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I chuckle. “Yeah. Also, we sort of made out a couple of days ago. In the shower.”
“Oh myGod,” Rose says. “Why am I just finding this out? No, honey, don’t throw that on the floor.”
“I’m not throwing anything,” I say, because I can’t resist.
“Please. Mommy just has to talk to Auntie Sophia,”Rose says, voice away from the phone. Then she’s back. “I’m all for it. That’s all I have to say. Absolutely all for it. Hooking up with someone means you’re living a more balanced life.”
I laugh. “Right, well, I’m glad.”
“Will you see him again?”
“Professionally, yes. Privately… I don’t know. He just kinda left after we made out.”
“Oh,” she says. But then her voice brightens. “Then you make the first move. You’re free to live your life however you want to now, Sophia.” Sounds erupt on the other end, suspiciously like plastic hitting a wooden floor. “Darn. I have to go. Text me more details, okay? I’ll badger you if you don’t. See you in a few weeks!”
“Love you,” I say. But Rose has already clicked off to take care of my niece’s high-pitched wailing. She’s as adorable as she is demanding.
I tuck my sneakers into my bag and the conversation into the back of my mind. Exciteur and the work I do deserve my attention, and not Isaac or what his hands had done in the shower.
Nor the absolute silence I’ve had from him in the three days since. Not a word, a text, an email or a call.
There’s a mild humiliation along with the memory, dimming its shine. He had been so controlled, so natural through it all, with the sound of his deep voice murmuring in my ear while he… well. It had been one of the hottest moments of my life. But he hadn’tlostcontrol.
Not that I think Isaac Winter ever truly does. It’s not in his character, and that’s a good thing, but I’m still embarrassed.
Because I had.
That day had been an intense one. I’d been high off the victory, bitter from seeing Percy and Scarlett, delighted over spending time with Isaac, and then the sudden presence of him in my apartment. There, in a place that’s just mine. His body in my kitchen and his eyes on me.
And then his hands and body against mine.
But he’d been in control enough to remember condoms, and composed enough to leave.
I let myself think about it for twenty-eight more seconds, the exact time it takes for me to ride the elevator to my floor in the skyscraper Exciteur calls home. Then I leave thoughts of Isaac behind… and get to work designing a pitch for his hotel business instead. That’s what I do best, and that’s my comfort zone. At least it used to be, before it was his name at the top of all my work documents.
I’m reviewing the color schemes Toby sent over for the traditional pitch when there’s a knock on my door. Toby and Jenna swing by all the time, and sometimes the head of our department does as well.
So I don’t look up from my screen when I answer. “Come in!”
“Sophia,” a familiar voice says.
It’s not an Exciteur employee.
Isaac’s in a navy suit, unbuttoned jacket and clean-shaven jaw, and is looking at me across the familiar space of my office with those dark eyes.
“Oh,” I breathe. “Hello.”
“Hi.” He gestures to the chair opposite mine. “Do you have a minute?”
“Yes, absolutely. Is this about the pitch?”
“That was my reason for coming to Exciteur, yes. I just spoke to Victor about it.”
“Oh,” I say again. The big, big boss. His brother’s business partner and probably also a personal friend. I’ve never been up to the thirty-fourth floor where he conducts business. “Interesting.”
Isaac’s lips curve into a half-smile. “All good things.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
