Page 17 of Wrapped Up in You
“Take all the time you need.” I move to the chair in front of my desk, pull my phone out, and take a seat. My eyes go from the phone that has ten plus text messages to Serena. She’s solely focused on the computer, head nodding, fingers tapping, and lips moving.
I pull up the thread, ignoring the missed phone call from Luke, the emails that have piled up from yesterday. That’s not even counting the work account and all of the other shit I’m sure I need to sift through. And while I have an assistant, most of this, Mary can’t go through to weed out the junk versus the good, especially in my personal life. She doesn’t get paid enough to put up with my shit.
Jagger: When do we get to meet the future Mrs. Garrison?
Asher: I figure Luke, Shae, and Coralynn will meet her first.
Luke: Anthony will be with us, if he has anything to say about it.
Tysen: Damn, way to make us feel like the last kid to be picked for a game of kickball. Tough crowd.
Jude: At this point, with as many weddings and babies that are coming, we should get a group rate.
Johnny: They could at least do a buy one, get one free. But yeah, Winnie’s in my ear, wanting to be introduced to Serena.
Asher: Ditto for Lennie. She’s ready to reach out, so share the phone number with the girls. They’ll induct her faster than Luke can deliver a baby.
Jagger: Pretty sure that’s the consensus with all of the girls. Lyric suggests a family dinner on Sunday and will be ticked if Crew doesn’t bring her with him.
Matthew: You realize our women have probably already looked up every social media outlet and know everything there is to know about Serena. Favorite color, meal, and hangout.
Jude: Damn, they’re doing my job for me. Where is the lucky bastard Crew at? Imagine getting to work with your woman, getting her every hour of the day.
Trent: No wonder we’ve yet to meet her. The woman hasn’t been let up for air. Can’t say that I blame him. Kennedy has me the same way.
Asher: Shut the fuck up. I get you’re married to my sister, but I do not ever want to hear about anything that the two of you get up to.
Jagger: Big bro is activated. Keep ‘em coming, Trent.
“Jesus,” I mutter, going through the messages. These fuckers are not going to stop.
“Is everything okay over there? You sound annoyed.” Serena breaks through my thoughts.
“Yeah, the guys are giving me shit. I met with one of them on Saturday, and we discussed the plans we’ve been working on. His woman, Shae, and her sister, Coralynn, own LITHE. Anyway, a group this big, word gets around. It’s a wonder it didn’t happen sooner. They’re chomping at the bit to meet you. Their women are, too, which also means the kids in the family will as well.” I take a moment to see what she thinks. Serena’s poker face isn’t worth shit, she wears her feelings on her sleeve, plus being around her as much as I’ve been, I can read her like a book.
“The same could be said for Talia, my neighbor and friend across the street, Mackie’s mom. Every day, I’m getting a text or a phone call asking when she’ll get to meet you, and she'spouting that her beloved Boxer will be doing so before her.” She pauses whatever she has playing on her phone and sits back in her chair. She stretches her back and pushes her chest out. I’m greeted with the soft swells of her breasts and her puckered nipples. I bite the inside of my cheek, refraining from getting out of my chair and doing whatever I can with her with the time allotted we have before someone undoubtedly comes in to interrupt.
“Name the time and place, and I’ll be there.”
“This weekend good for you? She’ll be home Saturday morning before her evening shift, which means I’ll be at home for Mackie, too.” She lifts her arms above her head, further stretching.
“That means I get you at my place Friday night?” I abandon my phone. The need to have her close is too damn much. The pull is too damn strong, and I’m too damn weak to deny myself.
“Definitely.” Serena tracks my movement, eyes never leaving mine, and when I make it to her, she tilts her head up as I bring mine down. Our lips meet, and her hand goes to my chest.
“Ahem, sorry to bother.” The kiss is soft and entirely too short, and it’s a good thing, too, because Mary walks in right as it ends. I’ve never pulled back so fast in my life, and all I can hope is that Serena’s cheeks don’t show the blush she’s unable to hide from me.
“No bother at all,” I reply, relaxing my stance and stuffing my hands in my pockets.
“I just wanted to remind you about the conference call in an hour. The other party is in a different time zone, and after having to reschedule them after the last snafu, I’d rather not deal with that problem again.” Mary keeps my shit set straight, the company I’m doing a set of plans for, on the other hand, not so much. They’ve been a pain, and I’m about ready to say the hell with them.
“Thank you, I appreciate that.”
“You’re welcome.” Mary disappears as fast as she appeared.
“That was close,” Serena says in a whisper when Mary leaves the room, closing the door softly behind her.
“Probably too close. I’m going to owe her a nice bonus at the end of the year. You still good with meeting the gang soon?” We never finished our discussion from moments ago.
