“They’re going.” I was determined to rock the VP title, even though I didn’t get to do the one thing I loved—get behind the camera. Sitting at a desk all day was a challenge, and I’d developed a newfound respect for Max now that I knew all of the bullshit he’d had to deal with on a regular basis. “I miss being behind the camera.”
Had I known that taking over as Vice President of White Lace was going to involve listening to disgruntled porn stars bitch about…everything, I might have reconsidered Hirsh’s offer.
Hirsh Levin was the owner of White Lace, and my best friend’s father. In some ways, he was my pseudo-father, having practically raised me since he and his late wife, Ellie, had taken me in as a child. But deep down I feared the worst. That one day he would realize I wasn’t his family and he’d let me go. He owed me nothing, which was why I had stashed away enough money to get me to Silicon Valley in the event Hirsh woke up and finally realized I wasn’t worth it. I had contacts in California, and finding someone to hire me wouldn’t be too difficult, but it meant having to leave everything behind in order to continue working in an industry I just wasn’t sure about anymore.
“I’m sure you can figure out a way to get back to directing.” Max crossed his ankle over his knee, sitting back. “Delegate some of the work. Get Rod to do the casting. Kayla can scout new locations.”
He didn’t even work here anymore and he was still handling things, which only proved how out of my depth I really was.
To be honest, I had no idea what the fuck I was doing with my life. Before Max had quit to pursue his own dreams, my life had been contentedly compartmentalized. Work. Sex. Friends. Everything fit neatly into its own little box. But seeing Max happy, successful, and in love, pursuing the life he’d always wanted, had thrown me for a loop.
So I’d made some changes. My life was now one oversized compartment of nose-to-the-grindstone work. No partying. No slacking. And definitely no distractions. Which meant the biggest change of all. A revision to the where-I-stick-my-cock compartment.
For the record, it was nowhere.
I needed to figure out my future—at least on the career front. I couldn’t deny there was a part of me that wondered what other opportunities were out there. But I didn’t even let myself think about them right now.
“I rented the U-Haul.” I cleared my throat, needing to change the topic of conversation away from my failures. “It’s parked out back and ready to move you to Everly’s.”
Twenty minutes ago I had thought Max was crazy for moving in with Everly. Now I thought he was crazy for wanting to get married.
“And I’ve got packing tape and boxes with your name on them.” The smirk on Max’s face deserved a punch in the gut.
“You’re lucky I consider you my brother, because there is no way in hell I would help anyone else move, let alone pack all of their things.” I rolled my chair under the desk and moved the mouse across my computer screen to check the time remaining on the video. “I just need ten minutes.”
I wasn’t going to bother rewinding it to catch up on the time I’d lost talking Max down from the ledge. I was already behind schedule. I should have watched these videos two days ago.
“Take your time.” Max stood, straightening his suit jacket. “I want to give Grace and Sadie as much time as they need to move out. Less chaos.”
Grace and Sadie were Everly’s roommates, and I was totally on board with Max’s plan. Not because I was averse to chaos, but because I was definitely averse to being in the same room as Grace Nolan—the one I let walk away.
“I’m going to wander around,” Max said as he headed for the doorway. “I sort of miss this place.”
Grace and I had had an unforgettable encounter in this very office. Then I’d dismissed her without a second thought.
Or so I’d made her think.
I’d had so many thoughts since that day. I just couldn’t tell her that. There was no way in hell I was giving a former escort trained in telling men what they wanted to hear the satisfaction of knowing she’d slipped under my skin and that five months later I still couldn’t shake her.
But I did my best, at least at this very moment, and returned to watching people screw.
As if he’d set a timer, ten minutes later Max walked back into my office, waving pink slips of paper at me.
He held one up and read from it. “?‘Ben, where have you been? Call me. Amber.’?”
I groaned and returned to watching my scene.
Max shuffled through the papers. “Clarissa called. She thinks you could have fun together.”
When I had stopped returning calls on my cell, women had begun calling the office. Their persistence had no effect on my decision to swear off sex. Not one of those offers was tempting. The funny thing was, if Grace had her name on one of those pink slips of paper, I wouldn’t be able to ignore it.
“Sarah and Jennifer are looking for a third to join their party.” He was standing in front of my desk now. “That sounds like your MO.”
Like any sane man, I avoided commitment and made a point of never letting women get too close. I made it even more impossible by ensuring my sexual encounters were never just a party for two.
“Melissa misses your…Wow. Barbara actually writes these down word-for-word.” Max laughed.
“I’ve told Barbara more than once to just throw them away or not take the message at all.”