Page 28 of Weathering the Storm of the Century

“Well, if it’s any consolation, she’s been putting up with you for two years, so she’s gotta like you at least a little.”

“That doesn’t help,” I remarked dryly as Cutter stood up to go about his business.

“Look, just tell her how you feel, then go from there,” he advised. “It’s not like you don’t know how to strategize, Cotter.”

Ignoring that, I said, “I’ll talk to Sumner.”

“Nice deflection,” he retorted. “I’ll be back tomorrow to see how it’s going.”

I didn’t say anything more as Cutter walked out of my office, and I also knew that he hadn’t been lying about coming back tomorrow to check on me. Again, we weren’t like other twins, and I knew that me being ill at ease would be enough to keep Cutter up at night.

It also wasn’t that I was afraid to have a conversation about feelings with Aelix. I just really wasn’t used to diving into anything headfirst. Since as far back as I could remember, I’d always been the one to calculate a situation before executing a move. Cutter was the one with all the ideas, and as he assessed what could be, I mulled it around in my brain to see how to make it happen. So, while I wasn’t afraid of a challenge, I needed to make sure what my feelings were before I ruined what Aelix and I had. Despite it being just sex, it was phenomenal sex, and I was fairly certain that I wasn’t going to be able to find anything else like it on the planet. At least, not right away, if at all.

Shaking my head, I picked up my phone, then dialed my assistant. As soon as he answered, I said, “Quit bothering my brother.”

“He’s such a tattletale,” Sumner huffed, and maybe he did need a month-long vacation in China.

Or maybe I did.

Chapter 6

Aelix~

I stared at the text, and I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it. The romantic in me was kind of offended, but the pragmatic part of me understood that everyone communicated by text, so it wasn’t necessarily a faux pas. The only thing that was still sacred was proposing to someone, but even that special intimacy had been ruined by everyone feeling the need to film and post their proposals. I mean, seriously. How much of a surprise could it really be with a phone propped up nearby? Now, that wasn’t to say that social media didn’t have its uses, but I wasn’t one to blast all my personal business to a bunch of strangers. Plus, if it involved marriage proposals or pregnancy announcements, I still believed in saving those special things for my family and the people that really were significant in my life.

At any rate, my issues with the it’s-all-about-me-era aside, I just hadn’t pegged Kent for the texting type. I mean, the man opened doors and pulled out chairs in a display of manners that wasn’t common anymore.

Kent: Would like 2 know if u want 2 go 2 dinner with me 2nite?

There was also the fact that the last-minute request bordered on rudeness. Considering what we did for a living, he knew as well as I did that we were too busy for a last-minute anything. We were constantly swamped, and though I didn’t have any plans for tonight, it still felt a bit…transactional.

On the other hand, I found myself wanting to go, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. While things with Cotter were great, what we had between us wasn’t sustainable. Though we’d never discussed it, I couldn’t imagine Cotter not wanting a wife and children one day. Moore Industries was a family institute, so he’d need heirs to inherit all of his hard work one day. Plus, with Cutter Moore being engaged now, I could see Cotter getting domesticated ideas in his head eventually.

Now, would I be opposed to having a real relationship with Cotter? No. The man was gorgeous, successful, intelligent, cultured, and he didn’t make me lay in the wet spot when we were making a night of it. Honestly, he was every woman’s dream, and he should be. Women were notorious for settling in their quest for love, and it was a shame, really. However, Cotter Moore was the entire package, and I had nothing bad to say about the man, apart from his weird period sex fetish.

At any rate, no matter how I felt about Cotter, I knew that I wasn’t the one for him, and I was okay with that. I had signed up for sex-only, and he’d never done anything to confuse the situation. I could never accuse him of giving me mixed signals or playing with my emotions. He’d stuck to his word, and I’d done my best to return the favor.

Nevertheless, Kent’s question had me realizing that I did miss going to the movies and going to dinner at nice restaurants. It made me realize that I missed inviting someone to my family parties or to company functions. Though the sex with Cotter was mind-blowing, I missed the companionship that came with traditional relationships. Yeah, the guys that I’d dated in the past had proven to be assholes, but I wasn’t bitter, and I’d gotten over Thomas’ nonsense a long time ago.

I kept staring at the text, wondering if it was a red flag or if I was reading too much into it. Again, everyone communicated like this these days, and just because it wasn’t my first choice in the romance department, that didn’t undo all of Kent’s other good qualities.

Still, even if I found myself wanting to go, I knew that I couldn’t agree without letting Cotter know that I was ending our arrangement. After all, that had been the agreement from day one; complete transparency. We had agreed to no feelings, no questions, and no lies, most importantly no lies.

Staring at my phone, I let out a deep breath, then pulled up Cotter’s contact. While I wasn’t fond of having significant conversations through text, this was the only way that Cotter and I had ever contacted each other. We’d never had a phone conversation, and we hardly spoke when we were together. So, texting really was our primary choice of communication, and I ignored my shaky fingers as I typed out my message.

Me: Hey, Kent asked me 2 dinner 2nite, n I find myself wanting 2 go. So, thanks for the past 2 years, they were exactly what I needed 2 move on from that idiot without ending up bitter…LOL. No need 2 return my key since I trust u, but if u’d like urs back, I can drop it n ur mailbox. Again, thank u 4 everything n take care of urself, Cotter.

I sent off the text, then pulled up Kent’s last message. Now, was Kent going to be my happily ever after? I had no idea. However, I knew that I’d never know unless I gave him a chance, and it was time to stop living comfortably and take a leap of faith. Even if things didn’t work out, it’s not like it’d be the end of the world or my first broken heart. Yeah, it might become a bit tricky since I’d never dated someone that I’d worked with before, but when what you were doing wasn’t working, then you had no choice but to try something different, right?

Letting out another deep breath, I replied to Kent’s text.

Me: Dinner sounds nice

I nodded to myself, satisfied with my text. It didn’t sound desperate, and it also sounded platonic enough that I wouldn’t be embarrassing myself if he’d sent this to me as a friends-only sort of thing. While most people disagreed, I believed that men and women could be genuine friends without any underlining sexual vibes. So, if Kent thought like I did, then his request really could be just him asking his friend to dinner, which I wasn’t opposed to since I loved food. Seriously, all you had to do was ask my hips and thighs to know that I enjoyed my food whenever I ate.

Kent: Great. I was thinking Horizons on 7th

Okay, Horizons wasn’t somewhere that you took your platonic friend. Not only was it very expensive, but it had a beautiful view of a lake, and the entire vibe of the restaurant felt seductive and very intimate. It was impressive for a first date, and it was also the place to be for anniversaries and occasions like that. I’d also never been, though the food had rave reviews also.

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