Chapter Nineteen Skye
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Chapter Nineteen
Skye
"Hi, thank you so much for picking me up," I say to the driver as I slide into the back seat. I place the stack of files on the seat next to me and let out a deep sigh. "I am guessing you know the address."
"I do," he says with a nod. "Settle in."
"Thank you," I say as I buckle my seat belt.
I take a deep breath, and for a couple of moments, I think about telling the driver to stop and let me out. I'm not really sure that I'm making the best decision, but a part of me just wants to go with it and see how it works out.
My phone beeps and I look down to see Elisabetta has texted me. "Oh my gosh, Skye. I am so sorry. I got carried away. Where are you?"
I don't really want to tell her that I walked in on her on all fours with a strange man behind her doing Heaven knows what while she was screaming. That was a sight that I want to forget for the rest of my life.
I text back quickly. "Hey, no worries. I actually got caught up with some work and I'm still working. See you tomorrow?"
"Are you sure?" she messages back immediately.
"I'm sure."
I want to speak to Elisabetta. I want to ask her if she thinks I'm making a mistake, but I don't know if she's still with the guy. I don't know where her head space is at.
I decide to call Lila, and she answers on the third ring.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"I didn't wake you up, right?"
"No, it's not that late."
"You and Max aren't doing anything intimate or anything?"
"Max is in the office," she says. "I was just about to watch Love is Blind UK. The new episodes just came out."
"Oh? Is it good?"
"Oh my gosh, girl, it is so good. The men are adorable. Even better than the US men. There's this one guy that if I wasn't with Max, I would want to be with him."
"Oh? Really?"
"Yeah. His name is Benaniah, but he goes by Ben for short. He is so dreamy. He has these blue eyes and this blond hair, and oops. I should most probably keep the excitement out of my voice."
"Wow, I'm going to have to check it out."
"You know what I was thinking?" she says.
"No. What?"
"I was thinking you should go on a dating show."
"What, like The Bachelor?"
"No, like a Love is Blind or something like that. I think you'd do really well. You have such a bubbly personality and you're so fun, and then when they meet you, they would be absolutely astounded because you're also drop-dead gorgeous."
"Oh my gosh, Lila. I am so glad we met in the street that day. You have done so much for my self-esteem."
"What? I'm just telling the truth."
"I know, and you're going to think I'm absolutely crazy right now."
"Um, why would I think you're crazy?"
"Because of where I'm going."
"You're confusing me. What's going on, Skye?"
"So I was at the office working…"
"On a Sunday evening?"
"Don't ask. Anyway, I guess somehow Kingston found out, and he was alerted to the fact that I was working."
"Oh, and he got upset?"
"No, he loved it." I giggle. "He wanted me in the office tomorrow morning at five a.m."
"Five a.m.? Is he crazy?"
"I think so, but guess what?"
"What?"
"You have to promise not to tell Max."
"Okay."
"I mean it, Lila. No one can know what I'm about to tell you."
"Oh my gosh, you didn't steal like a million dollars from the vault at the law firm, did you? You're not on the run to the Bahamas or Mexico or something."
"Lila, you watch too many movies. Does the law firm even have a vault with a million dollars?"
"I don't know," she says, laughing. "If they do, Max hasn't trusted me enough to tell me about it yet."
"Exactly. So if your fiancé, the love of your life, has not told you about the vault, how on earth would I know?"
"True," she says. "So, what's going on?"
"I'm headed over to Kingston's place," I say in a whisper.
"But it's ten o'clock at night."
"I know. We're going to do some work."
"Oh, wow. He is a really hard boss. No wonder you wanted to be a part of the Annoying Hot Bosses Club."
"But he also had a suggestion for me and…" My voice trails off. "I kind of think I'm going to say yes."
"What are you talking about?"
"He thinks that we should…" I pause to think of the right words. "I guess be friends with benefits."
"What?"
"I know. I know. It's an awful idea, but he's so handsome, and it's not like I'm dating anyone.
It's not like I'm even meeting anyone, and sex with him was so good, and I do want to do it again.
And he has this idea that we keep the bedroom in the bedroom and work at work.
So we're not going to discuss anything physical or intimate in the office. "
"Um," is her only response.
"You think it's a bad idea, don't you?"
