I wiggle my eyebrows, using this opportunity to stand a little closer and get a whiff of her. During the day, I try to keep it professional, but she makes it really difficult. It’s just so easy to be around her. It would be so easy to get her into the back seat of my Jag right now and…
“Keep it in your pants, mister!” she warns me, but I can see that glint of interest in her eye.
“I’m just saying I have my ways.” I lean in close to growl in her ear. She doesn’t pull away too quickly, instead turning her head to expose the length of her neck.
“Yes, you do,” she confirms in a breathy sigh.
“Actually, why don’t you take the meeting?” I murmur in her ear. “Should be an easy sale. You’ll get the commission. Ron will be dazzled by your sales prowess.”
She flinches back. “Wait, what? Are you serious? You want me to take your meeting?”
Oh, I guess we are really talking business, I realize. I should pick a less construction-oriented come-on line next time. Might hold her attention better.
“Well, yeah,” I shrug, returning to a professional demeanor. “You know more about these packages than I do anyway. You could really sell it, and I think this investor will appreciate the forward-thinking.”
“Wow, Clay, that would be amazing!” she breathes, her hand drifting up toward her mouth so she can assume her “concentration pose,” with her fingers pressed to her chin.
“Yeah. It will be an easy score for you.”
Her eyes go distant as she considers the possibilities, the massive commission, and her strategy. I can read her like a book. She has already closed the deal in her mind. It’s adorable.
Then something distracts her and she pulls her cell phone out of her back pocket, instantly changing to tension.
“Shit, Ethan missed his bus. I’m going to have to… Dammit. Well, it was a good idea,” she shrugs.
I feel her happiness slipping away, like a paper sailboat in a river.
“Wait! You’re not leaving, right? Can’t it wait a minute?”
She tips her head slightly and glares at me. “No, Clay it can’t wait a minute. He needs to be picked up. That’s the gig. But I appreciate you thinking of me.”
She pivots toward the driveway and I step in front of her automatically to bar her way.
“Well, can I get him? Just pick him up from school?”
She pauses, clearly startled. Her expression changes three or four times as she processes the information.
“I guess so. I mean… you can? Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“It’s about time he learned how to drive anyway,” I shrug.
“Clay!” she barks, but I am already opening the door to the Jag.
“Bye! We will see you for dinner!” I call out before speeding away.
I’ve broken my promise to stop teasing her so many times, I don’t even promise anymore. I don’t know why it’s so much fun. I like to make her jump just a little bit, to see those sparks of outrage, to tussle with her. Not all the way angry. That is actually no fun at all. But a little bit of heat is quite satisfying. And catching her in my arms when she’s feisty is even more fun. She sparkles. She snarls. I like to kiss her when her mouth is full of objections and swear words, just to drown her out.
But I realize that driving up to the middle school with a hard-on is less than optimal, so I try to focus my thoughts elsewhere. Somewhere else besides her long, tawny legs. That round ass. The sound of her sass being melted away as she submits to my kisses.
Okay, Clay, knock it off. Really need to focus now.
I know this middle school, because this is where I went. Driving up feels a little strange, and I have to pull around to the visitor parking instead of the bus driveway. But from here I can see the top of Ethan’s shiny, dark head, bent forward over his homework as he sits on a bench next to the basketball court.
He raises his head when I walk up to him, squinting against the afternoon sunlight.
“Hey, sorry,” he mumbles.
“No worries,” I shrug. “Your mom has a meeting so she sent me. Do you want to play a little Horse for a minute?”