Just a Taste (Private Relations 1)

Chris’s face fell.

“Come on. Her company was kind of perfect for us. I’m not gonna have to look for someone else now, right? Go—”

Deacon sighed and said, “Enough, man. I just asked her to make the changes to the contract we discussed, and she’s gonna e-mail it over.”

Laughing gleefully, Chris shook his head. “Good luck with the oversight process, buddy.”

Looking at his watch, then at Chris, he smirked and said, “So, I shot that press release over to TSN and got a press conference scheduled for tomorrow. Now that I’m done doing your job, I’m gonna go ahead and do some CFO stuff now. You know? My job?

For good measure, Deacon followed that up with a snide grin.

Raising his middle finger again, Chris moved toward the door.

“I’ve got a four o’clock anyway. We’re still on for beer after work?”

“After today? Hell yes. Later, man.”

Turning his attention back to the work on his desk, he was able to clear out most of his inbox by 4:45 p.m. Spying an e-mail from Sara, he printed off the updated contract.

After signing, he stuck the document in a folder and decided that there wasn’t going to be any courier service required after all. He’d just stop by and drop it off. It would give him the perfect opportunity to have a conversation with her. They couldn’t just go on pretending that she probably didn’t want to punch him in the throat. Besides, that was the mature thing to do. Communicate like adults.

It freaking sucked being an adult sometimes.

Glancing at the clock, he shut down his computer and gathered his jacket and briefcase. Looking forward to the gym, the whirlpool, and a cold beer, he headed to the door. If there was ever a day for a cold beer, this would be it.

Opening the door to his office and heading out to the front lobby, he called to Chris who was talking to Jim, the third member of JDC, “See you guys later. Gonna hit the gym, then I’ll meet you at Greeley’s, Chris?”

After receiving a salute of acknowledgment from Chris and a wave from Jim, he headed to the elevator and pressed the down arrow.

Stepping into the elevator, he let himself think back to the meeting again. Sara was still hot. Short, curvy, wavy red hair, longer than he remembered. Serious gray eyes. She always seemed to be concentrating on something.

As the door opened, he walked to the parking garage on autopilot and got into his car, still focused on Sara.

Thinking back to that morning during college, he tried to remember the reason he was such a dick. The sex was incredible. She hadn’t been overly cuddly, or crazy. She was actually a cool chick. There had just been something about those eyes that seemed to see right through him. He remembered feeling vaguely uncomfortable about feeling anything at all when he looked at her.

Shaking his head, he realized he’d walked out on her because he’d actually liked her. He didn’t recognize it at the time, but in addition to the phenomenal sex, he had enjoyed being around her in general, too.

Yep, he thought sarcastically, clearly he had needed to nip that shit in the bud. He laughed at himself now. He had been such a dumbass kid. Getting dressed and leaving with a handshake had definitely not been one of his classiest moves.

Then again, he hadn’t really been a very nice person until, well, Chloe. Having to take care of his sister after his Mom had disappeared had changed everything. Being forced to leave school a semester before graduation had made him pretty angry at first. He had managed to make his way out of that shit hole and he hadn’t had any intention of going back.

That frightened call from his thirteen-year-old sister had made him think about something other than himself for the first time in his life. He couldn’t even imagine what his life would be like had he not picked up. That phone call made him the man that he was today.

Shaking his head, as if to dislodge the memory, he thought back to those inquisitive gray eyes. He was dreading the conversation he was going to have to have.

God, he really hoped she had forgotten the w

hole handshake thing.

After a punishing run on the treadmill, a soak in the whirlpool, and a quick shower, Deacon headed back toward his car. Today had been utterly insane. He was looking forward to beer and uncomplicated conversation.

As he pulled into the parking lot of Greeley’s, he spotted Chris’s jag near the back of the parking lot. Walking through the door, he scanned the crowd. He finally spied Chris in deep conversation with a blonde. From the looks of it, he’d probably end up being a third wheel. Having no desire to sit through an awkward evening, he considered his options briefly.

Opting to head home rather than drinking alone at the bar, he was soon settled in front of his television with a beer and some baseball.

About halfway through the fifth inning, he woke with a jerk to the sound of his cell phone ringing. Grabbing the phone and blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw it was his sister. Picking up he mumbled, “H’lo?”

Chloe snickered. “Deak, it’s like eight thirty. Were you asleep already, old man?”