“That’s your theory. He’s never said that to you, right?”
“Believe me, he doesn’t have to say it. Looks like the one he gave me out there this morning don’t lie. It was actually more of a warning. And it told me everything I need to know.”
I went back to work, my thoughts no clearer than when I’d arrived this morning, and a little while later Holden’s design was finished. I bandaged him up and sent him on his merry way. If only everything he’d told me had gone out the door with him. Instead, Colby, Bethany, and where things stood with him and me ran through my head all afternoon.
***
At the end of the day, I was closing up the shop when Colby surprised me with a visit on his way home from work. He looked just as hot as he had this morning, only now his tie was loosened and his hair a bit disheveled. The only thing sexier than put-together Colby Lennon in a suit was mussed-up Colby Lennon in a suit. Any version of him suited me just fine.
“Hey, Billie.” He smiled. “How’s it goin’?”
“Hey! How was your day?” I asked.
“Good.” He nodded. “How was yours? Did that ass Holden get what he wanted on his V?”
“He did. It came out awesome, actually.”
“I have to confess…I know it did. He sent me a text of it to fuck with me.”
“He seemed to think you were…” I cleared my throat. “Jealous.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” His eyes bore into mine.
“Because I don’t fraternize with my clients, so there’s nothing to be jealous about.”
He let out a long breath. “It’s not that I thought you had a thing for Holden. It just irked me that he got to spend time with you when I didn’t. And he’s a good-looking motherfucker, so I suppose you touching him down there made me a bit uneasy.” He shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a jealous bastard and am apparently terrible at hiding it.”
For the third time today, I let my inner thoughts slip with Colby. “I actually think you’re hotter.”
His eyes lifted to meet mine. “Well, that’s interesting information.”
“Yes.”
Holden’s type used to be more my speed—until Colby. Who would’ve thought I’d choose the straightlaced suit? Now, all I seemed to want to do was pull on this dude’s tie and bring him to my mouth.
“So what do we do about this?” he asked. “Your attraction to me.”
I swallowed. “Nothing. We do nothing. You know you’re an attractive man. That’s not news. It doesn’t change the fact that I’m not interested in starting anything right now.”
He nodded slowly. “I think I have a solution for that, actually.”
“What solution?”
“Hear me out.” He moved in closer. “We don’t have to date, Billie. We can…undate.”
“Undate? What exactly is that?” I asked, all too aware of his proximity—just a few inches from me now.
“It’s more of what we did the other night, when we went to see the bridge. It wasn’t a date, right? It was like just the opposite. An undate. So that’s what I propose we do.”
I crossed my arms. “What would this entail?”
“We’d spend time together, but only under the most unromantic and mundane of circumstances.” He scratched his chin. “I’ll give you an example. Say I’m working on something around the apartment and realize I need to run to Home Depot. There’s nothing remotely sexy or suggestive about that. Boom. You’ll be the first person I think of. I’ll call and ask if you want to tag along, if you’re available. No pressure. No temptation. Undate.”
“What’s the point of that?” I chuckled.
“The point is, we can be friends and hang out without any of the other pressures. The point is, I’ll still get to see you, which makes me happy.”
Our eyes locked, and I wondered how obvious it was: that just being around him made me happy, too. “I guess this sounds harmless enough,” I conceded. I was sure those would be famous last words, though. Because as harmless as he made this undate thing sound, I could hear virtual alarm bells going off.
“Yeah?” He beamed.
“If this is what you really want, I can play along.”
An intensity filled his eyes. “What I really want?” He shook his head slowly and laughed. “This is not what I really want.”
A chill ran down my spine. “Tell me what you really want, then.” I was a glutton for punishment, apparently.
“I don’t think you want to know,” he said.
“I do, actually. It’s like morbid curiosity.”
After a long pause he said, “Okay then. What I really want to do is untie that fucking corset one lace at a time and bury my face in your beautiful tits while you straddle me on that chair over there. Right now. So maybe phrase your questions more carefully. Because the truthful answer to what I want is never gonna be PG or gentlemanlike when it comes to you.” He smiled and turned toward the door. “I’ll call you soon,” he said before disappearing.