“You’ve been enough of a pain in the arse; go back to dealing with whatever crisis you’re in the middle of.”
“Take care of yourself. Let’s meet up for drinks next week.”
“It’s a plan,” she said and hung up. Opening the browser on her phone, she typed in the word “demisexual.”
Daniela was right. She did have some research to do.
Chapter Seventeen
Threedayslater,Chloestepped out of the elevator and into the ultramodern reception area of Theo’s office. Walking past Annabelle’s shiny white marble desk, she said, “Good morning, is Theo in?”
Annabelle rose from the chair. “Yes, he is. Do you have an appointment?”
“No, but he’s expecting me.” He wasn’t really, but she didn’t care. Without waiting for permission to enter, she made her way to Theo’s office.
“You can’t go in there,” Annabelle called, rushing around her desk.
Chloe didn’t stop at the receptionist’s demand. She was still mad about the botched date he’d set her up on, and she still wasn’t sure if she believed that he wasn’t spying on her. Hehadbeen sitting with two men and a teenager, so maybe he was telling the truth? God, that man screwed with her mind; she didn’t know what to believe anymore. Anyway, he’d promised to help her find her Mr. Right, and she hadn’t heard from him in days. Yeah, she knew she was being impatient, but the clock was ticking on her ovaries. Not to mention, now that she suspected that she might possibly be demisexual, she was in even more of a time crunch.
Chloe swung open the glossy black door and stopped in her tracks. Annabelle almost bumped into her. Inside the office, Theo stood at his desk facing the window looking out over the city—shirtless! Chloe swallowed hard at her view. Theo’s broad shoulders, tanned skin, and toned back narrowed into the waist of gray trousers. Oh good Lord! The man was spectacular!
At the interruption, Theo turned his head over his shoulder. His eyes widened when he saw Chloe.
“Excuse me, sir, I tried stopping her,” the executive assistant said, not seeming at all bothered that her boss was half-naked in his office. Meanwhile, Chloe’s tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth.Down, girl!
“That’s okay, Annabelle. Please close the door behind you.” When Annabelle left, Theo said, “I spilled coffee on my shirt.” He walked to a cupboard on the other side of the room, pulled out a black shirt, and shrugged into it. The front view of Theo’s body was even better than the back.
Finding her voice, she said, “Have you found another date for me?”
His hands tucked the shirt inside the waistband of his trousers, and this time she couldn’t drag her eyes away. What would he do if she walked over to him and replaced his hands with hers? Oh, my God! What was wrong with her? She needed to get over her Theo obsession, and fast! The quicker she found her future husband, the quicker she could attend to matters that were becoming uncomfortable. Her vibrator took the edge off, but at some point soon, she’d like to feel the real thing.
Theo sat on the edge of the desk, placed his palms on the surface, and crossed his legs at the ankles. “I’ve asked my friend Owen, and he’s agreed to meet you.”
She walked farther into the room. “Is he another rebound guy?”
“No.” Theo’s lips thinned.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Nothing. He works for an accounting firm. He’s a good guy.” Annoyance flicked across his features.
“So why do you look miserable?” She eyed him skeptically.
“Maybe because this whole situation makes me uncomfortable.”
“Well, if he’s as good as you say he is, then this should be over soon and you’ll never have to help me again.” She knew she was being a bit of a brat, but she couldn’t help it—he and Ethan were treating her like a child—and she fully expected Theo to call her on it. His frown deepened, but he didn’t snark back like she expected. Something was off here, but she couldn’t put her finger on what.
“He’s in our office today. I’ll call him up, and you can make arrangements,” he said, leaning over to the intercom on the desk. The movement pulled his shirt tighter across his body so the muscles were defined under the fabric.
God, it was getting hot in here. Was the air conditioning on? She wanted to fan her face. Then his words hit. “He’s coming here? Now?”
His finger paused over the button. “Don’t you want to meet him before your date? You can decide whether he’s your type or not before you commit to meeting him.”
“Oh, yeah… that’s a great idea. See? I need you. You’re so helpful.” She twisted a ring on her finger. Jittery nerves spread along her spine.
Again, he frowned. He really must hate doing this for her. Normally she’d feel guilty for asking someone to do something they didn’t want to do, but this was important. Her future depended on it. Darius might have been a bad fit, but she had to have faith this time would be better.
Theo pressed the intercom button. “Annabelle, can you please call Owen to my office?”
