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“Of course, Ms. Hannam. Would you have time today to come in for an interview? If it will make you more comfortable, Andrew will not be present.”
I shook my head. “I’m not available today.” I frowned at the thought of doling out more cash for another plane trip. “I can be there tomorrow if that works for you.”
“Perfect. I wasn’t sure whether you were still in town.” Damn. Why didn’t I mention that? “I will transfer you to the front desk so they can schedule you for tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
“Have a good day, Ms. Hannam.”
I scheduled the latest slot available and immediately bought yet another ticket. When I let her know, Mom railed on me for being so fickle, but in the same breath, she told me that she had been right and was happy I was taking her advice. It wasn’t worth it to tell her that I’d only taken the job because Mr. Mayhew seemed to understand the situation I’d been put in, and he sounded determined to fix the issue. Even if I did work with Andrew, if I had the company president ready to side with me, maybe things would be all right.
Or maybe I’d find myself in an awkward situation where suddenly Mr. Mayhew was too busy to hear my complaints, and the HR department was too familiar with Andrew’s habits and unwilling to address the son of the CEO. In that case, I could quit, but maybe by then, I would find another job. For now, especially after the car ride with Mom, I wanted nothing more than to get out. Permanently. I couldn’t even look at her after hearing how much she’d belittled herself as a young woman. And she expected me to do the same?
No, my decision was different. I wasn’t doing this blindly. I wasn’t walking in hopeful, only to be seduced and persuaded to do things against my better judgment. I was in control, and I would determine my future.
Chapter 24
Christie
I couldn’t believe I was here again. Dallas seemed so different when I landed this time. Instead of the casual sway of people ambling toward the baggage claim, it felt robust, panicked, a lot like I was the first time I’d come. More suits and coats decorated the paths through the terminals, and I felt a certain thrill when I entered the black rental car courtesy of Mayhew Industries.
I’d reviewed the projections and outline for Mayhew Industries’ new venture, but until I finished the onboarding process, they didn’t send me anything concrete or specific. Still, I wanted to be prepared, so I’d worked with the little they gave me to make ripples on my first day.
Damned if I was going to be unprepared for this.
I had a few ideas, though I had no way to tell whether they’d already reviewed the directions I planned to advise. I’d be working with a team of consultants. I wondered if they were hired specifically for this project. The pay was enough to get me by, but when I got my feet wet and felt comfortable with the temperature, maybe I could take on more.
No matter who I walked in on in there, I refused to feel intimidated. Even if Andrew was the first face I saw. I couldn’t let anything bother me if I planned to make this work. I’d show them I was an asset before they had time to question my worth.
They booked me a new hotel after Mom insisted I tell them I had returned home. I felt stupid. Leaving early made me feel uncommunicative. Or just unpredictable. They didn’t seem to think that, though, and I begrudgingly admitted my mom was right when they not only booked me a hotel room but promised reimbursement for any other travel-related expenses, including the flight I’d already booked and a rental car.
That news alone reignited my excitement for this job.
My eyes rolled when I drove past the warehouse district where Ryan was based. After ignoring his calls for two days I figured he’d given up. Maybe I wasn’t meant for one-night stands and friends-with-benefits relationships. Maybe I was just the typical date-to-marry type. Not that I had any plans.
My room had fresh white sheets and a comforter to match. Cool air plumed around me as I flew against the mattress and my head collapsed against the pillows. “It’s me again, Dallas,” I murmured with my eyes clenched shut. An overwhelming sense of sadness filled my throat and gut, and I wished, against my better judgment, that Ryan knew I was here.
He was so sweet that night at the airport. And when we’d cleared the air between us. In an effort to keep the cool air close to my skin, I shed my clothes and rubbed my thighs and arms against the soft blanket. The icy air drew goosebumps along my exposed arms and legs. The soft moan that escaped me planted a small flame, and I caressed my breasts as I let out another.
I pictured Ryan’s wry, unassuming smile when we met, the easygoing voice that carried conversation like we were old friends.
“Touch me,” I commanded the memory, and I let myself drown in the ghost of his beard tickling my chin, his chest hair brushing against my navel as he swept his lips down to my center.
With ease, my hands worked around the entrance to my vagina, my fingers teasing my clit. I pulsed but paused over the opening. Licking my lips, I traced a wet trail to my nipple and pinched it hard, wishing Ryan were watching, salivating over me rubbing against the heel of my palm. Pressure built, and I dipped my fingers inside myself. My legs clamped around my hand, which still slowly pressed against my nub as if to trap myself in a growing sense of pleasure.
I gasped and flung myself around so I could bury my face in my pillow. I moaned louder, grinding into the hard flesh. My muscles tensed, my thighs aching and my toes curling until the explosion of sensations rode a moan that buried itself in the cotton pillowcase. My body bucked as the orgasm rode its wave through me, then when it left, I fell limp and lay still.
If only I could have the same Ryan I met or at least the Ryan I thought I met in Houston. The man with photos of his son and a light in his eyes when he mentioned him. The Ryan whose drive took him places he never thought he’d go and kept him on a path to being a good father despite the role life wanted him to play.
That man was the one who made my stomach churn and my libido ignite like a fire to gas. Did I really read it all that wrong? Was he truly just a money-made asshole like the rest of them? Like Andrew?
He’d planned to use Darlene’s sins against her as if he didn’t have enough for himself.
I rolled over to my bedside to grab my phone and scrolled for his name. He’d tried to talk about it before. Maybe I just needed to remind him that he didn’t need to destroy someone else’s life to create one for himself.
Ryan didn’t answer, and I didn’t leave a voice mail. Tomorrow, my new life would start, and here I was thinking about someone else’s when I’d decided it was no longer my business.
Thankful my first day was rescheduled, I chose to spend the rest of the day in bed. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so lazy, but no matter what I thought of doing, my mind kept returning to whether or not it was a mistake to ignore Ryan.
