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In an effort to put everything back to normal, there was one issue to contend with that he hadn’t talked about with anyone.
His roving libido.
He hadn’t had a woman in his bed in a long time and had become suddenly distracted by Addison Abrams. Which was detrimental to the balance he was trying to restore at the office.
This morning, the situation had escalated. He’d woken hard and ready, unable to think of anything but sex. Sex with Addison.
He blamed the dry spell that had yet to end. From now on, his work and personal life had clear lines of demarcation. He needed to get laid, and obviously the best choice was to find someone outside of work to satisfy that urge.
The simplest fix was a sure thing by the name of Tammie. He’d sent her a text after a, um, rejuvenating shower, inviting her out for drinks.
Too long, he typed.
Her reply lit the screen half a second later. Thursday at 7? Vive?
Vive was a dark, classy bar with rich red velvet on the booth seats and cozy, sexy nooks filled with shadows.
Perfect. Meet you there.
He tossed his phone on his desk. Sex with Tammie would fix more than his blue balls. Sex with Tammie was a time machine back to before the whole “who will be named CEO” fiasco. Back when he knew how to lighten up. Back when “work hard, play hard” was his motto. Hell, this year all he’d done was work hard and then work harder.
Was it any wonder Addi had followed him around, staying late to make sure he was okay?
He glanced out his window at her. She was typing on her keyboard, her attention fixed on her computer screen. The pull he felt toward her, the concern he had for her, was alive and well, but he wouldn’t allow it to harm their friendship or their working relationship.
She deserved to feel comfortable at work and he didn’t need her—or Taylor—worrying about him. What he needed was to focus his physical attention on a woman who wouldn’t worry about him for longer than one night.
His phone buzzed with another text from Tammie. A red lips emoji.
By Friday morning, this situation with Addi would be resolved.
I’m not that obtuse.
Addison hadn’t meant to literally laugh out loud, but come on. He’d been pretty darn obtuse! Not only had he bought her lie about a family reunion but he’d also completely missed the way she’d drooled over him for the last year.
Obtuse or not, him consoling her when she’d been crying had tugged at her heartstrings.
“Just when I decided to get over him,” she mumbled to herself.
She reached for her cell phone to text her friend. Carey was out of the country traveling for work, but Addi needed to talk to someone, even if the conversation was one-way.
She texted, Just cried in front of my boss. Go me!and sat back in her chair, her eye catching the invitation in the inside pocket of her planner. The very card stock she’d been holding when Bran caught her crying.
Behind the paper was a black envelope on which her name and address had been meticulously scripted in gold ink. Grief weighed heavy on her chest.
Joe was too young to die.
The invitation had arrived yesterday but she’d neglected to check her mailbox until this morning. As a result, she’d shoved it into her planner and promptly forgotten about it. When she finally remembered and tore open the envelope, she was shocked to see that it contained an invitation to Joe’s “celebration of life.”
He’d passed away over a month ago and had been cremated per his wishes. According to his family, funeral plans were “forthcoming.” Joe, as it turned out, had arranged those plans before he passed away. He’d selected a group of friends and family to attend an intimate but luxe party at a resort in Lake Tahoe. He’d covered the expenses for guest rooms and had prearranged an itinerary and catering. The lush surprise was so...him.
The last time she’d seen Joe had been around Christmas. It had broken her heart to see him so frail, and it’d broken his heart for her to see him that way, too. Don’t you dare come back here, Addi, he’d told her. I don’t want you to remember me like this.
She’d swallowed tears she’d promised not to shed while sitting next to him. They’d drifted apart—and hadn’t hung out in years—but he’d meant a lot to her. Losing someone was hard. Losing someone she’d known and cared for as long as she’d known and cared for Joe had seemed insurmountable.
It wouldn’t surprise her if that visit had been what turned up the volume on her crush on Bran. She’d mentioned her boss to Joe at the time, if only to change the subject. Joe had encouraged her to “go for it.” But he had lived a big, brave life thanks to a family that was drowning in money and eagerly showered it on him. She’d reasoned it was easier to be brave when there was a few billion in the bank.
Receiving the invitation to his life celebration had brought the grief of that December day back in an instant. Addi was a private person. She reserved messy emotions for when she was alone. If Bran’s attention hadn’t been so welcome, she might’ve been embarrassed about carrying on like that at work.
