Standing just outside, Kami waves me down. “Glad you’re here. I didn’t want to go in by myself.”
“Thanks for waiting.” I head inside with her.
I scan the conference room. Beyond the crowded room of twenty people, Jonathan’s usual chair at the end of the table sits vacant. Thank god. I still have time to pull myself together and not look like a sweaty mess.
“Slept in again?” Kami murmurs.
I groan. “Is it that obvious?”
She laughs. “I get it. Mondays are the hardest.”
“Not for you, Ms. Early Bird,” I tease.
Despite the fact we live together, my bestie and I are polar opposites. She likes wearing bling; I keep it simple. She wears crop tops and short-shorts while I’m perfectly happy in sweats. She likes to workout at five a.m. every day. I’d rather sleep in as long as possible. That means she’s been here at least an hour while I’m still trying to pull myself together.
“At least tell me you got coffee before you left.”
I hold up my paper cup. “There was no way I could function today without caffeine.”
“Good. How’s that draft going?” she whispers.
“What draft?”
She sends me an incredulous stare. “You’ve been sitting on it for two days. Don’t tell me you haven’t finished even a rough outline yet.”
Of my proposition to the nameless guy who’s going to teach me how to engage in no-strings sex.Shit.
“Okay, then I won’t tell you.”
“Kiera…” She scolds.
“I didn’t entirely forget. I’ve just been preoccupied.”
“With your latest romance novel obsession? C’mon, Kiera. Forget book boyfriends and remember why you wanted to do this.”
“I’m on it,” I insist. “I just…don’t know how to get started.”
“Anywhere. It doesn’t matter. Just get some words down and go from there.”
“That’s easy for you to say.”
She places her hand on my shoulder. “I’ll tell you what. Write it up and send it to me. I’ll give you my honest feedback.”
She won’t let this go until I do. “Okay.”
Pitching it for real can be a future-me problem.
I wasn’t completely lying when I said I’ve been busy with work. But I wasn’t exactly rushing to finish a draft, either. A few days after my “date” with Chris, I stared at a blank screen, fingers hovering over my keyboard, but I couldn’t find the right words—or the will—to start without cringing. And the more I thought about it, the worse I felt. I mean, it’s not normal to ask a guy to sleep with you for “educational purposes.” It sounds like a scene out of a bad porn film.
Hey, um…can you, like, teach me how to fuck?
Kami finds a chair in the corner of the office while I stand beside the throne at the head of the enormous conference table where Jonathan Knight presides over every meeting.
Moments later, he enters the room, dressed in a sharp gray suit that conforms to his wide shoulders. The white-white of his dress shirt underscores the fact his face is loved by the sun and proves he’s no standard desk jockey. The waves of his brown hair just a shade too dark to be dirty blond, his strong jaw, and his tall, well-muscled physique all turn heads.
I can’t take my eyes off him. As usual, my breath catches. My heart skips a beat. It sounds cliché, but something about this man—no, everything—commands my attention.
As he makes his way to the head of the table, the room falls silent. Everyone stares. But it’s his eyes that won’t let me look away. They’re a blue so rich and vivid I can’t think. I could lose myself in them for days.