Chapter Twenty
“Details,” Trevor stated on two flat notes.
Carson jerked his gaze from the closed door to his friend, a scowl already in place. “What?”
Trevor didn’t flinch. If anything, his expression hardened with the authority he wielded with precision. “It’s time for the details.” There was no leeway in his tone and no escaping the demand. He might be Carson’s friend, but he was also his boss.
And this thing with Avery—whatever it was—was thoroughly entrenched in the company.
“What details?” Gregory asked.
Drake sat back, a questioning smirk circling between the other three men.
Carson ignored him even though he wanted to ram a fist in his face. It took his full concentration to control the frustration that simmered and stewed beneath his barely held calm. The irony was, he had no real clue why he was so on edge. But Drake seemed like a really good target to unload on.
And that would be a dick move.
Trevor flicked his gaze to Gregory. “He told you about Avery, right?”
“Is that her name?” Drake asked, motioning to the doorway Avery had just exited through.
Carson’s protective growl burst out, but he clenched his jaw and forced his retort back. Avery deserved better than to be discussed when she sat just out of hearing on the other side of the door. Especially when there was nothing more to talk about.
And if that lie was believable, he wouldn’t be a ball of anxious energy ready to bite the heads off the three men in front of him.
He dropped his head back, his anger draining from explosive to accepting. What the hell?
A throbbing pain started in his temple and he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to clear his head. But it wasn’t his head that was causing the issues. His damn emotions were the culprit. The ones that bristled at Avery’s cold formality when she’d seen him just now, along with his irrational desire to jump up and stake his claim on her before the other men—especially Drake.
I’m a fucking caveman now. Great.
He released a defeated snort and sat forward to massage his temples. He stared at the industrial gray carpeting for a moment and gathered what was left of his dignity.
The others were staring at him with a mix of amusement when he sat up. Excellent. He sighed and lifted a shoulder in begrudging admission. Yup, he was fucked up. And they knew it.
And it was over Avery.
Gregory glanced at his watch and frowned. “We’ve got fifteen minutes before our meeting.” He nodded to Drake to include him in the reference. “Can you keep this short?”
Carson snorted a sarcastic laugh. “Sure.” He’d just condense everything into a memo and move on with his day. That was the norm anyway. “What do you want to know?” he asked Trevor, voice flat. He shifted into business mode with a swift downgrade on his strange tide of doubts. He preferred action to hesitation. Movement to standing still.
So why was he floundering when it came to Avery?
Fear.
The truth rang clear and unwavering. His conversation with her yesterday raced forward to smack him. He’d never let fear guide his actions—until now, apparently.
“Don’t play dumb.” Trevor flicked his head toward to door. “I want the details on Avery. What’s going on? Why are you being a dick? And do I need to worry?”
Straight to the point. Good.
Carson bobbed his head in slow thought. “I’m still helping her explore via the Boardroom. We’ve participated in multiple scenes over the last month. Our arrangement hasn’t affected our work or jobs.” Not until this morning when he couldn’t reconcile his own damn emotions. “I wasn’t aware that I was being a dick, and no, you don’t need to worry.”
He sat back, satisfied that he’d checked off each of Trevor’s questions without giving away more. For some damn reason, he didn’t want to share anything about Avery.
Their relationship was private.
And that meant they had a relationship worth preserving.
The wonder of that settled into his chest and nudged against his heart. He braced himself for the immediate kick of resistance, only it wasn’t there.
“I don’t?” Trevor asked, his knowing look only moderately annoying. “Then don’t fuck this up.”
“What, exactly, shouldn’t I fuck up?” There were so many damn things that statement could apply to.
Trevor chuckled before he took a drink from his travel mug. Carson wanted to be mad at him just for the point of it, but he couldn’t be. Trevor knew him too well, and that was the problem. He wasn’t fooling Trevor, and by the knowing smirks on Gregory’s and Drake’s faces, them either.
“What I don’t understand,” Trevor finally said, “is why you’re fighting it so hard. She’s not your direct employee. Gregory knows about your relationship. You’re both adults. And—” He leaned in, obviously setting up for the killing blow. “You’re so damn possessive of her you might as well piss a circle around her while you blare your ownership from a bullhorn.”
Gregory snorted. Trevor straightened, that knowing smile back in place. And Carson had no idea how to respond. One thought made it through, though. “Is it really that obvious?” Could it be, when he’d only recently acknowledged his feelings for Avery himself?
Drake scoffed, head bobbing in an exaggerated yes.
Carson glared at him, but Drake just laughed.
“Seriously?” Drake asked, grin wide, brows raised. “You bring a woman to the Boardroom for the first time ever, no one can touch her but you, and you wonder if it’s obvious?” His bemused laugh was full of sarcasm much like his tone. “Her profile is so pathetically thin, I doubt she’s even logged into the app after setting it up.”
Carson’s glare hardened. The thought of Avery using the app to participate in scenes without him had his jealous rage flaring hot and fast. She wasn’t ready for more. She didn’t want to be with other men. She’d barely agreed to watching with him.
And every excuse he raised screamed of his own reluctance to share her. The irony of his hypocrisy hit him like a kick to his heart. He’d been participating in open relationships for so long that he’d let go of the thought of ever having a monogamous one.
And then Avery had come along.
“Just to us,” Gregory reassured him. “In the office anyway. Because we know what’s going on.”
“And what’s going on?” Carson frowned, his defenses holding.
Gregory returned his frown, but there was a hint of skepticism in it. “You like her.” He shrugged. “Now you need to decide what you’re going to do about it.”
“And how that works with the Boardroom,” Trevor said.
“If it does,” Gregory shot back.
“And if you’re okay with her decisions regarding it.” Trevor let that hang.
