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“Living and breathing,” I answer, eager to ignore his elevator dig. “How have you been?”
“Quite well, and you?”
“The same.”
There’s a silence that follows us, prompting him to close the door and take a seat behind his desk. His stare continues to make me feel paranoid, and without trying to make myself obvious, I check my hair to make sure I don’t have something wrong with me. Worst yet, do I have something in my teeth? What does it matter, anyway? I’m sure Will’s seen my many nudie runs during my tod
dler years.
“It’s a lovely office you have here. It reminds me of my father’s.”
“That it is.”
His closed answer leaves nothing for me to continue with.
“Have you been here long?”
“About two years,” is all he answers, his annoying stare still making me self-conscious. “You know, you don’t have to be so formal.”
“I should hope not,” I blurt out, relieved at the break of tension. “I’m almost certain you dared me to eat a worm, which I did. Surely, that should count for something.”
He chuckles softly. “You always were a risktaker. And look at you now. I’ve heard you’re studying at Yale?”
“Yes. I had a free day, so I thought I’d visit the city…” I trail off, momentarily stumbling on my thoughts as his eyes wander to my lips. My heart beats loudly, but I must be imagining all of this. He’s just entertaining me because of obligation, and anyway, I should not be thinking about him in any other way. Austin’s text still leaves me wounded. That’s it.
“I don’t remember you being so speechless,” he follows with an arrogant smirk. “Little Miss Chatterbox from memory.”
“Things change… people change.”
His penetrating stare never leaves mine. “Why yes, they do…”
I glance at my phone. “Listen, I should probably go since you must have work to do.” I stand up, questioning whether I should hug him since he’s family. Perhaps, if I had done that at the beginning, it wouldn’t have been so awkward.
“The pleasure has been all mine, Amelia.”
My name rolls off his tongue with a delicious bite. Shit! What the hell is wrong with you? He’s family.
I take a deep breath, willing my actions to gain some sort of control since my imagination has turned into some overcharged sex maniac. This isn’t at all like me, it’s almost as if he brings out the ‘old’ Amelia, the one who didn’t care for consequences because she always pushed boundaries and limits. Perhaps, I can use this to my advantage. Say something to make Aunt Nikki proud that I’ve called her son out on his less-than-desirable behavior.
“It was nice seeing you again,” I offer with a smile, turning my back on him to leave the room, “Oh, and before I forget, that assistant out there, she’s quite nice. Maybe try to keep your dick in your pants, so you don’t lose another one.”
His expression falls, a look of anger as his eyes pierce into mine. I purposely keep walking with a satisfied smile.
One point for me.
And the best part of all of this, there’s no chance of him upping me since I won’t be seeing him anytime soon.
Nine
Will
“And so, Mr. Romano, as you can see on this chart, our company has a lot to offer.”
Staring blankly at the screen, I blink my eyes to break the trance I find myself in… again. Fuck! What the hell did he say? Not wanting to come off like an idiot, I demand a break.
“I need to make a phone call.”
Without waiting for an answer, I storm out of the room and back into the solitude of my office. The glass windows surround me, a view of Brooklyn Bridge not too far in the distance. The city is busy, the usual peak-hour hustle as commuters rush home.
