My First Daddy (Dark Daddies 7)
I kiss her softly one more time. “You’d better head home.”
“Yeah.” She takes a sharp breath. “See you tomorrow, I guess.”
I watch the elevator doors swallow her up and I suddenly feel like I’m making a mistake. I should call her back, strip her down, and get that taste I really fucking need.
But no, I can’t. Not yet at least. Things are still so hazy. This deal, this weird relationship… it could all easily blow up. Everything’s so fragile.
No, this kissing, it’s fucked. It’s a mistake. I don’t care how gorgeous Avery is, I need to restrain myself.
At least for a little while.5AveryJulian closes the deal a week later.
I don’t know the particulars, but it has to be pretty favorable for Haylee. Julian’s taking a big risk on her and betting big that her next series is going to do as well as her first, and I think he’s probably right.
We’re sitting in the conference room. Haylee’s sipping a bottle of water and Julian leans back, stretching slightly. The lawyers just left with signed documents, and now everything’s official.
“So, Avery,” Julian says. “How do you feel about all this?”
“I feel great,” I say. “I’m looking forward to working with you.”
“I’m sure.” Haylee gives me a tight smile and looks back at Julian. “Are you going to be reading all my drafts?” she asks.
He shrugs. “Maybe, maybe not.”
“I could use your advice. I mean, I don’t normally have a male offering edits.”
“I’m not exactly the best at editing,” he says, laughing. “I’m just the business end.”
“Oh, come on. This new series, I’m picturing something more… erotic. You’d be the perfect reader for that.”
I frown a little bit. Haylee smiles at Julian, leaning toward him over the table. Is she… pressing her boobs together?
He doesn’t take the bait. “We can find a male editor for you,” he says. “Erotic sounds interesting. Sex sells, right?”
“Of course,” she says softly. “But you’re the owner here, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but like I said, I’m just a businessman.”
She laughs lightly.
I stare at the two of them and Julian glances at me. I think he’s actually uncomfortable, and I’m not sure what to make of that.
She’s so clearly flirting with him. I mean, it’s gross and obvious. I didn’t know she was interested in him like that, and although I can’t blame her….
It pisses me off.
I haven’t kissed Julian since that night. He’s been respectful and professional in the office, and we didn’t speak at all during the weekend. I want to say that I don’t care, that it doesn’t bother me, but that would be a big fat lie.
Truth is, I keep thinking about him. I keep thinking about that kiss, about his body against mine, the way he just took me like a man and…
Oh, crap.
This is exactly what I need to avoid.
“We’ll work something out,” Haylee says lightly. She stands up and stretches, shoving her boobs out at Julian again.
He smiles and they shake hands. “I’ll walk you out,” he says.
I stand. “I’m excited to work with you!” I say.
Haylee glances at me and frowns a little. “Yeah, same.”
She leaves the room and I fall back into my chair with a sigh.
What the hell happened? Julian said she specifically requested me, but now she’s acting like I’m in the way. I don’t get it at all.
He comes back a few minutes later and shuts the door behind him. He’s grinning at me.
“We did it,” he says.
“Yeah, we did.”
“We signed her. I mean, holy shit. I didn’t think she was going to do it, but here we are. And I have you to thank for it.”
“Me?” I ask him and laugh. “I don’t think she signed for me.”
“Why do you think she signed?”
“Uh, I mean,” I start, but stop myself. “It’s nothing. Never mind.”
He leans up against the table next to me, a little smile on his face. “Come on. Say it.”
“No. It’s nothing.”
“I want to hear you say what you’re thinking. We can’t work together if you’re holding back.”
I grimace. “I think she’s flirting with you.”
He laughs at that. “She absolutely was.”
“And… that’s okay?”
He shrugs. “Who the hell cares? She can do whatever she wants, so long as she writes some great books for us.”
I glare at him. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am very serious. Are you jealous, Avery?”
“No,” I say quickly, and even I can hear how false that sounds. “I mean, no, not at all. It doesn’t matter, right? We just work together.”
“Yeah, we do. But we kissed last week.”
I blush a little. “Oh. Yeah, I mean, I guess.”
“Did you forget?”
“No,” I say.
“Good. I haven’t either.” He moves closer to me. “Truth is, I’ve been distracted with the business, but I haven’t forgotten about you, Avery.”
“I know you haven’t. I’m your assistant.”
“Not just professionally.” He reaches down and takes my hand, pulling me up from my chair. The blinds are down on the windows, giving us privacy, but that door doesn’t lock. Someone could come walking in at any moment.