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I decide right then and there not to tell them about the kiss. It would just spur them on and right now, I need to keep a logical mind. I don’t need to become all caught up in make-believe.
“Well, I’m not going to date him. Period,” I state.
“Boo.” Stella pouts.
Cassie shakes her head but let’s it go, thankfully.
We move on to Cassie’s new engagement and what her plans are for the wedding. She’s not going to do it herself and will hire our other wedding planner, Ada, to allow Cassie to enjoy the wedding planning process as a bride. She takes the opportunity on our second round of drinks to ask us both to be bridesmaids. And while I expected the invitation, I can’t help tearing up when she looks at me and asks me to be her maid of honor.
We don’t talk about Cole the rest of the night. Thankfully.
But just because his name isn’t mentioned doesn’t mean it’s not running through my head when I finally crawl into bed.
I toss and turn for what feels like half the night, restless and still turned on from that kiss. Try as I might, I can’t stop reliving how it felt to have Cole’s lips on mine and the quick glimpse at the effect our kiss obviously had on him.
My mind continues to wander and before long, I’ve slipped my hand underneath the sleep shorts I’m currently wearing. With two fingers between my thighs, I let fantasy take over. A fantasy starring Cole and his amazing tongue in places that have been neglected for far too long.
I’m so turned on by the thoughts running through my head that it doesn’t take much to get to where I need to be. My entire body trembles as I find my release and I’m ashamed when it’s Cole’s name that falls from my lips.
If I thought kissing a client was bad, then this must be a whole new level of unprofessionalism.
* * *
I manage to avoid Cole in person as well as all talk of the man for the rest of the week. But my luck runs out at our weekly staff meeting. I’ve just gone through my list of clients, both on our standard service and the few VIPs I’ve got on my client list with the team. Now it’s Ruth’s turn. After she gives us an update, we will talk about events and ideas. Ruth and I may be the ones actually doing the matching, but we wouldn’t be able to take on the amount of clients we have without this dedicated team. With two coordinators, two recruiters, and two coaches, our two interns round out our matchmaking team of ten.
Ruth starts talking about her clients. She’s only working with six at the moment, but of course she saves her favorite for last.
“Lastly, I want to discuss my last client, Cole Reed. We just wrapped up his wingman date last week. Thank you, Polly and Layla, for making that a priority. Oh, Polly, I’m glad your mother is going to be all right.”
Polly nods. “Thank you. She’s actually being released this afternoon. Layla, I’m sorry you had to step in and do my job for me.”
I shake my head. “No, don’t worry about it at all.” Polly’s mother has taken a few falls over the past year, but last week, she broke a hip, which meant a longer hospital stay.
Polly smiles at me, but then addresses Ruth and the team. “Cole was interesting. He has a big personality, but I can tell he’s a good man, not to mention he’s a looker. I think if we can reel in the ego, his dates will run smoothly.”
Ruth nods, looking to me. “Layla, anything to add?”
My heart rate speeds up as I remember our meeting, the kiss… and later that night with my imagination running free. “Nope,” I manage before clearing my throat and continuing on, “you’re right, Polly, about the ego, but overall, he’ll be fine.”
“Perfect. I’m guessing we won’t have a problem on our singles side. They are all going to find him quite charming, but the key here is to make sure he finds the one. From what I’ve gathered, he dates around, but I think he’s serious about finding the one.”
An unladylike snort pushes out through my nose, but I cover it with a cough. Ruth gives me an interested look, but I wave it off and take a drink of water to continue the farce.
Cole wouldn’t have kissed me if he were serious. But I don’t say it out loud.
Ruth continues, “With all that said, I have a single in mind, but I think we would benefit from hosting a mixer. I need to see him interacting with some singles I’m on the fence about.”
“I think that would be a great idea. I’ll attend and provide him with some feedback if his charm gets out of hand,” Polly adds.
“Wonderful.” Ruth claps her hands.
“Who are you thinking about inviting?” Lani, one of our recruiters, asks. This is her bread and butter, so getting her opinion on which singles Ruth has targeted for a client is important.
“I like Mina Lynch the most for him, but I’m thinking about Vivian Davis, Samantha Ward, and possibly Aubree Valentine.” Ruth reads the names off her notes.
My nose scrunches when she says Mina. Personally, I don’t think that match makes sense at all. But I keep my mouth shut. Glancing up, I catch Ruth’s eye and again, a look of interest plays on her face.
“I think that’s a solid group,” Lani says, my eyes bouncing off my grandmother who may be on to me.
