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About midmorning Branson’s receptionist calls me. She tells me Branson is waiting for me in his office and wants to see me immediately. I’ve been avoiding him for two days, and I guess that needs now.
For a second, I wonder if word about my conversation with Tammy had leaked to him, but that’s just ridiculous. How would he know what she told me? Besides, it wasn’t like he owed me an explanation.
I take a deep breath and walk to his office with dread. My brand new Martinez heels click on the floor. They were a gift from the President of the company. As I open up the door and let myself in, I flick my hair over my shoulder and give him a sultry look. “You’re looking for me?” There I go again, flirting with him, I admonish myself.
“Yes.” Branson leans back in his chair and threads his fingers behind his head. “Do you have plans for the weekend?”
My heart jumps into my throat, at the thought of a weekend with Branson, even though I’m trying to be mad at him. “I umm… no.” Stammering isn’t what I was going for, but I’m tongue-tied.
Branson frowns at my strange answer before he leans forward. “I need to attend the launch of Fitness Trainers’ advertising camping in Florida tomorrow morning; since you helped me with the design, I’m inviting you along.”
My mind races as my hope drops into my sexy new heels. He wasn’t planning a weekend with me, he was just being courteous. Before I can make up my mind, Branson speaks again interrupting my thoughts. “This is a great opportunity. Besides that, I think they’ll appreciate you joining me. Usually, I take Lisa, but since she had no input on the design, it only makes sense to take you.”
I take a deep breath and sigh. Hearing him mention Lisa, and me now knowing their history, makes me burn inside.
“Please?” He asks with sparkling eyes.
I swallow hard, not able to say no. “All right. When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow morning, we’re taking a 6am flight.”
“Then we’ll be back late afternoon?”
Branson shifts in his chair. “No, we’ll be returning on Sunday. Will that be a problem for you?”
The idea of spending the night in a hotel with Branson make my knees tremble. Picking up on my anxiousness Branson laughs. “Don’t worry Riley; you’ll have your own room. It just makes more sense, as I don’t know how long the launch is going to take. They’ve invited us to dinner as well, but I said we’ll see how we feel after the launch.”
Setting my confused feelings toward Branson aside, he was right. This is an excellent opportunity for me to network and to make a name for myself in the world of advertising. Not that anyone would notice me standing beside Branson, but I’d still be present and in the moment. “Great. Thanks for inviting me. I’m interested to see what a launch entails.”
“Jocks, athletes and models,” Branson says with a smirk. “Fitness Trainers has become very popular in the world of sports and models are never far behind. The Who’s who will be there.”
Great, I think to myself. I’m going to be surrounded by hunky men and gorgeous women. Oh well, too late to back out now.
He hands me a small travel pack, and I open it finding the plane tickets inside. “How did you know I wasn’t going to say no?” I asked surprised to see my hotel booking included in the package.
“Let’s just say I had a feeling you’d want to brush up on your ball skills.” His eyes shine with humor as he briefly cocks his brow.
I feel the tell-tale signs of desire pump through my veins at his words. There’s no way I will be able to control my hormones when he looks at me like that like I’m everything.
I walk out of his office clutching the travel pack to my chest. I will need iron resolve to get through the next forty-eight hours, especially if I don’t want to jump Branson on a plane, or an elevator, or even in a restaurant.
9
Branson
I look out of my hotel window and watch the sunset over the palm trees. Miami is one of my favorite cities. It’s a different world compared to New York. I didn’t have to invite Riley along, but I wanted to. For some reason, I wanted to see if there was chemistry outside of the office.
It’s even stronger.
After a quick shower, I remove the towel that’s wrapped around my hips and dress. The launch was a major success and judging by the mob of people waiting to buy a pair, I’d say Riley, and I definitely hit the right mark with the campaign. Watching Riley at the event made me think of how excited I was when I attended my first launch. The celebrities, free gifts and champagne, I’d come accustomed to it all over the years. But seeing it all through Riley’s eyes made me feel like a kid in a candy store again.
She was reserved when she met me at the airport this morning, but that reserve soon dissolved and transformed into excitement. Throughout the morning she would pull me close and whisper into my ear, or tug at my hand to show me something. Of course, I’ve seen it all before, but her excitement was contagious.
According to Riley, we were joining the executives for dinner, what she didn’t know is that I canceled. I spent the entire day complimenting them on their success and watching various men try to get Riley’s attention. I want her to myself now.
Instead of a dinner filled with celebrities and fancy dishes, I want to have dinner with her, alone.
For weeks we’ve been dancing around our attraction and sexual innuendos. It was time to decide where I would let this go. I had a pretty good idea, but I was hesitant. My brief affair with Lisa had proved exactly how complicated office affairs could be, but Riley was different.
