Working out doesn’t help me keep my mind off her. The grunts while lifting weights? Yeah, I made some of those noises while we were together. I also discovered it’s nearly impossible to hide an erection in basketball shorts. Sorry old man at the gym.
Eating only made me remember wanting to put my mouth on her, and how stupid I was for not kissing anything but her neck. Who the fuck is dumb enough to have a woman like that in his arms, her silky skin against his fingertips and he doesn’t kiss her? I fucked up in more than one way that night.
I can keep my body busy, but my mind only has one focus. Nothing works, nothing helps, and I know it’s because she got away. I don’t mean it in the sense that I long for her. Deacon wanted that woman to work for BBS and she turned me down. I couldn’t get her back. I couldn’t acquire her.
That’s all it is.
She was a great lay. I’ll never deny that.
But sex is great more often than not.
Short of a woman just lying there—and that never happens with me.
I have lots of sex. I’ve had more women under me and on top of me, than I can count. It’s not a flex. It’s the truth, cold hard facts. It’s the bachelor life, plain mathematics when you have rules about no repeats. I’m not sleeping with a different woman every night, but adding several new notches in my bedpost a week isn’t unheard of. I’m a sexually needy guy, and sex is fun. I’m safe. I get tested. I don’t put myself or my partners in danger. I don’t engage in risky behaviors.
Besides, variety is the spice of life, right?
It just so happens that Leighton Redmond was a super spicy piece of ass. She burned the tip of my fingers, left scorch marks on my body lasting a little longer than the women before her. The sting is only lasting longer because she crossed that line from nighttime fun into professional when she showed up at a business meeting.
Those two paths aren’t supposed to cross, but I guess my luck was bound to run out, eventually.
Frustrated, I pound my fist on the sofa cushion at my hip. Jeopardy was supposed to engage my mind, fill it with useless facts, but it too has not helped.
I glance up at the clock on the wall. Is three in the afternoon too early to hit the bar? Maybe a little afternoon delight is exactly what I need to get the last woman out of my head. And hell, if it doesn’t work, at least my nuts wouldn’t hurt as much as they do right now.
My phone rings, and at this point, I’m willing to talk to a telemarketer if it serves as a distraction.
Deacon’s name flashes on the screen.
“Boss man,” I say, answering the phone, hoping my jovial mood will make it less likely that the man fires me for fucking up.
I don’t mention Leighton even though I know it’s unlikely he’s forgotten how badly I fucked up yesterday.
“I’m calling about Leighton Redmond.”
“I went to her hotel, but she’s just not interested. I can find someone else. I did a little research. There’s a recruiting agency in Detroit that is—”
“She’s going to work with BBS. She just left the house.”
“What?”
News that she is, in fact, still in St. Louis floors me. Did I leave the bar too early last night? The prospect that she came down then left with some other asshole makes my blood run hot, and not in a good way.
“She’s going to do the recruiting for us. Redmond Enterprises dismantled, and I have no clue what’s going on there. Maybe get with Wren and make sure it’s not some crazy shit, but I need you to draw up a new contract reflecting that she’s the sole person we’ll be working with.”
I don’t mention I know exactly why the organization split up.
“Okay,” I say instead. “Let me grab a pen. What’s the new business name?”
“You’re just going to use her name. The itinerary we had will stay in place.”
“We can’t send her out on her own if she doesn’t have the proper insurance. It’s a liability to BBS.”
“She won’t be going alone.”
I do not like the tone of his voice.
“Deacon,” I groan.
“Gaige,” he counters. “You fucked this up once. Don’t do it again.”
“You’re not saying—”
“I don’t have to say anything.”
“This isn’t a smart choice.”
“You’re going with her.”
“The schedule is weeks of traveling.”
“So I guess you need to clear your schedule.”
“I handle all legal matters for the company,” I remind him.
“Which you can still easily do from your computer while traveling. Any of the guys can drop shit off at the courthouse. We don’t have anything on the docket schedule until the middle of next month.”