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Across from him, Lily leaned forward and whisked her slender fingers over his hand. She smiled seductively and said, “We haven’t seen much of each other lately. You’ve been a very busy boy.” Her crimson lips dipped in a perfectly practiced and executed pout. “I hate it when you get all tangled up in double-booked scheduling and back-to-back travel. In fact…” Her fingertip caressed his skin. “I was expecting you at my apartment on Saturday night. After the fund-raiser.”
“We didn’t have a date, did we?” He did a mental rewind. Was positive he hadn’t mentioned anything to her about stopping by, because he typically didn’t pencil her into his calendar. As a rule, they got together when they were both at the right place, at the right/same time. Nothing premeditated. At least, not on his part.
“No,” she said, “but since you were in the city and the gala wasn’t a business event, per se, I figured you’d be in the mood for—”
“Damn, I’m sorry, Lil. There actually was business to take care of.” Specifically, finding out more about Bayli from Jackson Rutherford. And yes, Christian had been in the mood. For Bayli. But that wasn’t anything he needed to share with his assistant and occasional lover.
Former occasional lover.
Because his interests had definitely shifted elsewhere.
But Lily was still a trusted and valued employee. So he had to play this hand carefully. Christian wasn’t into leaving scorned hearts in his wake. Did it happen? Of course. But he put significant effort into severing romantic ties while keeping professional or friendly ones intact.
Lily might be a more complex situation to manage than usual, though. Christian would typically ease into the “breakup” scenario, not just drop the axe, even when it wasn’t actually a breakup since there’d never been the insinuation of a relationship on his part. He wasn’t good with relationships that didn’t involve Rory. And those never had a long-running shelf life because it was difficult to find a woman who could hold both their attention for any serious duration.
With Lily, Christian had made the mistake of dipping his quill in the company ink. He didn’t want to lose her as an assistant. She’d been with him for nearly six years. Knew all the ins and outs of his and Rory’s enterprise, knew all of Christian’s professional and personal preferences, right down to ensuring that when he was on the road, a fresh pot of gourmet coffee and a continental breakfast arrived on his hotel room doorstep at precisely 6:45 without a single knock on the door.
She was an asset. Just not girlfriend material. Not for him.
Christian didn’t know if Lily understood that or not—they’d never had a heart-to-heart. She’d followed his lead, and while she’d dropped hints that she thought she was the only one he was sleeping with, he’d never confirmed that as fact. Had never really thought he’d had to because, in all honesty, they spent such little time together outside of the office that it seemed a bit inconceivable for her to think they were more than convenient sexual companions.
But that really was neither here nor there at the moment. He was ready to move forward with his plans now that he had a contract to take one more look at before it went to Bayli for her signature.
Lily asked in a provocative voice, “Is there anything else I can do for you, boss?”
He recognized the suggestive tone for what it was. Gently said, “Thanks, but no. I need to wrap all of this up.” He indicated the files spread before him.
“You’re usually not so secretive.”
He didn’t miss her disappointment that he wasn’t relying on her for all of the administrative detail related to this new quest. Christian told her, “I’m still working through all the nuances. Why don’t you go back to the office? I’m keeping you from your other responsibilities. If something crops up, I’ll give you a call. Otherwise, expect me back in the office tomorrow.”
She stared at him a few moments, likely trying to read his thoughts. Then shrugged and said, “Okay. Just give a holler.”
Lily put extra sway in her hips as she sashayed out. Christian chuckled under his breath. She wasn’t exactly the type to give up. Nor was she the type to be denied. By most men. But Christian had another woman on his mind.
He unclasped the envelope Lily had delivered just as Rory sank into the chair she’d vacated.
“We have a small problem,” Rory announced. “And by small, I mean huge.”
Eyeing him over the top of the package, Christian asked, “What the fuck happened with Bayli yesterday?”
“Funny how you just immediately knew that I screwed everything up.”
“Well, it does seem to be the pattern between the two of you.” Christian let out a long hiss of breath as he set aside the contract. “And that’s really the only facet of your life involving me that I don’t have some control over, so … Easy deduction, Watson.”
“Wait.” Rory stood, flipped his chair around, and straddled it. “Why do you get to be Sherlock?”
“Because I’m smarter than you.”
“Well, we all fucking know that,” he scoffed. “Though not by much. I graduated with … some … honors.”
“I graduated with all honors. And who the hell cares?” He speared his friend with a hard look. “What did you do?”
“I’m not exactly sure,” Rory confessed. “I mean, you and I agreed I needed to spend more time with Bayli in order to find a groove that’ll work for the show. So I surprised her at the library—that was a bit of a disaster, not that anyone is shocked by this. Then we went to the farmers’ market and things were going well. Really well.”
Christian’s gaze narrowed. “How well?”
“I kissed her.”
