Page 29 of Faking It With My New Boss

She shook her head, obviously resigned to the reality. “You're right.” She let out a sigh. “Alright, you make the plans and I'll be ready this evening.”

“Let's go now,” I said.

“Now? Shouldn't we be working?”

“If we don't pull this off and convince everybody that we are the happy couple getting ready to walk down the aisle, there won't be any work for us to do pretty soon. We can talk about the gala in the car,” I said.

She nodded. “If that's what you want to do. I'll get my things.”

We went through the same process as last time with her going to her place to pack some things and then meeting me back at the office. This time I had her bring outdoor clothes and we took a drive to a park with hiking trails. I brought along camping supplies and she looked at me strangely as I went about setting up the tent.

“What?” I asked, looking up at her from shoving a stake down into the ground.

“You just don't strike me as the type to go camping,” she said.

I grinned at her. “Well, there you go. There's still a lot for you to learn about me.”

We took pictures as we hiked a short loop, then built a fire at the campsite. I'd hoped Courtney would warm up and be able to have fun like we did the last time, but she still seemed distant when we sat down with marshmallows to toast.

I decided now was the time to ask her about it. I couldn't just pretend everything was fine.

“It seems like something's bothering you,” I said. “I think we should talk about what happened between us. I know it was unexpected. And I want to reiterate that. It really was. I didn't try to seduce you or have a big complicated plan or anything. It was just as much a surprise for me as it was for you. But we can just put it behind us and move forward.”

She looked at me and for a second it seemed like she was battling with herself over what she was going to say. Finally, her shoulders dropped.

“It isn't that,” she said. “It isn't that it was so much of a surprise.”

“Then what?” I asked.

“Sex has never really been a part of my life,” she said.

That confused me. “I thought you said you were married.”

“I was. For years. I didn't say I was a virgin, just that sex wasn't a part of my life. That's because I never enjoyed it. I never wanted it. It didn't interest me and when it did happen, it just wasn't something I liked. That made a huge impact on my relationship, especially because I couldn't just be upfront with my husband and tell him what was going on. I just never talked about it and that caused a lot of difficulty. So, being with you was really unexpected not because it happened, but because I enjoyed it,” she said.

As I listened to her explain her sexual history, I realized just how much I was drawn to her. It meant a lot to me that she was opening up that way and I felt an intense pull toward her. It wasn't just wanting to have sex with her, even though that was definitely on my mind. It was something more than that.

“That's not something you should feel embarrassed about,” I said. “Or ashamed in any way. Sex isn't something that just happens. Most people don't just automatically have great sex with anybody. Compatibility is a big aspect of it and maybe you just didn't have that compatibility with your ex. You shouldn't feel bad about enjoying it. There's a lot of fun in exploring and discovering.”

We stared at each other and I felt the heat building between us. I wanted to reach out and touch her, but there was something heavy on my mind that I knew I needed to tell her before even considering another go with her. I didn't want it to seem like I was always manipulating her or trying to keep her on the end of a line.

I pulled back and focused on my marshmallow in the flames. It was burned to oblivion at that point, but I tried to play it off by blowing out the flames and eating it anyway.

“What's wrong?” she asked. She sagged and shook her head, turning her attention to the fire. “I shouldn't have told you all that.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “That's not it at all. I'm glad you did. There's just something I need to talk to you about.”

“What is it?” she asked.

“My grandfather called me. He's planning an engagement party for us at his estate. This weekend.”

Her mouth dropped open for a second, then her jaw hardened and she glared at me.

“You can't possibly be serious. An engagement party?”

“Yes. He's really excited and you made a great impression on him. He wants to introduce you to everybody and celebrate with us,” I said.

I was trying to sound as positive and enthusiastic about the prospect as possible even though I could see Courtney was not pleased.

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