“For two busy people,” Sophia says, “we’re surprisingly adept at re-arranging our schedules.”
I run my hand over her naked back. Up and down, fingers tracing the smooth skin. “Yeah. I’m impressed.”
“Me too,” she says, and turns her head. Brown hair spreads out on the pillow behind her. “I was particularly impressed by you re-scheduling meetings yesterday just so we could play tennis over lunch.”
“It’s important to get your cardio in.”
“Oh, it’s vital,” she says, her eyes glittering. “Even if I think we’re pretty good at prioritizing cardio already.”
She’s glorious, stretched out beside me on her bed, clad only in the sunshine streaming in through the window and a sheet twisted around her legs. I smile. “You certainly did earlier.”
The image of her on top of me, her body moving, is one I’ll carry with me to my dying day.
She chuckles. “I had to work off some steam.”
“Well, I’m always available,” I say. My hand switches direction, changing the patterns I paint across her bare skin. It’s been two weeks since the pitch meeting, and over a week since my executive team unanimously recommended we go ahead with the modern pitch.
They’re all in favor of hiring Exciteur to execute that vision, too. It’ll be a long project. At least a year long, most likely, before our in-house team can take over. Outsourcing the time-consuming start-up phase is a better call for the business. My team knows it.
I know it.
And still I’m the only person left who hasn’t officially signed off on the plan yet. And I’m doing it to keep this.
To keep her.
But it’s only a matter of time, and it’s better to rip off the bandage. “Sweetheart,” I murmur. “I’ve been thinking.”
“Mhm?”
“I can’t stall making a decision about your pitch forever.”
Her smile widens. “I knew that was what you were doing!”
“Of course you did.”
“My team is very anxious about this, you know.”
“Are they?”
“Terribly. You’ve taken weeks!”
I sweep my hand sideways, over the curve of her hip. “Well, theoretically speaking, we might hire Exciteur.”
“Theoretically?”
“Yes.”
She starts to smile. “I like the sound of that.”
“Me too. But that doesn’t have to be the end of this, you know. I’ve been thinking about us.”
“You have?”
“Yes,” I say.You haven’t?It’s been at the forefront of my mind these past weeks as I’ve turned over solution after solution. I can’t jeopardize her career, and I can’t ask her to make any decision that might cost her down the line.
I want to add to her life, never detract.
“I’ll appoint Andrew as head of the project, on the Winter’s end. Once the decision is made and the papers have been signed, he’ll be Exciteur’s main point of contact throughout this.”