"I just think it's going to be really hard to keep sex in the bedroom and work at work. I mean, what if you see him in the office and you just want to rip his clothes off?"
"Well, then I'll wait until I see him the next time out of the office, and I'll do it."
"What if you want him to take you on the desk? What if you want to have a quickie in the bathroom? What if—"
"Lila!"
"What? I’m just saying keeping sex in the bedroom sounds like a great idea. I just don't know that it's possible."
"So you think I should say no?"
"I don't think you should say no if that's something you want, I just wonder if it's something that is actually feasible and well-thought-out."
She has a point. I've never been a proponent of friends with benefits because I've never actually thought that it could work.
I'd always thought that people would catch feelings, but I don't really see me catching feelings for someone like Kingston, and I sure don't see him catching feelings for me.
"I think it could be really fun, and if at any time it's not fun, we won't do it anymore.
Maybe, in fact, I'll do it, and then I'll try signing up for a dating show, and then when I get cast, I can just end things so that it's not messy, and I can just give myself wholeheartedly to the process of the show without feeling horny because I haven't had any in a long time. "
There's silence on the other end.
"Are you there, Lila?"
"Um, I'm here, but I'm still trying to process what you just said."
"I think it's reasonable. I bet you a lot of times, the people who go on those shows end up with someone that's not that great because they're so horny and in lust, so they go by physical attraction.
But if I've been getting some with a really good-looking guy, then I can focus on personality and ensuring that we're a good fit outside of just the physical attraction.
So, maybe you're right. Maybe Love is Blind is the show for me. "
"Skye, you are saying that you're going to enter into a friends-with-benefits situation with a boss you find quite annoying so that you can have better luck on a reality TV dating show that you haven't even applied for that wasn't even in your mind ten minutes ago until I spoke to you on the phone? "
I chuckle. "You know me. I'm quick on my feet and fast in my brain."
"I think that you will use any excuse to enter into this arrangement, and I'm going to be honest; it sounds fun.
It sounds exciting, and Kingston is gorgeous.
He has the bluest eyes I've ever seen in my life and that dark, silky hair.
Shit, he could be a Greek god. He could be a Roman god.
He could be a movie star. I understand why you're attracted to him.
I understand why you want to have some fun.
" She pauses. "I just don't want to see you getting hurt, you know?
You're my friend, and I love you, and I care about you, and I want to ensure that all your dreams come true.
And I know you want to meet a great man. "
"I do," I say softly. "I was thinking about it earlier today. I want to find true love."
"And do you think you're going to find true love by banging your boss?" she asks. "I'm sorry. That was crude, and I don't like to be crude, but…"
"But nothing. It's a valid question. No, I don't think that I'm going to find true love by entering into an arrangement with my boss. But it's fun. And you know what I've decided?"
"No. What have you decided?"
"I've decided that I'm going to live for the here and now. If tomorrow I meet a great guy and I think there's potential, I'll just look Kingston in the eyes, and I'll say, ‘While what we had was fun, it's time for me to move on because I've met someone that can maybe give me what I want.’"
"Do you really think it will be as simple as that?" she asks softly.
"I do, and I don't know if I'm lying to myself or not, but I really and truly do."
I look out the window and stare at the people walking down the street as the car zooms down the road and I wonder if I'm lying to myself.
I wonder if I really and truly can be in an arrangement with someone like Kingston without developing feelings, without it going haywire or getting awkward and messy.
"And I mean, honestly, Lila, it's not like this is my dream job. If everything goes to shit, I'll just quit and I'll find something else to do. I'm nothing if not resourceful."
"I know," she says. "And I understand, and trust me, if at any time it feels like it's too much or too messy or you just want to chat, I'll be here. Okay?"
"I know, and that's why I love you so much. You're always there for me. Maybe we can grab lunch this week?"
"That sounds great."
"I think we're about to pull up to the building, so I'll see you soon? I'll talk to you later, girl. Bye."
I hang up and sit back in the seat, closing my eyes. My heart is thudding at the thought of seeing Kingston again. The car pulls over, stops, and the driver looks in the rearview mirror.
"This is the address I was given. You sure you want to get out?"
I nod while grabbing my folders.
"I don't know you, and you don't know me," he says. "But friends with benefits usually ends up as enemies with nothing."
I give him a wry smile. "Then I guess it’s a good thing that he and I aren't really friends."
"What?"