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She weighed her words carefully.
Doughnuts = extra gym time, and I don’t have time for gym time at all, much less extra. But thank you!
His response was immediate.I can think of a much better way to work off the calories.
Loving his sexy sense of humor, she tried to think up an equally flirty response. Before she could, her phone buzzed with another text from him.
You know you want it. Enjoy all that deliciousness one mouthful at a time until you’re satisfied.
Lust coiled deep in her belly. How did he do that with a text? She smiled, unable to keep from replying with what she hoped was a flirty tease.They’re always gone WAY before I’m satisfied.
Her phone vibrated a moment later with a response that made her insides quiver.Duly noted. Will rectify.
Wednesday morning when she rushed out to squeeze in a quick visit with her father before meeting the real estate agent, she found a caramel macchiato on her welcome mat, accompanied by another note.Sweet and hot, like you. Enjoy. D.
Her tummy tumbled. The man was all kinds of smooth. With a smirk, she texted him on her way out of the building.Did you enjoy your sweet, hot treat the other night?
Her phone vibrated seconds later with Dylan’s response.Tremendously. But seconds wasn’t enough. Dinner tonight?
She was impressed by his persistence, and she wanted to see him again, but she was swamped with meetings every minute of the day and into the evening. Disappointment washed through her as she typed her reply.
Meetings until six, and then I have a conference on the other side of town until at least eleven. I will probably grab a PowerBar in between. On a dead run today. Sorry.
Dylan never responded.
Annoyed for having to turn him down, and frustratedbecauseshe was annoyed, Tiffany was more aggressive than ever in her meetings. When the office spaces she looked at didn’t pan out, she gave in and called Dylan’s friend Phoebe Nice. She was pleasantly surprised to find that Phoebe owned several buildings in the area, and they scheduled showings for Saturday morning.
She thought of Dylan all afternoon, and by five o’clock her stomach was knotted up tight with the realization that while he might be pursuing her now, how long would any man put up with a woman who never had time to see him? She reminded herself that she was living the life she wanted, and it came with an almost seven-figure salary, the perks of socializing with the rich and famous, and she was well respected in her field. She could have just about any client she wanted if she put her mind to it. She was one of the top sports agents with no ties to hold her down. She’d set her mind on a career path and she hadn’t let anything distract her from succeeding.
She’d made it on sheer will and a supreme work ethic.
She plastered a smile on her face as she rode in the cab to her next meeting, reminding herself how proud she was, how far she’d gotten. But the thought was chased with the image of Dylan’s smile and his teasing, seductive eyes playing over her as he painted his kitchen. He’d asked her about her life and seemed happy to have her in the same room, even if she was working. She’d really enjoyed that, too, except she’d been too distracted to actually work.
How did people do it? How did they have high-powered careersandrelationships? She could hammer that out until it was nearly transparent, but she couldn’t change the fact that her issues ran deeper. It wasn’t just fitting a man into her life. Her issue was opening up and trusting that he’d always be there, regardless of her late nights and crazy schedule. If she couldn’t keep a man satisfied when she was in college, she sure as hell couldn’t do it now, when her life was a hundred times more complicated. That wasn’t the worst of it. She knew using her asshole ex-boyfriend’s betrayal was a crutch for her real issues. Her own mother had walked away from their family. Parents were supposed to love their children unconditionally. If her mother could turn her back so easily, then how could she expect anyone else to be different?
That thought rattled around inside her, like rocks falling down a hill. Before meeting Dylan, she’d never slowed down enough to contemplatewantingsomeone else in her life. Could she belonely? No, she wasn’t lonely. That was silly. She had too much going on in her life to be lonely. She was just being whiny. Girly.Weak.
Besides, wasn’t this what she wanted? Hadn’t she told him as much? That she didn’t have time for anything more than a one-night stand, which had already led to two?
She exhaled loudly, trying to ignore the sound of Dylan’s voice whispering in her ear,Make time.
She felt like an addict who needed a hit and debated texting him to explain that she wasn’t avoiding him, but that felt clingy, and she’d have to rip her eyes out if she became that type of girl.
Her fingers itched to reach out to him. But that nagging voice in the back of her head was all too happy to remind her how needy she’d appear if she did.I’m not even his girlfriend. That gave her pause, too, because she wasn’t anyone’s anything.
The shrill ringtone she used for family sounded and nearly made her jump out of her skin. She’d just seen her father that morning and he seemed fine, but when Rocco’s face appeared on the screen, panic raced in.
“Hi, Rocco. Is Dad okay?”
“Hey, sis. Yeah. He said you saw him this morning.”
“I did, but…never mind.” Breathing a sigh of relief, she said, “What’s up?”
“Can you give me your opinion on something?”
“Mm-hm. Go with the blue shirt, and don’t shave for a few days. Women love that.” She listened to her brother laugh, and smiled. Since they were kids, every time he’d askifhe could ask a question she’d teased him like that.
She listened as Rocco explained a situation his friend was going through with his agent, who was trying to get him to sign on to endorse a product he didn’t believe in.
