“I guess not,” she says, sounding amused. “Even still. You know I don’t trust you.”
“You’ve made that pretty clear.”
“So, earn my trust then. Keep things professional with her.”
I have to restrain myself from saying something stupid. Where the hell does she get off, assuming I’m going to do something inappropriate with her daughter? I mean…
Oh, shit.
I let out a breath. Shit.
I can’t get mad. I fucking did do something inappropriate already. God damn it. The woman’s right about me.
Well, fuck her. That doesn’t make me a bad person. I didn’t hire Avery just because I wanted to fuck her. I mean, okay, maybe there was some aspect of that, but not entirely. My intentions were pure, at least originally.
They’re not all that pure anymore, of course.
“I’ll do what I can,” I say finally.
“That doesn’t inspire confidence.”
“What do you want from me, Sam?”
“Ideally, I want you to stay away from my daughter.”
I have to clench my jaw again. “That’s not likely.”
“I know. So keep it professional. And be nice to her.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Good.” She sounds chipper and I want to smash the phone. “It’s been so nice catching up with you again, Julian.”
“Always a pleasure, Sam.”
“Bye-bye.”
I hang up, slamming the receiver down. I glance up and catch Avery peering in at me. I give her a tight smile and she quickly looks away, back to work.
Fucking hell. I hate feeling like a bastard right now but none of this is simple. I’m not into this girl for nefarious reasons. I’m not trying to hurt her, take advantage of her, any of that shit.
I’m trying to take care of her. I’m trying to be good to her.
I haven’t wanted that in a long, long time.
I’ve gone through a long string of women. Most don’t last much longer than a week, two at most. I fuck them, leave them, and move on. I never worry about their feelings, about what they want, about the fucking future.
But with Avery, I’m thinking about all that. I’m wondering if we can possibly do this for long before it catches up with us. I’m wondering how I can make her life better. I’m thinking about making her feel fucking good.
That’s not like me. Not at all. But I can’t tell her damn mom that.
I try to lose myself in work. I try to forget all about Avery. But I know it’s futile. It’s not going to happen.
At the end of the day, I get up and stretch. I pack my shit and head out, walking over to the elevator.
And of course, Avery’s there. Of course, of all the people in this damn company, she’s the one leaving just as late as I am.
She smiles as I walk over. “Hey,” she says.
“How was your day?” I ask.
She grins. “You know how it was, since you’re the one giving me stuff to do.”
I laugh a little. “Yeah, of course.”
She furrows her brow at me. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” The elevator doors ding and open, and we step inside.
The doors slowly slide shut.
I look at her. She’s wearing a tight sweater and a skirt, her hair pulled back in a tight bun. She looks up at me, mouth slightly open.
“Shit,” I say, step to her, and press her against the wall. I kiss her hard and fast, grabbing her bun, pinning her to the wall.
Her hands wrap around my neck and she lets out a soft little moan as my tongue moves against hers, lips pressing tight against mine.
We kiss like that, bodies pressed together, the whole ride down the elevator. I know someone’s probably watching on that little security camera but fuck it. I can’t help myself. I’ve been half hard all day thinking about this girl.
Finally, we reach the bottom. We break apart and the doors slide open.
She clears her throat. “Well, uh, have a nice day.” She looks back at me as she steps toward the exit. “Daddy.”
I grin, heart hammering, as she walks quickly away. I follow and let her outpace me.
Fucking hell. This is the problem, right fucking here. I can’t help myself around her.
Doesn’t matter what my intentions are. At the end of the day, I want her, and I’m going to have her.
And clearly, she wants it just as much as I do.7AveryMy mother looks at me over her menu and gives me a tight smile.
“How’s work, dear?”
It’s the question I’ve been dreading, although I don’t know why.
I mean, I know Mom has a complicated history with Julian. She hasn’t come out and said it, but I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like him at all. She wasn’t very excited when I told her that I’d be working with him, and she changes the subject every time I mention his name.
Still, I knew he’d come up today.
“Good,” I say.
“Good.”
We lapse into a weird silence. I bite my lip. The waitress comes back and we both order salads. My mom sips her iced tea and forces a smile on her lips.