Page 90 of Snap Shot

“Nobody. It’s Gym Guy.”

“Ahhhh, yeah.” She hums and nods. “A good ol' work sext.”

“Please stop talking.”

“Get it, girl.” Her shoulders dance in a wave.

“Right, well. I havelotsof work to do.” I click around the computer screen and open a Word doc to type gibberish into. She can't see my monitor screen anyway.

“One more question.”

My head drops back with a sigh. “What?”

“Why did Radek send a shirt to your home address?”

Fuck me. I jerk up and shake my head. “He ripped the silk one I had on the other day when he came in.” Ripped is a nice way to say he Lewinsky'd it.

Bea's eyebrows lift to the middle of her forehead. “Ripped it? Holyshit. Like in half?”

I pshaw. “Don't be dramatic. His keys snagged on my sleeve and tore it at the seam. He felt bad and sent another as an apology.”

“But why would he send it to your place? Why not send it here, to the office?”

“And have everyone question me the same way you did? You forget he and I are friends.”Friends.The word leaves a bitter aftertaste. “Can't have anyone questioning our professionalism.”

“Fair point.”

“Thank you.” I give her a tilted nod, then shoo her away. “Off you go. We'll brainstorm how to get Pall cornered before threatening a court date after lunch.”

Bea turns on her heel and marches off, tripping on the edge of the rug before she exits through the door. I flip my phone over to re-read Landon's text. We'll have to be more careful.

Tonight. He wants to see me again. Tonight?

In a short week, we've already tasted each other's skin and used our hands and a toy to finish each other off. There's only so much left to do before lines blurs and rules get broken and I'm unprepared. Unprepared for how quickly things have progressed, and unprepared to revisit experiences that I'd rather keep forgotten. I tap out a reply.

Me:I'm swamped at work. Maybe in a few days?

Bea returns from a coffee run with Nutella-filled croissants. Our brainstorming session flies off the rails and ends in us conspiring to skip work one Friday and take the train to Montreal for the weekend. My phone buzzes at the same time her alarm rings.

“Saved by the bell!” She leaps up. “I gotta go pick up my car from the mechanic.”

“You haven't gotten it back yet?”

“Tell me about it. I've been promised it's fixed this time.” She backpedals across the office, checking the floor to avoid tripping again.

“Alright. See you later.” I wave her off before checking my cell again.

Gym Guy:Is everything okay?

Gym Guy:Talk to me. Tonight. Over dinner.

Can't say no to food.

Me:Sure. 7?

Gym Guy:Your place? No paparazzi there.

Me:Sounds like a plan.

---