Page 35 of Business or Pleasure

“We brought our own.” Ms. Flitton’s tone was pleasant but just as fake as the ‘smile’ on her face.

“Friday afternoon, you mentioned a few results you would be getting this morning,” Baylen prompted.

“Friday afternoon?” Ms. Flitton shot Baylen a sharp look.

I didn’t know what it meant that he didn’t tell her about seeing me Friday, or now that I thought about it, the fact that he brought her today. I was just as interested in his response as I was.

“I spoke with Ms. Sumpter Thursday and Friday after Alec and I had lunch together,” Baylen said. His tone was easy, but I could see the tension in his body.

Somehow, I doubted it had anything to do with Ms. Flitton’s question. Things had felt off from the moment I saw him in the doorway, and the most logical reason was because of the kiss on Saturday. Sure, there were some awkward moments during the last week, but we seemed to put all of that in the past. The kiss, however, just brought the past back, reminded us how good it we were together.

And what we couldn’t have again.

“As I said then, I was waiting for some information to come in before I could finish this particular portion of my research.” I pulled my thoughts out of the past and back to work where they were supposed to be. “That came in this morning, and I was able to finish compiling the results.”

The next fifteen minutes were spent going over everything I just finished. It should’ve been business as usual. All of us were polite and professional, but something was off. Anyone looking or listening in would think that this was an ordinary business meeting, and I couldn’t put my finger exactly on why it wasn’t. And I didn’t know if it was just me or if they felt it too.

“Ladies,” Baylen said suddenly. “If you’ll excuse me, I need a minute.”

He didn’t wait for us to respond, just got up and walked out, leaving me and an annoyed Ms. Flitton. Which, of course, was just peachy.

“You’re not the sort of woman he dates.” Ms. Flitton didn’t look at me as she spoke. Instead, she was examining her perfectly manicured nails. “A kiss when no one’s around to see it means nothing.”

I caught my breath. How did she know about that?

“Neither does some one-night stand after he was probably drunk.”

Shit. She did recognize me from my morning after exit at the hotel. Since she hadn’t said anything, I assumed she didn’t know.

Apparently, I was wrong.

“I wasna sure at first. You tried to clean up for work.” The sneer was in her voice, though not on her face. “But when I saw you kiss him on Saturday, I realized it was you.”

I opened my mouth but then shut it again because I didn’t know what to say. For once, my mind was completely blank.

“Whatever you have planned in a desperate attempt to seduce him, forget it. If you so much as speak to him about anything other than work, from here on out, I’ll tell Alec what I saw. All of it. You’ll lose your job before you can blink. After all, Baylen is one of Alec’s closest friends, as well as a client.”

My stomach churned, and I was beginning to wish that I hadn’t eaten anything today. The way she said their names, Alec and Baylen, made me wonder if she was close enough to them that she was only formal when they were at work. Close enough that Mr. McCrae would take her at her word. Not that it mattered. True, Baylen and I having slept together happened before I knew who he was, but the kiss, I knew that was wrong when it happened. And I didn’t come clean about my previous interaction, so I looked dishonest.

If she said a word, I was royally fucked.

Sixteen

Baylen

I sighed as I washed my hands. I didn’t really need the toilet, but I couldn’t handle another awkward, uncomfortable minute in that office. Brigh had been acting strangely, with no explanation as to why, but I believed it was more than her odd behavior causing the tension in the room.

Harlee and I hadn’t spoken since we kissed, but I thought we at least parted on good terms. It wasn’t as if our one-night encounter ended badly either. I thought the kiss proved that.

This morning, I was tempted to leave Brigh at the hotel so that Harlee and I could speak freely, but as this was a business meeting, I reconsidered and decided to treat it as such. I needed to continue to do so, no matter how awkward things were.

Except it had been harder to sit and pretend that everything was the same now that I knew she still wanted me. I was barely able to concentrate. Every time she said something, I found myself watching her mouth, remembering how she tasted, both that first night and in the rain. It’d taken far more self-control than I liked to refrain from sampling another.

My cracking self-control, in fact, was why I was currently staring at my reflection rather than still listening to Harlee sharing the information she compiled so far. I didn’t think I would’ve kissed her right there in her office in front of my assistant, but the mask I was wearing began to slip. I didn’t exactly know what expression would have come through, but whatever the result, it would have been too much. Too real.

Only after I was certain my armor was once again in place did I return to Harlee’s office. She paused the business discussion while I was gone, of course, but I assumed that she and Brigh would have been chatting. Except the office was dead silent, and both women were stiff and appeared irritated, though I was unsure if I was the one who caused the problem. My presence did nothing to relieve the tension, which made me believe that I was somehow responsible.

Dammit.

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