Page 58 of Untethered Heart
A dirty one?!?!?!
CALEB:
Mine’s not dirty. I’m just showing you how hard I worked at the gym today. Lots of friends have accountability partners when it comes to working out.
ME:
Sir. This is not an accountability photo, and you know it.
CALEB:
Fuck, Lex. You can’t call me sir.
His words encourage me. Tempt me. I look down at the baggy T-shirt I’m wearing with loose cotton shorts and think for a second before I jump off the bed and over to my dresser. I search through my underwear for the one bra I bought on a splurge. I normally buy sensible underwear—nude colours, comfortable fit. But when I saw this one, I couldn’t resist. It’s a pretty lilac colour with lace edges, and it gives my boobs a nice lift, making them look perky and round.
I whip my T-shirt over my head and take off the black sports bra I was wearing, replacing it with the purple bra instead. I walk over to my bathroom, wondering if I should put on a tank topthat makes the lace just peek over the top, but then I remember Caleb’s invitation. I can even the scale. He did send me one with his shirt off, so fair is fair.
I look in the mirror, pull my hair out from its messy bun so the red waves drop over my shoulder, and smile. I look straight at the camera lens so there’s no mistaking exactly who I’m taking this photo for and hit send before I can chicken out.
I put the phone on the bench and run out of the bathroom, collecting my T-shirt from the floor, giving myself something to do while I wait for his response. I hear it chime from the bathroom, and my stomach almost leaps out of my throat.
I slowly walk back to the bathroom and collect my phone, making myself sit down on the bed before I’m allowed to look at it.
CALEB:
Okay, I see what you mean about shirtless photos. For the record, I know we’re friends, but my thoughts are very unfriendly right now.
ME:
Back at you. Sir.
The rest of the night is spent flirting and texting with Caleb. When it’s time to go to bed, I can’t help but think that I really like this friend thing we have going. But it’s also proving to me that I don’t want him to just be my friend.
Chapter twenty-nine
There’s a spring in my step that not even the most boring business meeting could deter. I finally feel focused at work again. Every night that Lex is working, I go sit at the end of the bar. All through the night, she sneaks over to me. We talk and learn more about each other.
For the nights she doesn’t work, we text. Well beyond the hours that would see me having a good night’s sleep. But despite the lack of rest, I’ve never felt more energised and filled with ambition.
My cheeks hurt from smiling whenever I hear the little ping on my phone with a new text message.
I had to assign a different ringtone for Lex’s messages, though. I nearly had a coronary at the influx of dings on our second night of chatting. Turned out it was just Mason detailing the ways different types of alcohol stick to your skin after a woman throws her drink at you.
The stupid arse.
It’s with thoughts of Lex that the smile stays on my face as I step into the Cyprus Guild building.
The Cyprus Guild is a members-only club for the wealthy and prominent members of Heart City society. Basically, a placefor anyone with over a six-figure income to boast about how much money they’re spending and earning.
My grandparents are both members, and so are my dad, Beth, and I.
It’s a good way to network, but when you live in a tropical climate, the mandatory business attire is stifling, especially in Heart City’s summer heat.
Suit jackets are non-negotiable, as is the sweat on my balls right now.
People mingle in the foyer of the heritage building while they wait to be ushered into the dining room.
I spot Grams in the centre of the room. If her pastel blue pantsuit wasn’t a beacon for attention, the booming laugh she reserves specifically for business meetings would have been enough.
