Lip Service (Private Relations 2)

“Hey, Chloe. How was your day? Good?”

“Yeah. I wrapped up the big project I was working on, so that was good. How about you? Did you finish the proposal you were working on for the video game place?”

“Yeah. We fine-tuned it, but it was mostly good as is. They’re coming in tomorrow to meet with us, and for part of the day Wednesday,” he said.

“I hope that works out for you guys. This deal would really help you expand into other markets, right?”

“Absolutely. We’re definitely looking to broaden our client base.”

“Makes sense,” she said, then mentioned, “Oh! So this morning I woke up and my shoulders were still ridiculously achy. I decided I give up on CrossFit. I told Kelli today that I’d do Zumba or something with her, but I couldn’t do the boot camp stuff anymore.”

“Good. If your muscles hurt like that, then you’re probably doing too much. Besides,” he said, “You’re in great shape as is.”

He could imagine the smirk on her face now.

“Why, thank you. It’s so nice of you to notice.”

Laughing, he said, “Of course I noticed. I explored pretty much every inch of your body on Saturday.”

“And I enjoyed every second of it,” she said.

“Ya know, we never really talked about it afterward, but how did the whole being tied up thing work for you?” he asked, curious now.

Quiet for a minute, she finally said, “It totally worked for me. It added something to the experience, and I’d definitely want to continue experimenting with that kind of stuff. I liked everything about the way we were together Saturday.”

A smile pulling at his lips now, he said, “Me too.”

Then he added, “By the way, Jim found out we were seeing each other today. He invited me out Wednesday for a baseball game and I mentioned I was busy. He seemed very amused, especially with Deacon right there. He’s also protective of you. Between the two of them, I’m in trouble if I hurt you.”

Sighing, Chloe said, “It’s a nice sentiment, but I’m an adult. Besides, it’s not like you would hurt me intentionally, anyway. You’re not that kind of person.”

“Thanks for noticing,” he said softly.

He heard her yawn, and said, “You should go to sleep, baby. You sound exhausted.”

A smile in her voice, she said, “I am. I’ve been up since five. Talk to you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” he said, “Call me when you’re done with your paper if it’s not too late?”

“‘Kay, night.”

“Night. Sleep well.”

Chapter 11

Chloe got up from her couch when she heard the knock on her apartment door. Adjusting her glasses, she checked the peephole and opened the door when she saw Chris.

He had a bag of food in one hand. Moving to let him inside, she said, “Hey.”

Smiling, he moved to the counter to set the bag down, then walked over to wrap his arms around her.

Dipping his mouth down to hers, he gave her a quick kiss then said, “Hey. You’re in glasses tonight. That’s different.”

Grimacing, she said, “Yeah. My contacts were hurting my eyes, so I had to take them out.”

“They’re cute,” he said, gesturing at the frames. “I like them. They make you look like a naughty librarian.”

Looking at him over the rims of her frames, she asked, “Do they now?”