The truth was I had no idea what I was actually doing.
What was I going to do if I found them? Charge up to their table or whatever bathroom they were fucking in? Was I going to loudly demand they stop, because I’d been a stubborn idiot for setting them up in the first place? And what argument did I have, anyway? I wasn’t even close to admitting to myself that I had anything approaching feelings for Damon.
But if that was true, why did I feel like I was losing my mind? Why was I tormenting myself with images of their lips pressed together and his hands roaming her body like I wished they’d roam mine.
I sighed. I may not know what the hell I was doing, but I knew I was going to do something, because I’d lose my mind if I had to sit around and keep wondering.
So in the famous words of many a porn star, I said screw it. I was going in, and I was going in hard.15DamonTia Klein was interesting. I may not have had any intent to sleep with her, but from a business standpoint, I was enjoying our conversation. I learned more about her business model and how she leveraged everything she did on her social media. According to her, the plan was to have a solid foundation she could keep taking advantage of long after she’d left the world of sports behind and her beauty had faded.
It seemed like my instincts to pursue her had been spot on. It should’ve thrilled me, but I still felt vaguely unsettled. She was making no secret of where she expected this to go. She clearly wanted to work together, but she also expected us to fuck around. The question was whether she was willing to allow one of those things to happen without the other.
But that was a bridge I’d cross when I reached it. For now, I was surprised to be enjoying the conversation. She had the right kind of mind for this line of work, and I was beginning to think I was wrong when I thought she couldn’t eventually fill the shoes of my brother.
We were sitting in a historical restaurant full of wood paneling, crystal chandeliers, and waiters scurrying around with sizzling plates of steak smothered in butter.
Tia had gone all out with a black, low cut dress and what I had to guess was nearly a hundred grand in jewelry. When she thought I wasn’t looking, she’d tug down on her dress to release more of her impressive chest.
And all my dumbass could think about was Tinkerbell.
“Am I boring you, Damon?” Tia managed to combine annoyance and flirtation in the way she balanced her smooth chin on the back of her hand. Her slanted, bright eyes cut into me.
“No. I’ve got a lot on my mind lately, I apologize. It sounds like you’re going to be an amazing fit.”
“Oh,” she said, her lips spreading. “You have no idea.”
I wanted to sigh at my careless choice of words. She still thought this was sexual. Before I had to think of what to say, I heard raised voices in the lobby.
Chelsea was having a heated discussion with one of the waiters, who was now pointing sternly toward the door. She caught my eyes, then a look of determination passed over her face.
Chelsea fast-walked past the waiter and came right up to our table. “Hi, Tia,” she said.
I looked Chelsea up and down. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a light blue, mismatched top. If I wasn’t mistaken, she wasn’t even wearing a bra, and she definitely hadn’t brushed her hair. I saw now why the waiter was trying to keep her out.
“Hey, girl. Everything okay?” Tia asked.
“No, actually.” Chelsea shifted her weight, then ran her tongue over her teeth. She opened her mouth to speak, then bit her lip and sighed. “Mr. Rose, there’s an emergency at the office. A big one.”
“An emergency at the office?” I asked.
“A big one,” she repeated with a nod.
I slid my eyes to Tia, who was watching with an unreadable expression. I had no idea what kind of emergency there could be at the office, considering I was the last one to leave. Unless one of the janitors slipped and fell, she had to be bullshitting me.
“I should really go check on this,” I said.
Tia set her napkin down. “In the middle of our date?”
“As your agent, you should consider it a plus that I don’t let anything come before the business.”
She pursed her lips, and for some reason, I thought she had taken what I just said as a challenge.
I fished some money out of my pocket and set it down on the table. “We’ll catch up soon, Tia.”
Tia smiled, and I was relieved to see she didn’t appear angry. Instead, there was a calculating look behind her eyes. That was a problem I’d need to unpack later, I decided. For now, I had to figure out whatever was urgent enough to drag Chelsea out of bed and get her to hunt me down.