Ego Maniac

She eyed the skates on my shoulders. “I don’t want to keep you guys when you’re on the way out for some fun.”

“Beck doesn’t mind. Right, buddy?”

My son was so easygoing. He shrugged. “Nope. Can I go draw at your desk, Dad?”

“Of course. Bottom right-hand drawer.”

Beck took off running. He loved to sit at my big desk and draw. He could do it for hours.

I walked to the other side of Emerie’s desk.

“He’s adorable,” she said.

“Thank you. He’s a good kid.” I pulled out her chair. “Sit. I’ll show you how to load your new phone.”

Of course, I could have sat down and done it for her in two seconds, but I preferred to lean over her shoulder and have her trapped between the desk and my body. I intentionally spoke low and let my breath tickle her neck.

“You click this folder.” I put my hand over hers on the mouse and clicked. “Then this. And then use the drop-down up here and hit restore.”

Watching her skin prickle with goosebumps, I leaned my head closer to her ear. “You cold?”

“No. I’m good.”

I smiled to myself as I clicked through a few more screens. Then her new phone, which was already plugged into her laptop, lit up and began to restore from the cloud.

“Wow. I’ve been trying to figure that out for an hour now.”

“How’d you break it anyway?”

“If I tell you, you have to promise not to laugh.”

“But I can still make fun of you?”

“No. You can’t do that either.”

I stood. “Then what’s the fun in hearing the story?”

Emerie laughed. “How was your trip to Atlanta, jackass?”

“Flight was delayed a few hours for weather. But it was fine. At least Alexa didn’t give me a hard time.”

Emerie had just given me a perfect opening. I hated that I needed to know, but screw it, I did. I attempted to at least sound casual. “How was your dinner last night?”

Emerie’s brows drew down; then she realized what I was asking. “Oh. I just ordered in Chinese by myself.”

“No dinner with Putz?”

She bit her lower lip and shook her head. I stepped closer.

“Why not?”

“It just…didn’t feel like the right thing to do.”

We’d agreed we were going to be exclusive sexually, and I’d even pretty much told her I thought we had more than just great chemistry, but I couldn’t very well tell her she couldn’t have dinner with a guy friend. Don’t get me wrong, that’s exactly what I wanted to tell her—although since the thought scared even me, I figured I should keep that shit to myself.

Instead of revealing my inner pussy, I walked to her door. My eyes never left hers as I yelled to my son. “All good, Beck?”

“Yeah!” he yelled back.