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“Bruh, you don’t know me, and I’m not interested in knowing you.” Total fucking lie. I wanted to know all about him. But if he was coming out here to chastise my behavior like I was a little kid, I wasn’t interested.
“Do I look like someone who likes being called bruh? I can assure you I am not,” Sterling informed me.
I hadn’t taken him for a smug bastard, but maybe I’d been wrong.
“How about we stick to Sterling and Hayes, unless there’s something else you’d rather be called?” he asked me.
My brain said to drop the attitude, but I guess my snarky mood wasn’t done with me yet. “Did you want something, Mr. Sterling?”
“From bruh to Mr. Sterling. I guess those southern manners are down there somewhere. Well, I came out here because I wanted to check on you. It looked like you were being put in a tough spot, but maybe I was wrong cause you’re giving me the attitude of a spoiled child who didn’t get his way. So, which is it? A well-mannered son being put in a difficult position or a petulant son refusing to help his mother in her time of need?”
“You forgot option number three. Grown-ass man who doesn’t feel the need to explain himself to a virtual stranger. This is me not wanting to have this conversation. It’s me not wanting to be here in the first place. It’s definitely me not wanting to spend the next month being your sidekick planning the southern-belle pseudo-celebrity ball.”
I hadn’t planned on saying even that much to him, but here we were. For the most part, the lobby was clear. There were a few folks in the restaurant to the left of the staircase, but no one was paying attention to us. I can’t imagine what he’d said to my mother that was keeping her in the meeting room and not following me or him out here, but I was grateful for small blessings.
I kept my arms crossed and didn’t say anything else. Sterling didn’t bait me or push. He simply walked toward the high-back, silk-covered chair, sat down, and crossed his legs. I’d never known any of my friends to sit that way. He looked so formal and officious. As responsible and mature and put together as he was, when I looked down, I couldn’t believe he was wearing socks with emojis all over them. Like there was a poop emoji on his ankle, right between the cuff of his crisp jeans and his brown oxfords.
The laugh popped out of my mouth without warning and startled us both.
“What’s funny?” he asked.
“I didn’t take you for a silly sock person.”
“You think my socks are silly? I’ll have you know this is one of the tamer pairs that I own. Are you telling me you don’t have any little hidden details that let you feel like you’re thumbing your nose at polite and conventional society, or maybe just your mother?”
Sitting across from him, wearing those socks and a smirk that looked just as silly, I knew my face was probably giving away that thing I wasn't saying. I needed to reset to neutral immediately. He wasn’t wrong, and the fact that he somehow knew I was hiding something or up to something was disarming. I needed to get the focus off me. I was starting to get the feeling that this man could get answers and information out of me without even trying. Intense, calm, and patient. I hated myself for wanting to get to know him.
“Oh, my, you are hiding something, and your face tells me you’re thinking about it right now.”
“So, what would working on this project really involve?”
“Wow, you really don’t want to talk about it. Okay, I’ll let you off the hook. For now. Maybe after a few weeks of working together you’ll be more inclined.”
“More inclined? Do you always talk like this?”
“Like what? Complete sentences? Complete thoughts? Without every other word being bruh? My apologies. I tend to go longer than a mere one hundred and forty characters.”
“There are layers of judgment in what you just said.”
“Don’t even think about calling me boomer!” His laugh was rumbly and low and made my dick take notice.
I hated that he could make me laugh so easily. He was charming and funny, and clearly I was driving fast toward rebound lane and lust alley.
“I wasn’t going to say that, old man,” I shot back, and dear Lord, I winked at him. I fucking winked at a grown ass man. I begged my brain to come back online.
He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. I’d been joking with the old man comment, but now he was kind of looking at me the way my mother had a few minutes ago. Pissing him off for real had not been the goal. I was about to apologize profusely when he started laughing until he was shaking with it. The tears leaking from the corner of his eyes finally convinced me to join in. I wasn’t sure what was so hilarious, but he had done it again. My mind was off my problems, my mother, and against everything my good judgment and historical knowledge told me, I was ready to jump into working with him on this gala.
Chapter 4
Sterling
Emotional rollercoaster for sure. I was glad he was back to being less prickly. At least he came around to working on the project. It was time for me to get on with my day, though, and if I was being honest, I was afraid Ms. Annabelle would pop out any minute and sour his energy again. It wasn’t part of my plan for the day, but I was suddenly more interested in throwing myself into this project and a bit of teamwork.
“Hayes, I think our working together will be more fun than you think. I also think we should get back in there. If we stay gone any longer, I’ll need to get my assistant to order another round of spa treatments for the ladies.”
“You got my mother a spa treatment? Is that a version of flirting?”
“What, for my generation? Absolutely not. Are you being funny again? For one if I were going to flirt with anyone it wouldn’t be those ladies, or any lady for that matter.”