Carson sat back, stunned. How had they gotten that far? “We haven’t even had a real date,” he blurted in an attempt to apply the brakes to their aggressive schedule.
Trevor flicked a brow up, stepping away from the window. “Maybe you should try that first.”
“And my original statement still holds,” Gregory said, standing when the other men did.
“What’s that?” Carson asked, his head still spinning from their bombardment. Hell, they almost had him and Avery at the altar. And why didn’t that thought have him shuddering in instant rejection like it had in the past?
“I’ll hunt you down and skin you alive if you make her quit.” There was a slice of truth behind Gregory’s humor. His steady gaze spoke to exactly how serious he was.
“Got it.” And he’d been reduced to a scolded schoolboy. Awesome. “Anything else?” he asked with a heavy dose of snark.
“Will the assessment on the new software be ready for the two-o’clock?” Trevor asked, deftly changing the subject back to work. Thank fuck.
“Yes.” He followed Trevor to the door. “With recommendations.” His team had been analyzing it for weeks and they had a number of concerns—and none of them had to do with Avery Fast.
“Good.” Trevor opened the door. “I’ll see you in five. Gregory. Drake.” He nodded to the men and exited.
Carson followed Trevor out, ready to be gone, yet unsure of how to deal with Avery. She glanced up, a tight smile in place. She received a short nod from Trevor as he cruised by her, no doubt already focused on his next task.
Carson stopped before her desk, thoughts colliding with his damn emotions again. The florescent lighting wasn’t always friendly in its glaring shine, but it didn’t cut from Avery’s beauty even slightly. She looked up at him, not a hair escaping from the tight bun at her nape. Her lipstick appeared freshly applied in that pale pink color she favored. Her silky black blouse with the ruffled collar bordered on that prim side she presented in the office.
Yet he knew there was more to her. He’d seen it. Felt it. Held it.
He could have her—all of her—too.
His pulse beat too fast, a wave of heat flaring up his nape. He wanted her. He’d acknowledged that long ago. And he wanted more. He’d decided that over the weekend. So what the fuck was his problem?
“Can I help you?” she finally asked when the silence became awkward.
“I think so,” he said, decision made. He was in. Period. “Would you like to go out for dinner tomorrow night?”
Her eyes widened, mouth parting in shock. She whipped her head around to Gregory’s open door, only to shoot a “what the fuck are you doing?” look back at him.
His laughter flowed from a deep spot of unknown. He really didn’t know, but whatever it was, it felt right.
He gave her a smile before stepping back to duck his head into Gregory’s office. “Hey, Gregory,” he called. The man halted his conversation with Drake and jerked his focus to Carson, question etched on his features. “I asked your assistant out on a date.”
Avery gasped behind him, but Gregory gave him a slow smile and nod. “Good luck with that.”
“Thank you.” He turned back to Avery, resolve in place. “There.” He motioned to Gregory’s office. “He’s fine with it.”
Her lips were still parted, head swiveling in slow denial. She leaned in, earnest confusion pulling her brows low.
He rested his palms on her desk and bent down, his grin spreading. He honestly couldn’t contain it if he tried. “I’m asking you on a date.”
Her mouth fell open again before she snapped it closed, sat back. She blinked, brows furrowing. “You’re what?”
“You know. A date.” He was enjoying himself now that he’d owned his feelings. “Where we have dinner, talk, hopefully laugh a little. Exchange details about our lives.” Like they’d done yesterday over pizza and a movie. He hadn’t spent a day doing nothing with a woman since...
Since his parents’ divorce, when he’d been shown how hurtful love could be. College then. Maybe grad school. He’d had female friends back then, before he’d placed his focus on his career.
She stared at him for a long moment. The dull drone of the office went on beyond them. A phone rang, chatter hummed and someone walked by at a clipped pace. She didn’t even glance at the person, and neither did he.
He didn’t care what anyone else thought. Not in this moment.
A corner of her mouth quirked up, fell, rose again. She closed her eyes, and he watched her resistance slide away with a slow sigh. Her smile grew and he buzzed with premature success. “Do you know what you’re doing?” she asked when she opened her eyes.
“Yes,” he reassured her. He did now. “Do you?”
Her soft laugh held a mix of disbelief and resignation. “No,” she admitted with a smile. “But I’m hoping you’re worth the risk.”
Was he? He wasn’t sure of that in all honesty. But it also wasn’t his assessment to make. He stole from Trevor’s playbook and remained silent, waiting for her, not pushing or retreating.
“Sure,” she finally said, her voice low.
It wasn’t the firm declaration he’d hoped for, but he’d take it. “I’ll text you with the details,” he said as he straightened.
Her brows went up, doubt showing. “I, ah...” She swallowed. “You said dinner, right?”
He paused, confused. “Yes.” Then he understood. The text. “This isn’t a playdate,” he said softly. “If that’s what you’re wondering.”
“No?”
“No.” Unless she wanted it to be—after they ate. “Dinner and conversation, that’s all I’m asking for.”
Her smile returned as she sat back. A soft warmth moved in to bring an enticing light to her eyes. “Okay.”
The two men exited Gregory’s office at that point. A stack of folders was tucked under Gregory’s arm along with his tablet. “Carson. Avery.” He nodded at both of them and strode by without another word.
Drake followed, his acknowledgment a mere compression of his lips as he passed. He didn’t even look at Avery, and part of Carson was too damn relieved.
Avery tracked their departure before looking back to Carson. She tilted her head, contemplated him. “We have some things to discuss.” Her gaze scanned back down the hallway.
“Agreed.” They had a number of things to talk through. “I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow. Deal?”
She gave him a reluctant smile, but he caught the amusement in her eyes. “Deal.”
He left after that. There was work to do, and he didn’t want people speculating about them. Not yet at least—if ever.