Page 280 of Mr. Charming

“If I had to take a guess,” Libby said, “I’d say he was single and just playing around, if you catch my drift. But I don’t know… There’s just something about him. He seems like the kind of guy who wouldn’t ever really settle down and get serious with anyone. He reminds me of an uncle I had. The whole family knew Hell would have to freeze over before that man ever got married.”

I tried to force a laugh, but it sounded so disingenuous that I stopped instantly and took another sip of my lemonade, even though it had begun to taste like water.

While I enjoyed Libby’s company, I was suddenly ready for lunch to be over so that I could be alone with my thoughts.

My thoughts which were filled with Anderson.

CHAPTER 15

Anderson

It was a new work week, which meant new trials and tribulations, as well as new projects and frustrations. And most of all, more boring meetings to attend.

Earlier in the day, I had almost forgotten about the upcoming staff meeting entirely. I supposed that wasn’t surprising though; my thoughts were so preoccupied with Joanna these days, I sometimes thought I would forget my own head if it weren’t attached to my neck.

As the meeting got started, my coworkers all put forth a valiant effort in paying attention. I, on the other hand, couldn’t even muster the energy to pretend. I stared down at the table before me, drumming my fingers on it and letting their voices turn into distant drones, knowing Tobias would fill me in on the details later. Granted, I’d caught his irritated glances, informing me that he knew I wasn’t paying attention. Yet I couldn’t bring myself to care.

I suppose part of the problem was that I’d had too many sleepless nights. It seemed that every night when I closed my eyes, I would have visions of Joanna’s soft eyes, her beautiful face, the feel of her soft skin, and the pleasure of her body on top of mine…

And then the frustration would kick in as her face slowly morphed into that of her brother’s. Her seductive eyes would turn into his judgmental ones, and I’d spend the rest of the night wondering how Joanna and I were going to carry on once he eventually found us out.

I kept telling myself that Joanna and I needed to have a serious discussion about it. We needed to be mature and fess up before things got too far out of control. I knew that it would be best if we told Tobias rather than letting him find out on his own. As long as we continued to sneak around behind his back, it made it seem like we were consciously deceiving him, which we were. The realization of this had started to make me feel disgusted with myself.

What kind of friend was I to do this to my best buddy?

I just didn’t know how much longer I could keep all the bullshit up.

I sighed and let my hand fall flat on the table, making more noise than I intended and subsequently causing a hitch in the conversation flow in the room. I caught Tobias’s eye and mouthed the word ‘Sorry.’ He gave me an exasperated eye-roll and then turned his attention back to whatever topic was at hand. Within seconds, the voices in the room returned to distant drones in the back of my mind.

I glanced around the room, feeling guilty to see that everyone else was so thoroughly invested. My own restlessness was starting to make me feel self-conscious. It wasn’t like I hadn’t heard the rumors; a handful of employees wholeheartedly believed that I had only risen to my rank in the firm due to my friendship with Tobias. More than a time or two, Tobias had told me that I needed to be careful and make sure that I showed my worth around the firm to ensure no one believed I was there just due to favoritism on his end.

Which made me wonder if he’d had a similar conversation with Joanna.

Joanna…

I’d fallen into the trap of thinking about her again, just as I always did. No considerable amount of time ever passed these days without her lovely face slipping into my mind.

A sigh accidentally escaped my lips at the thought of her. I cringed, knowing that my neighbor had heard it based on the irritated glance he shot at me.

Pull it together, Anderson, I inwardly scolded myself.

Vowing to pay better attention, I sat up straight in my chair. But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t stay focused.

Giving up, I stood from my seat, figuring that I needed a break to take a walk and get the blood back flowing in my brain. Otherwise, I was going to be completely useless for the rest of the meeting, and there was still at least a half hour to go.

“Pardon me,” I said, nodding respectfully at Tobias and then excusing myself from the room. It wasn’t the most professional of actions, but it was better than sitting at the table like an antsy ten-year-old.

I headed down the hall, whistling to myself, planning to get a sip of water, visit the men’s room, and then return to the meeting with renewed focus.

“Good morning, Mr. Lawrence.”

I turned toward the sing-song voice behind me and was rewarded with the sight of Joanna herself. She trailed behind me, seemingly on her way back from running an errand. She gave me a sly smile that practically made me combust with desire.

“Good morning, Ms. Gentry,” I said, bowing at her with a grin on my face.

She giggled, and suddenly, a rebellious streak came over me. I cast a cautious glance down the hall, checking to see if anyone else was coming. It was fortunate that I did, as one of our coworkers was rounding the corner. Joanna and I separated, permitting her room to pass down the hall as she nodded at both of us in greeting. Once she was out of sight, I grabbed Joanna’s hand and led her around the opposite corner.

“Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Lawrence?” Joanna said in a tone of mock-professionalism, struggling to keep the laughter out of her voice.

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