Page 6 of If I See You Again
Malcolm shifted uncomfortably across from me and Mr. Thomas. He gnawed at that plump lower lip that I’d sucked on the night before, and I wanted so badly to get his boss out of the room to see if I could tempt him into a repeat.
“If you gentlemen will excuse me, I’m just going to go get the contracts together.”
The moment Mr. Thomas stepped out of the room and the door clicked closed behind him, I had Malcolm pinned to his desk.
“This is a really bad idea.” His brows furrowed as he spoke, hands pressing to my chest, but not quite pushing me away.
“What do you mean? It didn’t seem like a bad idea last night.”
The hands against my chest shoved a little more. “Yes, and that was before I knew we’d be working together. David, don’t you see how fucked up this is?”
My eyebrows rose as I stared at him, wanting nothing more than to lean in and kiss him. “I think we’re both consenting adults here.”
Malcolm slipped out of my grasp, and I heaved a sigh. Watching him slink across the office was the last thing I wanted to do.
“Consenting is one thing. What about ethics? Come on, David. If I’m running your advertising campaign, is that a good idea?”
My fingers ran through my hair as I watched Malcolm begin to pace around the room. “It’s not like you’re responsible for my pay. Raises. Evaluations…”
“No!” Malcolm threw his hands in the air. “But I am responsible for making sure you get the best possible outcome. I can’t do that if I’m worried about hurting your feelings. That any suggestion I make would impact our time together. Please tell me you understand.”
Irritation grew and churned in my gut. I understood where he was coming from, but it wasn’t like we were in any type of supervisor-and-employee situation. While it was true that he preferred one client over another, it could cause a conflict of interest. However, if we kept things quiet, no one needed to know anything. I’d only gotten a small taste of the man the night before, and I wanted so much more.
“Listen,” he said. My shoulders drooped, knowing I wasn’t going to like what he had to say. “I’ll take the job, but I need things to stay professional between us from here on out. Can you agree to that?”
So much determination and defiance flickered behind his eyes that I nodded. It sucked that I wouldn’t get to experience more of the sexy man I’d been with last night, but I had to respect him as well. Maybe that would win him over in the long run. Because from what I’d gathered about Malcolm Fisher, it was that he was the long game. He wasn’t the person who you just hit and quit. He was the person you made an effort for.
With slow, measured steps, I approached Malcolm as if he were a terrified rabbit, ready to take off if I came at him too quickly. My hand extended to him, while he stared at it like it was a snake ready to bite. I had no intention of tricking him. When he stared at my outstretched palm, I took a deep breath. “You’re right. Let’s call this a truce. From here on out, I’ll be nothing but professional.”
Skepticism laced his features as he finally took my hand and shook it. “Is there a catch?”
“No catch.”
His hand tightened around mine, and my heart rate spiked. His eyes narrowed as he scanned my face, as if watching for any sign that I was lying to him. “I swear—”
“And I promise.” He didn’t need to know that my fingers were crossed behind my back. This was not the last Malcolm Fisher would hear from David Garrison.
Chapter 5
Malcolm
“You never mentioned how things went the other night.”
My face lit on fire as Angela set in with her questions. She knew my date had stood me up and that I hadn’t gone home alone. I wasn’t stupid. You don’t take strangers back to your place without telling at least one person. That’s just a recipe for ending up on a milk carton. Did they still put missing people on milk cartons? It was something everyone talked about when I was a kid, but I don’t think I’d ever actually seen it.
“Uhh…” My face incinerated as she continued to watch me.
“Oh, I know that look. You need to spill the details, mister. It must have been good.”
Ithadbeen good. More than amazing. What sucked was knowing it would never happen again. David was my client, and I had to work on a campaign for him.
“Well…” This was embarrassing, but she was my best friend. I told her everything, but for once, I was clamming up and not letting a single word slip through. Angela supported me through all of it. She’d been there when Marcus had died, knowing theentire story. “I feel like I never take that risk. And the one time I did… It blew up in my face.”
Her expression was blank as she waited me out. “What do you mean? Come on, Malcolm, you went from being stood up to going back to some guy’s hotel room. You need to give me something.”
My coffee shook as I lifted the cup to my lips to take a sip. I’d never been nervous about telling Angela anything. We’d been friends since middle school. She was the first person I’d told about being bisexual, and there was a reason I trusted her to set me up on so many failed dates. She knew me inside and out.
“He, uh. It was great. I mean…” This was so stupid. I’d never stumbled over my words before. Before continuing, I took a breath to fortify myself. “We went back to the hotel and Jesus. Angela, I don’t think I’ve ever had an experience like that before.”
