“Well, you let me know what you need from me, son. I’ll do the meet-and-greet. Show him around. The whole shebang. He got a girlfriend? I’ll find him one.”
I snorted. “He’s all set in that department, but I appreciate the offer and I’m sure I’ll take you up on the rest—pending whatever his stupid fucking mood is that day,” I said. Engelman gave a belly laugh.
“You better keep tabs on that stupid fucking mood of his. Text him. Ask him what we can do for him. We’ll get anyone in this town to cater the meeting. Sky’s the limit,” he said before plunking my baseball back onto my desk and seeing himself out.
I laughed as I watched him waddle down the hall.
Despite the baseball thing, I did appreciate my boss’s new interest in Knox. In fact, for as busy as it was, this week was actually going fairly well despite my personal life trying to drive me up a goddamned wall.
Having AJ around obviously helped.
Saved me, really.
It had always been the case in the past, but this week, the feeling was multiplied a thousand times, because between the new background drama unfolding in my life and the scrambling to move up meetings, prepare for Knox and keep up with the often needy and dramatic clients I already had, I’d felt my patience wear thin about a thousand times since Monday. But every time I was close to snapping, AJ sensed it and strolled into my office, making a list of everything agitating me then addressing each bullet point separately to tell me exactly why it wasn’t a big deal and why we were going to have it handled.
That part was what she’d always done in the past. Of course, this week, I got to enjoy a few added bonuses to that routine.
Namely those lips I couldn’t stop thinking about since she came over Sunday night.
They always came with her hand resting softly on my chest as she leaned over my chair, and I didn’t know what the hell it
was about that combination, but it was like taking a hit of something powerful. So good you had to sit for a little after and just breathe and relax.
I was actually still riding the high of her last kiss about an hour ago, which explained my ease when Engelman rubbed his dirty paws all over one of my more prized possessions.
But as it turned out, I’d be in desperate need of another hit in an hour.
And surprise, surprise, it was because of Knox.
After Engelman left, I’d texted to see if we could provide anything for him tomorrow morning, and an hour later, he sent a casually infuriating text.
KNOX: Forgot to tell you I can’t make tomorrow
I’d stared at the message for what felt like a full minute, reminding myself that there was no asking a potential client what the fuck his problem was.
ME: That’s unfortunate. What day can we reschedule to?
This time, his reply came quickly.
KNOX: Don’t need to. Thanks
I dragged my hand over my face.
“What the fuck?” I hissed under my breath, and again when I tried Knox only to be sent straight to voicemail.
I was trying again when AJ walked in with her eyebrow arched.
“Knox canceled tomorrow and said he doesn’t want to reschedule,” I said when I hung up. “He isn’t picking up either.
She stared. “That fucking asshole. Are you kidding me?”
“I wish I was. He’s such goddamned difficult prick.”
“I mean it’s his reputation for a reason. Remind me again why we’re so eager to sign this dickhead?”
I rubbed my tight jaw as I reminded myself of the reasons. Because I’ve been quietly tracking him for years.
Because whether I like it or not, he and I have some very important things in common.