Between trying to keep my tone professional and managing all the feelings being this close to Tom were inducing, my body was trying to do too much, and my mouth was taking the hit.
I needed to get this conversation back to the actual project before I offended this guy. I regrouped quickly and put my game face on.
“I’m fluent in Spanish, so if that’s how you prefer to communicate, I’m happy to do so.” I flashed him my best Becky smile and tried to bring this motherfucking meeting back on track. “Melissa tells me that you’d like to be kept abreast on how the project progresses. Is there anything in particular you’d like me to be aware of? I’d be happy to send you updates.” Rambling, I was rambling.
“That sounds great, Camilo.”
I clenched my fists under the table before I said more. Because I knew this was where I would be doomed. “Or we could meet periodically. Just say the word.”
Tom kept looking at me with an amused expression and it was fucking unnerving. Was he mocking me or did he think I was funny?
What the hell?
My face must have started to show how anxious I was because he broke eye contact and when he looked at me again his face was softer. No more smirking. He leaned in a little like hewas going for more approachable body language. The problem was him getting closer only got me more worked up.
“I’m not sure if Melissa told you, but the reason I requested someone bilingual is because I’d like my mother to get some updates, too.” At the mention of his mother his face lit up. A Dominican boy who loved his mother.
Like I needed one more reason for my ill-advised crush to grow.
“Mom doesn’t speak a lot of English, and I may bring her to a meeting when she’s in town for a visit.” His face changed for an instant, and it was clear whatever he was remembering was painful. I wondered if his dad had been an abusive asshole, but he smiled when talking about his parents, so maybe it was something else. Whatever was on his mind must’ve had to do with his reason for doing this project. I wanted to ask, but I managed to keep my prying to myself.
I nodded, already so invested in making sure things with Thomas went smoothly. “That’s absolutely fine. How would you prefer that we communicate?”
I hated myself for hoping he said face-to-face, because how could that have any sort of good outcome?
Tom’s face turned serious again, like he was also struggling with how far we were going to take this farce. A few seconds passed and I sat there with my hands gripping the edge of the chair, waiting, because I knew. I fuckingknewthis was it. If Tom said he’d be fine with getting updates by email it meant whatever it was we’d shared at the gala had just been a bit of fun for him.
Usually, being in a situation where someone else clearly held the upper hand would send me running in the other direction. But as I sat there all I could think was,please say you want to see me again.
He glanced at Melissa who just sat there beaming, blissfully ignorant of the unfolding drama, then back to me. “If it’salright with Melissa and it doesn’t interfere too much with your responsibilities, I’d like for us to meet once a week, Camilo.” My heart thumped so hard I almost pressed a hand to my chest. “Just during the initial stages, after things start moving we can adjust.”
“That sounds totally fine, Tom.’ Melissa piped up then and I was surprised she could get a word out, with how hard she was grinning “Camilo and I already spoke, and he will be able to meet with you as needed.”
I tipped my head in agreement, as I tried hard not to show how much his answer was affecting me. The feeling of utter elation at his words should have tipped me off to just how inappropriate this all was, but I ignored all that shit and just sat there nodding. I looked over and smiled at Melissa whose head was also bobbing up and down.
“That should be fine, Mr. Hughes?—
“Tom. Please, call me Tom.” His face looked so earnest, like he was trying to do everything he could to make himself non-intimidating.
“Tom, then.” I assented and when I spoke again there was a warmth in my voice that had no place at a work meeting. “Once a week sounds good. My schedule is pretty full, so if it works for you I’d prefer if we set a day and time to meet on a weekly basis. That way I can have it in my calendar as an ongoing thing.”
He smiled again, and this time Thomas from Friday night creeped out a little.
He was so fucking sexy.
“That’s fine. My schedule is relatively flexible right now,” he said, pulling out his wallet, then passed me a business card.
“Why don’t you email me some times that work for you, and we can go from there.” He stood up then, our meeting was over, apparently. Melissa and I got our asses in gear and stood up as well.
I extended my hand to him as I got up. “I’ll be in touch before the end of the day.”
When he took my hand in his I was sure I saw sparks. “Looking forward to it, Camilo.”
Melissa’s grin was still in full force as we walked out of her office. “Tom, thanks so much for coming today, we’re incredibly excited and grateful for this project. It’s a game changer for us.”
He seemed happy and genuinely pleased at her excitement. Keeping my shit together with this man was going to be an uphill battle.
“I’m glad we can move forward. I’ll have my finance person contact you regarding some information we need.” He turned to me again. “Thank you both.”
