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Come over!
I turn into the road and drive to Sam’s apartment, not too far out of the city.
When I sit on her couch, I have a cup of coffee between my hands.
“I can’t work for him,” I say after I tell her how my evening went.
“Why the hell not? He soundsdreamy.”
“Because that will make him a client. That comes with all kinds of client confidentiality and professionalism, and when I’m with him,professionalis the last thing I want to be.”
“What do you want to be?” Samantha asks, a sly smile on her face.
“Naked,” I mumble.
Samantha laughs with glee and claps her hands like a child.
“I knew you had a naughty streak! And here everyone me how badIam.”
I blush so hard, my face and my ears are on fire.
“He’s single,” I add.
“What!?” Samantha cries out. “Honey, you can’t let this one slide, then.”
“Stop it,” I say, trying to stifle a giggle before I shake my head. “I worry about what this would mean for Ruby Blue.”
“Screw Ruby Blue; you do you!” Samantha says and looks pleased with her rhyme. “Or, you know, doBlake.” She giggles.
“I can’t just forget about Ruby Blue, Sam.” I’m determined to stick to the subject andnottalk about sex. “What will Raven say if she finds out about this? This isn’t just her company, and it’s a chance she’s giving me to use her company name and get on my feet. She’s doing a lot for me. But it’s also about my future, the business I want to start…”
“What is she going to find out?” Samantha asks. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”
She’s right. I haven’t. But that doesn’t mean I don’twantto.
“I think you should do it,” Samantha adds when I don’t answer her. “And when I sayit,I mean work with him. Not the other thing that makes you blush like you’re a teenager who isn’t used to anything.” She waggles her eyebrows at me. “Can you imagine what having him as a client will do for your reputation? He’s the hottest piece of news right now. Alex is still pissed that he didn’t get anything more than a lecture from the guy.”
I smile at that. Alex can be full of shit sometimes, and apparently, Blake gave him a run for his money. I didn’t overhear the conversation but I’m willing to bet Alex was arrogant as hell. That’s his MO. He thinks if he walks in like he owns the place, someone will believe it's true. Blake isn’t the kind of guy you mess around with; I can tell anyone who wants to know that much and I’ve only met him a total of three times.
My smile fades when I think about working with Blake Ford. “It’s just business, right?” I say, trying to convince myself. “I’m a professional, I can work with him without my feelings getting in the way. Right?”
“Right,” Samantha says. “You’ve done it before.”
She’s right—when Luc and I were headed toward the end of our relationship, I didn’t let what bothered me affect my job. But that wasn’t quite the same thing. Luc was the reason my life didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but I didn’t work with him the way I’ll work with Blake. Luc was my love interest, not my main story.
If I work with Blake, he’ll be the front and center of my attention until we take care of his wardrobe.
“If it makes you feel any better, the guy likes you.”
I shake my head. “Thatdoesn’tmake me feel better. How could you know that?”
“Because he wants you to redo his wardrobe. If there ever was a stupid excuse just to see someone, that’s it.”
I shake my head. She’s wrong about that. This is purely one-sided. Blake doesn’t like me; he likes my work. He said so himself. If I decide to do this, it will be dangerous, but I’ll be the only one in trouble here. And as long as I can manage myself, that should be okay.
And I can manage myself.
Can’t I?
