Page 24 of He Falls First

Matt nods. “So, Elizabeth here wants clarity on what kind of intimacies are expected between you two lovebirds.”

“Intimacy?” I nearly choke on the word, my throat dry.

“Affection, Hendrix,” Elizabeth says, her blue eyes locking onto mine as she detects my unease. “Hand-holding, hugging. Kissing.”

“Kissing,” I echo. The word hangs in the air, heavy and insistent. Her gaze has me contemplating our kissing—and much more.

“Within reason,” Elizabeth adds quickly, probably mistaking my silence for disapproval.

“Of course,” I say, my voice a gravelly sound I barely recognize. “We wouldn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.”

A crease forms between her brows. “The kissing is only if absolutely necessary, of course. Like, for appearances or something. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”

“Of course,” I say, nodding stiffly. “For appearances only.”

I keep nodding, trying to appear nonchalant while my mind races with images of Elizabeth in my arms, her laughter in my ear, her body pressed against mine.

“Alright,” Matt says, rubbing his hands together with an eager grin. “Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. We’ll need to discuss hand-holding, embraces, short kisses, long kisses…” Matt continues listing suggestions as I shift in my seat, cursing the images flashing unbidden in my mind.

I desperately grasp for the least arousing thoughts imaginable—financial reports. Icy showers. The feeling of stepping on a Lego brick, barefoot. Anything to divert my traitorous imagination.

“Public hand-holding should be pretty standard,” Matt continues, scribbling a note on his legal pad. “Maybe a few hugs here and there for good measure.”

“Fine,” I mumble, forcing myself to focus on the cold, hard facts rather than the warmth that would radiate from Elizabeth’s body if we were to embrace.

“Pecks on the cheek?” Elizabeth suggests hesitantly, biting her lip in a way that makes me want to lean over and bite it myself.

“Sure,” I agree, clearing my throat once again. “For appearances.”

“Alright then, let’s talk about kissing,” Matt announces, clearly enjoying himself as he watches my discomfort. “Public displays of affection aren’t uncommon for engaged couples.”

“Only if absolutely necessary,” Elizabeth says, her eyes wide. “You know, like if people are watching and expecting it.”

“Of course.” I nod, feeling sweat bead at the nape of my neck. This is ridiculous. I’ve negotiated multi-million-dollar deals without breaking a sweat, and here I am, flustered by the prospect of fake-fawning over Elizabeth.

“Okay, so we’ve covered the basics,” Matt says, setting down his pen and folding his hands on the table. “But what about, you know, the more intimate stuff?”

“Excuse me?” I splutter, nearly choking on my own saliva.

“Matt, really?” Elizabeth protests, her face turning a deeper shade of red.

“Hey, I’m just trying to cover all our bases here.” It doesn’t help that he’s smirking as he defends himself. “We don’t want any surprises down the line. You want to think ahead of time about all kinds of scenarios. Heavy petting. Soft petting. First base. Second base. That little shortstop when you round the corner. And what if one of you wants to take it all the way home? I mean…”

Grandma knitting. Tax audits. Cold, cold showers. Antarctica cold. Cold enough to freeze my balls off, since it seems like that’s what it would take to calm them down at this point.

I’m still trying to focus on anything but rounding the bases with Elizabeth, and Matt is certainly not helping. I shift in my chair, aware of a tightness in my trousers that has no place in a business meeting.

“Matt, for God’s sake.” I cough harshly, hoping to sound annoyed rather than embarrassingly aroused. “Let’s stick to the basics, shall we?”

“Alright, alright.” Matt waves me off. “Just throwing ideas out there. You guys will figure out what works best.”

“Sure, we will,” I say, feeling Elizabeth’s gaze on me. Can she tell that I’m picturing her in a way that’s decidedly unsuitable for the workplace? I cough, shifting again. “We’re both adults.”

“Absolutely,” she agrees, and something in her voice makes me feel like she’s onto me. Like she knows that beneath this suit, my body’s giving away my real reaction. A reaction that’s far from indifferent.

Just then, Matt’s phone chirps insistently. “Really sorry. That’s the Tokyo office. I have to take this.”

The moment he ducks out of the room, the room turns into a pressure cooker of tension. Elizabeth’s right across from me, her deep eyes fixed on mine, the contract between us suddenly feeling like it’s on a countdown to explosion.

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