“I’m sure you have a vibrator. If not, I’ll pick one up for you.”
“You’ll go to the store and buy me a vibrator?” I asked incredulously.
Chase abruptly grabbed our shared Jack and Coke from my hand and gulped down the remainder.
His voice was a groan. “I’m jealous of a goddamn vibrator now.”
The strain in his voice made me feel empowered. It also gave me confidence to share things I might not normally have shared.
“Nothing to be jealous about.” I leaned in. “My vibrator and I have already enjoyed a vivid three-way with you.”
The look on Chase’s face was priceless. I’d made his jaw go slack. The waitress was a few tables over, and he raised his hand to get her attention.
When she arrived at our table, he said, “Can we get a double Jack and Coke and two Peppermint Schnapps martinis, please?”
We spent the next two hours laughing and sharing drinks. In between, we set some ground rules. We’d have a meal together twice a week, outside of the office, but not in an overtly romantic place. Thanks to me, he’d also be sharing frequent meals with Sam in the upcoming months. Neither of us would be dating anyone else, and there would be no kissing or fooling around of any kind. If and when my tenure at Parker Industries ended, we’d give a real date a try and see where things led. In the office, we’d never refer to any private time we spent together outside of the office, and he would show me zero favoritism.
That last part I was passionate about. The entire reason for denying my attraction to Chase was to keep things professional in the office. There was no way I wanted anyone to even think there was something going on between us.
With the basics established, it had only taken me two hours to break my self-imposed inebriation ban. I was not off to a good start, yet I was feeling good (and tipsy) by the time we got up to leave.
“So how do we do this?” I asked. “How do we end our evenings together?”
“Fuck if I know. We’ve already established the way my evenings generally conclude.” Chase steered me out of the restaurant with his hand on my lower back. As we walked onto the street, his hand dipped lower.
“Ummm…your hand is on my ass.”
His eyes gleamed. “Is it? It must have a mind of its own.”
He didn’t move it, though, even while he hailed a cab. When one pulled to the curb, he informed me we would be sharing it.
“We’ll drop you first, so I can make sure you get in safely.”
“I’m perfectly capable of getting home myself.”
“I’ve bent on everything you asked, but taking you home at night isn’t negotiable.”
I really loved his chivalry; it was myself I didn’t trust. Chase held the cab door open and waited. Before slipping inside, I turned to face him and stepped into his personal space.
“Okay. I’ll give you that. But you need to promise me something in return.”
“And that is?”
“That even if I beg, you won’t come inside.”
Chapter 16
Reese
Friday afternoon, a few of us from the marketing department had ordered in lunch and were sitting around the break room eating while we talked about our plans for the weekend.
“Do you think we’ll work again this weekend?” I asked Lindsey.
“I don’t think so. Josh is going away on that Pre-Cana retreat weekend his fiancée is making him do. And I think Bossman has a hot date Saturday night.”
“Hot date?”
“City Harvest Gala. A bunch of rich people throw a big party to raise millions for food for the homeless. It’s at some swanky hotel this year, and Chase is being honored. I heard him tell his secretary to book a suite with a fancy name. The last two years he’s gone with models from our ad campaigns. Life must be rough when you’re rich and gorgeous.”
Of course, Chase walked in right at that moment. I looked away but felt his eyes on me as he went to the coffee machine. He’d spent so much time and effort getting me to agree to not date other people—I couldn’t imagine he would already be violating his own terms. But I also couldn’t stop a pang of jealousy from creeping up inside of me.
“Hey, boss,” Lindsey called. “We’re not working this weekend, are we?”
“No. Not this weekend. I have some things I need to take care of.”
“I was sort of hoping we would be. It’s supposed to be nice, and Eddie wants to head down to the Jersey Shore to visit his mother.”
“And that’s not a good thing, I take it?”
“She runs around doting on him like he’s royalty—always makes me feel inadequate.”
Chase smirked. “You could always do some doting of your own to get rid of that feeling.”
“Are you crazy? It took me fifteen years to get the man to lower his expectations. Why would I screw that up now?”