"A phone call won't cut it. You need to make him see you."
"Should I text him a picture of me?"
The most beautiful woman on earth growls at me again, louder this time. "You're driving me insane, Hugh. Are you going to cooperate in the salvation of your business? Or would you rather crack jokes and flirt?"
"Are those my only options?"
"Yes."
"Does this edict apply only to work? Or to my personal life too?"
"Work only." She holds up one finger when I start to speak. "That doesn't mean you can behave like you did before the Duke of Wackenbourne decided to ruin you. Act like a responsible, mature adult at all times."
"That sounds like a very dull existence."
"You can make all the jokes you want in private. In public, you need to project a professional image."
"No flirting in public. I should behave like a boring executive. That's what you're telling me."
"Exactly. Have I explained it enough times yet? Some portion of what I said must've sunk into your brain by now."
"Yes, it has." I rub my temples because this conversation is giving me a headache. "Shouldn't I be seen flirting with you in public? You are my fake girlfriend, after all."
"You can flirt, but only in a family-friendly way."
"Whose family is the model for that? They're all different, you know."
"Use your family as the model. They're upstanding aristocrats, right?"
Yes, of course they are. But I'm not. I don't want to explain that to Avery, though she clearly knows the truth. Still, I can't make myself say that one word out loud. It takes me a moment to summon my voice. "Yes. They are respectable, unlike me. I'm a disgrace to my title and the Parrish name."
"No, you are not. That isn't what I was saying."
"What are you trying to tell me, then?"
She just looks at me, holding a neutral expression for so long that I start to wonder if she's developed sudden amnesia. Then she blinks a few times quickly as she rouses from whatever had affected her. Before I have time to process what's happening, she marches around my desk, swivels my chair to face her, and grasps my face in her hands to kiss me. She doesn't push her tongue into my mouth, though. She simply touches her lips to mine and holds that position while my pulse accelerates. We both keep our eyes open too, which feels odd, but in a good way.
Avery breaks the kiss and sits down on my lap, linking her hands at my nape.
"What are you doing?" I ask, though it's bloody obvious. The impetus for this sudden urge to cuddle with me is not as clear. "This isn't workplace behavior."
"No, it's not." She shifts her hands up just enough that her fingertips tease my hair. "You have a severe case of the guilts."
"Is that an incurable illness? I swear I have no idea where I caught it."
"Don't use jokes to avoid the real issue."
"What would you have me do?"
She pecks a kiss on my lips. "You're not ready to hear the answer yet, so I'm giving you a stopgap treatment in the meantime."
Avery relaxes against me, her entire body slack and soft and warm. The light scent of her perfume wafts around me, and when she rests her head on my shoulder, I can't stop myself from releasing all the tension I hadn't realized I was holding in until this moment. I wrap my arms around her.
Then we cuddle. I've never done this before, but I like it.
After a few minutes, Avery slides off my lap and returns to her chair, assuming businesswoman pose again. "Let's get started on a plan to woo Mr. Jenkins back into your good graces."
I sink lower in my chair and wave a hand at her. "Go on. Tell me your plan."