Chapter 6 #2
“I want to kick his ass out of here and back to NYC.” Anger and frustration, not of the sexual variety this time, bubbled within me.
“I want to be able to do this on our own and not have billion-dollar companies breathing down my neck.” I huffed as a thought occurred to me.
“I don’t know whether to be thankful two are interested or pissed off that only two are.
You see…” I paused and pointed his way. “…this is how fucked up my mind is now. I’m mad more people aren’t here while being mad at the one person who is. ”
“That’s a lot going on in that brain of yours, sis, but I get it.
” Logan crossed to the pantry and disappeared for a minute before coming out again with a bag of flour.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have bitten off more than we could chew to start.
We could have gone forward with the B it’s just no. This is on you, little sis.”
I groaned.
“There’s got to be a way for you to figure out their true level of interest.”
“Yeah, because I’m sure if I came out and asked, they’d tell me the truth. These people lie for a fucking living, Lo. How else do you think they’re running billion-dollar corporations? Fitzgerald and Clay take little people like me and spit them out.”
“So, find another way instead of asking.” He turned my way, and his stare was a little too intense for my liking. “Did you realize you refer to one of your erstwhile suitors by their company and the other by his name? Is there a reason for that, Reese?”
I opened my mouth, only to close it immediately. There very well could be a reason. Not a good one, and not one I wanted to share with my brother. Luckily, I didn’t have to.
“Hello? Reese?”
A feminine voice called down the hallway leading to the kitchen. It sounded like one of the women who’d checked in earlier.
“Saved by the bell, so to speak.” He shook his head, but I knew my non-answer wouldn’t leave his mind. At some point, it would come back to bite me.
“A B&B receptionist/owner’s job is never done, bro.” Grabbing my glass, I headed out to see how I could be of help, Logan’s words from a few minutes ago playing over and over in my head.
There’s got to be a way to figure out their true level of interest.
Maybe if I figured that out, I’d have a way forward.
Several hours later, I’d come up with a brilliant plan.
Now, I simply needed to see if Clay would accept.
I put the old-fashioned bell on the reception desk in case someone needed assistance and made my way up to the third floor.
I wasn’t sure if Clay had slipped out while I had been otherwise occupied, so I would start there.
By the time I reached the landing, I’d worked myself into a tizzy at the thought of offering the proposal to him.
Taking a deep breath, I mentally rehearsed what I wanted to say as I steadied my nerves.
I didn’t want to be anxious, but there was a lot riding on this.
And maybe, just maybe, I was a little nervous about seeing Clay again.
Yeah, that was dumber than this plan of mine.
“I just have to do it. Knock and ask. It’s a simple proposition. What’s the worst that can happen? No, don’t answer that. Stop talking to yourself out loud.”
If he opened the door now, he’d wonder if he was trying to do business with a psycho. I crossed the landing, knocked on his door, and waited for what felt like an hour. Try five seconds.
The door opened, and Clay stood in the doorway, one arm extended so his hand rested on top of the door. His bare arm. Connected to his bare torso.
Now I wished he’d waited longer to answer. Maybe taken the time to put on a damn shirt.
Holy shit.
Did the man spend all of his time chiseling those abs?
I never thought sitting at a desk in corporate America could be a workout, but what the hell did I know?
Of its own accord—that’s my story, and I was sticking to it—my gaze ran over his exposed skin.
The smattering of hair covering his chest narrowed to a straight line arrowing into his unbuttoned, yet thankfully, still-zipped suit pants.
I really didn’t want to contemplate what I might have done if they weren’t closed.
Even so, without a belt, they rode a smidge lower on his hips than proper, hinting at cut V lines.
For a brief moment, I allowed my gaze to drop lower.
The visible outline of his arousal had me yanking my gaze back to his face.
The one currently wearing a very knowing smile.
Suddenly, this proposal of mine seemed to be the worst plan in the world because the last thing I needed was more time with him. So…why did I want it so much?