.”
“Cooper, I’m not going to let you take an Uber alone. You’ve been drinking, and I feel it’s my responsibility to see you home safely. Please. As your boss, I’m asking you to let me drive you—for liability reasons.”
“You’re not my boss… And you’ve been drinking too.”
“Not your direct boss, but close enough. And I can hold my liquor—takes more than a drink to get me buzzed.”
She sighs. “Fine. You can drive me. But I have to stop on our floor to get my coat and the rest of my things.”
“That’s okay. So do I.”
We ride down in silence, the air in the elevator growing thicker with each passing second. When the doors finally open, we both rush out, heading in different directions to grab our things.
We meet back at the elevator and head down to the parking garage. Once we settle into my Range Rover, I hand her my phone so she can enter her address. It’s only a little over a mile away.
“Are you bringing anyone to the Christmas Party tomorrow night?” Cooper asks.
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
I furrow my brows. One thing I’ve noticed about Cooper over the past few weeks—she’s nosy. Never shies away from an uncomfortable or personal question.
“Just don’t have anyone I’m interested in bringing,” I say, shrugging.
“Well, why not? Do you even try to date? Are you on all the apps?”
“Jesus, Cooper. Can’t you just ask normal questions?”
“What? I can’t ask why you’re not dating?” she presses.
I change my voice, mocking a friendly interview. “Hey, ‘What’s your favorite movie, Ryan?’ My favorite movie? Why, thank you for asking, Cooper. My favorite movie is Borat . ‘Why?’ you ask. Well, because I can’t not laugh my ass off when I watch it.” I turn to her with a grin. “What about you? What’s your favorite movie?”
She rolls her eyes, clearly annoyed. “Fine. My favorite movie is The Devil Wears Prada . I don’t know why, I just like it. And I’ve never seen Borat , but it looks dumb.”
“See? Not so hard to ask normal questions. And Borat is not dumb. It’s hilarious.”
“Yeah, that was fun. Thank you for that profound insight,” she shoots back. “Now… why don’t you date?”
“Why do you care about my love life, anyway?” I ask, forcing a casual tone. The last thing I want to do is explain the fucked-up reality of my life right now.
She leans back, watching me. “I don’t care, I’m just… curious. You don’t strike me as the ‘forever single’ type.”
I let out a short laugh. “What do I strike you as?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know… the relationship guy.”
“I guess I’m still looking for that special someone. Sometimes life doesn’t go according to plan.”
Her eyes narrow slightly. “So… what? You just haven’t found that special someone? You don’t even date. How do you find what you want when you’re not even trying?”
“I had what I wanted, it’s just…” I look over at her. “Never mind.”
“What do you mean, never mind?”
I hesitate. “Nothing… It’s complicated.”
“Complicated how? Is this about the relationship you mentioned in Newport? Was it serious, or…?” she trails off, maybe sensing she hit a nerve.
My grip tightens on the steering wheel. “Something like that,” I mutter.
She turns to look out the window, and I catch her reflection in the glass—her lips pressing together like she wants to say something more but isn’t sure she should. “Complicated doesn’t mean impossible, you know.”
There’s something in her voice that makes me glance over. She’s still staring out the window, but I can tell she’s thinking hard about something.
We drive in silence for a minute. Finally, I break it. “So, Brad’s coming to the party tomorrow night?”
“Yeah,” she says. “He wasn’t going to, but I guess he wants to meet everyone, see what it’s all about.”
I nod. “Should be interesting.” The words come out heavier than I intended. I’m not sure what’s worse—the idea of meeting her fiancé or the fact that I’m going to our work Christmas party alone.
We pull up in front of her building, and she starts to unbuckle her seatbelt. Then she pauses, her hand on the door handle, and turns to look at me. “Thanks for the ride, Ryan. And for… you know, not letting me take an Uber.”
“No problem,” I say, trying to keep my voice even. “And, Cooper?”
She pauses, her brow furrowing slightly. “Yeah?”
I take a breath, choosing my words carefully. “About earlier… I know it’s complicated. But if things were different, I think you’d know exactly what I’m looking for.…”
A moment of silence fills the car while she just looks at me. And then a slow, almost sad smile forms on her lips. “Goodnight, Ryan.”
She steps out of the car, closing the door softly behind her. I watch as she disappears into the building, then lean back in my seat and let out a long breath. Damn, I’m playing with fire.