Page 39 of Room One Hundred & Twenty-One: Kiss of Fire

Stan follows me, but stops abruptly at my desk. I glance around, looking for Ms. Abernathy, who must still be in the kitchen making coffee. “I need to be on their calendars for this Friday. Make it 1:00 PM. That should be plenty?—”

“Ms. Abernathy handles all their business matters, sir.”

“You’re a secretary, aren’t you? Can’t you handle the simple task of making an appointment? Or is that above your pay grade?”

My blood begins to boil and I’m ready to slap the smarmy smirk off his face.

“Or perhaps your job is actually something else, something far morepersonal?” He crowds my space while he leers at me, making my stomach churn with disgust.

But before I can get away, my coworker appears from around the corner with two steaming mugs of coffee in her hands. “I thought you could use another cup, dear.” She passes one to me, made just the way I like it, and I contemplate throwing the hot liquid in Stan’s face.

Having been interrupted, he rises to his full height and plasters on a cheesy smile. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Selena. I look forward to seeing you again soon.” He licks his thin, dry lips, glancing at me one last time before nodding in my coworker’s direction and heading for the elevator. It isn’t until he’s gone that I finally release my breath.

I just met him, and I already hate the guy.

13

CHANCE

“Remind me why we keep him around?” I cut my attention to Noah, who looks equally annoyed.

“Because of who his father is,” he answers with a sigh.

If it weren’t for Stan Bradley Sr., we’d have cut his son loose a long time ago. He’s a decent corporate lawyer, but not nearly the man his father is and that’s a damn shame. But how could we begrudge our dear friend for retiring?

He helped make us a lot of money over the years and he deserves to live it up and travel the world with his sweet wife, Linda. Every now and then, we get a few gifts highlighting their adventures. I never thought I’d want something like that in my life, but after meeting Selena, that’s the kind of relationship I aspire to have for myself. Too bad our dear friends have such a jackass for an only child. The slacker knows he’ll inherit a fortune when his parents pass, so he does just enough to get by and rides the coattails of his esteemed father.

“Have you even looked at the proposal?” Brody asks.

With a smirk and a slight glitter in his eyes, Noah responds. “Nope.” He chuckles to himself and my eyes widen. It’s not likeour best friend to be so lackadaisical about a deal that could potentially be lucrative for us.

“How long have you been sitting on this?”

He just shrugs. “My mind has been occupied.”

We’ve all been occupied with a certain young twenty-something who flits around the office and mesmerizes us with her seductive curves.

“Is that why you gave it to Selena?” Brody eyes Noah with a tilt of his head.

“She has a way of seeing things that aren’t always in plain sight,” Noah praises with a hint of a smile on his lips. “She’s sharp and intelligent. It’ll be good to have some fresh perspective before I get bogged down in the numbers.”

That’s actually a smart idea. Selena’ll let us know right away if she thinks we should proceed. My thoughts turn to her and I peer through the window to find her typing away at her computer, as usual. She wears a high-neck blouse today to hide the bite marks that are still visible on her skin. Each time one fades, I mark her again, wishing they were permanent reminders on her flesh.

I wonder how she feels about tattoos?

Pushing the thought away, I decide it’s time to get to work. We’ve had enough distractions for one morning. And we do, in fact, have a busy day ahead. “Let’s talk business. What do you boys have going on this week?”

The three of us discuss upcoming projects and plans for our company, and who’s handling what. Most things are delegated to our various teams, but there are a few things we handle ourselves or get kicked up to our desks for review. We’ve taken on several new clients over the past six months, and the growth is leading us to consider more acquisitions. Hence the proposal from Stan. He’s found a smaller marketing firm that’s looking toliquidate assets and would be very interested in selling off their business.

When we talk shop like this, it always amazes me how far we’ve come. Twenty years ago, we were barely out of college. Just three guys with a dream. We built this company from the ground up, refusing to rely on our families or their money. Our partnership has been strong, but our friendship is even stronger. Nothing could ever come between us, and so far, nothing has. Not even the beautiful girl who’s captivated us for the last several months.

I think it’s safe to say that other men would fight over a woman like Selena. But not us. She completes us in ways we never could’ve imagined. She reinforces our bond while building her own with us. Suddenly, three has become four, and we couldn’t be happier. She has no idea how much she’s changed us, but someday she will. And when she does, she’ll know without a doubt that we’ll never let her go.

I’m packingup my bag when there’s a knock on my open door. “Come in,” I call out, placing my bag on the desk. Selena enters with a stack of papers in her hand and her mouth twisted into a worried expression. “What’s the matter, beautiful?”

“Umm… can I talk to you about these? About the proposal for Aspen Creative that Noah gave me this morning.”

I glance at my watch, noting the time.

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