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12
Enzo
“If I tell you this, there’s no telling Dom,” I say to Carm.
He increases the speed on his treadmill. Dickwad. He’s purposely making this a contest. Everything’s a contest to him.
“Okaaay.” He draws out the word.
“I’m conflicted.”
“Conflicted?” Carm laughs, upping the incline on his machine.
I press the buttons on my treadmill to match his speed and incline. He snickers but doesn’t change the setting. We can do this all day because I have more endurance than him and we both know it.
“I have a new assistant.”
“And she quit already? What do you do to these poor women? It’s really not that hard to treat people well.” He flashes me his billboard smile. The same smile that’s made him a shit-ton of money.
“Anyway, she’s working on the Coddle campaign with me.”
“Look at you, growing up! I’m proud of my big brother. He’s learning how to share.” His breath is labored while his feet pound on the treadmill.
“Will you just listen?”
My patience was thin to begin with, but it decreases when two girls come over, one on either side of us, and jog on the treadmills as if they’re on the slow-mo reel in Baywatch.
Carm and I share a look that says, you want to or not?
I’m a no.
Carm’s a yes.
I really need to talk to someone about this shit rolling around in my head. One minute I’m flirtatious with Annie, then mean, then polite, then indifferent. I thought I had my attraction to her under control, then I go and negotiate a new contract for her. What the hell?
The look on Mr. Jacobson’s face when he called me into his office to discuss moving Annie up the corporate ladder was shock. I wanted to say yeah, I get it, I feel the same way. I think I’ve been abducted too.
At first it was the way her skirts clung to her curvy hips and ass. And the way one button would fall open on her blouse midday, giving me a glimpse of her bra. Sometimes it wasn’t even a sexy lacy bra, just a basic nude-colored one, but my mouth always waters to find out what’s hiding behind the fabric. Are her nipples a dusty rose or a light brown?
When did I become such a fucking pervert?
When Annie Stewart came to work for me, that’s when.
But my draw to her appearance has been buried by my admiration of her mind. I know. Who the hell am I turning into? Being attracted to a woman’s mind? What does that even mean?
By the time I get out of my own head, Carm’s flirting with the woman next to him, his speed and incline increased so much it’s like he’s trying to sprint up Mount Everest.
I glance to my right. A smiley blonde turns her head to face me, and dread settles in my stomach at having to play wingman for Carm. I was seconds away from baring my soul, giving my baby brother reason to razz me for life, but instead I’m going to plaster on a fake smile and keep the girl beside me occupied so that he can get laid.
“I’m Trina.” Her ponytail swings along her back. Her full face of makeup says she’s not here just to workout. She’s here hoping to pick up a guy.
“Enzo.”
She presses the button on her treadmill to lower her speed. The running was an obvious ruse to grab my attention. “Do you come here a lot?”
“Usually in the morning, but I had a hard day at work.” I move my attention from her to my machine.
Meanwhile, Carm has slowed his pace, laughing with the girl next to him.
