Chapter Nineteen
It was only two days until the Envision store launch, and no one was more surprised than Bea at the events of the last month. She was still seeing Zane. As in, seeing seeing.
The same man for over a month.
It was unprecedented.
Her cell phone pinged, signaling a text.
Zane: So it turns out I’ve never played laser tag.
It came in as she was in the office, reading an email from one of their clients. Her heart did a little flutter, and she dictated a response and hit send.
Bea: Doesn’t surprise me. You Brits are so dull.
Just as she expected, his response was immediate.
Zane: Um. Pretty sure making you come 3X last night doesn’t qualify as dull.
Her cheeks heated as she recalled the previous night. He wasn’t lying. It had been three times. She hadn’t been able to move her arms or legs by the time he’d run out of energy.
Bea: Ego, much?
Zane: What I was implying, smart-arse, was we should play laser tag sometime. Since I’ve never been.
Bea: Hate to break it to you, but the only time anyone ever plays laser tag in this country is if they’re a 13yo kid at a birthday party.
Zane: Pretend it’s my birthday and indulge me. I’ve been a good boy this year, so my gift better be good.
Hell, yeah. She bit down on her lip as she recalled just how good he had been.
Bea: If you’re really good, maybe I’ll let you unwrap your gift a little early.
He responded in less than five seconds.
Zane: I’m free for lunch.
She laughed and shook her head.
Bea: I was thinking more along the lines of a post-launch celebration. It’s girls’ night tonight, remember?
Zane: What am I supposed to do with the stiffy I have now?
Bea: Your own fault. Maybe you could pretend your hand is mine while you picture me in the black teddy.
Her core clenched at the memory of her modeling the black teddy she’d recently purchased for his enjoyment. It was amazing the garment was still in one piece, considering the way he had fucked her that night with it still on. She didn’t know if he’d wanted to see her in it as he pounded into her, or if he’d just been too impatient to remove it. Whatever the reason, he had simply shoved the material aside and driven into her.
Dammit. Now she was turned on.
Zane: You’re killing me, woman. Fine. You, me, the black teddy. 2 nights from now, after the launch. Don’t touch yourself until then.
Bea: Ditto.
Zane: I won’t be able to concentrate on work until I rub out this current problem. After that, I promise. No more beating the bishop until I see you.
Bea: Such a way with words, Mr. Price.
Zane: You love my words, Ms. Paxton. Now get back to work.
She set her phone aside and tried to focus back on work. But her mind kept drifting.
Over a month they had been doing…whatever it was they were doing. She still didn’t know quite what it was, but they both seemed happy with the status quo, so she didn’t want to question it. She was sleeping over at his place more often than not. They had eaten dinner together she didn’t know how many times, whether it was at a nice restaurant or at his place on the couch surrounded by take-out containers. They had even been working out together. And considering how much they had been around each other at work getting ready for the store launch, it seemed like they spent every hour of the day together.
The surreal part?
It didn’t bother her. Not one bit.
It hadn’t exactly happened on purpose. They had just gotten comfortable with each other, established a routine before they even realized what was happening. They hadn’t had that awkward “what’s our label” conversation yet, and frankly, she didn’t want to have it. Ever. Things always got sticky after that discussion. Expectations were set, rules were made, promises given. Everything she wanted to avoid.
Right now, they were free to just be themselves, without any pressure.
That’s how she wanted it to stay.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to.
Things were coming to a head, and they both knew it. Although they hadn’t discussed it, his imminent departure had been hanging over them the entire month. She’d felt it weighing them down, leaving so many unspoken emotions right under the surface.
What would happen once he left?
It was the most important question of all, but she was too much of a coward to ask. Too afraid of the answer. She couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing his boyish grin again. Never feeling his arms wrapped around her in bed, or laughing at his dirty banter. As much as she couldn’t imagine her life without him in it, she didn’t have a clue how they could make a relationship work while they were thousands of miles apart.
“Who do we know in Surrey, England?” Felicity asked as she walked into Bea’s office holding a package. With their offices right next to each other, they could usually talk to each other just by yelling through their open doors. But every now and then, one of them actually made the effort to walk to the other room.
Bea schooled her expression and tried to wipe her mind of her disturbing thoughts. She reached out and took the box. “No one you know,” she replied. Her heart skipped a beat as she assessed the label. It was the final piece she was waiting on. She was enormously relieved it had arrived on time. “This is just something I ordered for the store.”
Felicity’s brows furrowed. “For that mystery display you’ve been working on?”
Bea nodded but remained tight-lipped.
“I still don’t understand why I don’t even get to know what it is,” Felicity grumbled as she fell into a chair across from Bea’s desk. “I am your partner, after all. We’re doing this job together.”
Bea leaned back in her chair. “I know. And normally you would. But this is something I want Zane to be the first to see.” That was actually very important to her.
Felicity looked like she wanted to add something to that but changed the subject instead. “Do I need to stop and get another bottle of red for tonight?”
“I’m thinking we go all out and have a margarita night,” Bea answered. “We’ve earned the right to get a little crazy.”
The group presentation they’d given last month had really paid off. They’d just landed two huge commercial accounts out of that group and received a proposal request from another. Between those clients and the final paychecks from Envision, they were going to be free and clear of the loan from their father right on schedule.
So they were celebrating.
Celebrating meant margaritas. And lots of them.
Felicity laughed. “Don’t lie. You’d get crazy whether you earned the right to or not.”
“No argument here. What time will Gwen be home? She told me she was running errands today.” Gwen had become their third roommate as of a few weeks ago, due to a tangle of personal circumstances. She’d needed a place to stay for a while, so Bea and Felicity had offered their extra room.
“The debate airs at seven, so she’ll probably be home by six thirty.”
Bea groaned, her head falling back. “That stupid political debate’s going to totally ruin my buzz.”
“She’s our best friend, and it’s her boyfriend’s election debate,” Felicity chided. “I think you can handle your hate of politics for an hour or two.”
“God, I hope it’s not two hours.”
Gwen’s new boyfriend, Clay Masterson, was a candidate in this year’s DC mayoral election. And he was running against Gwen’s ex-fiancé, William Callahan. Yeah, it was a little complicated. And a lot messed up. Yet another reason for margaritas.
“She seems to be doing better,” Bea commented.
Felicity nodded. “She seems really happy now. She has this…glow in her eyes that was never there before.”
Bea had noticed it, too. “It’s nice to see.”
“I’ve seen that same glow in your eyes too, you know,” Felicity remarked.
Bea looked up to see her sister smiling knowingly. “What?”
Felicity raised a challenging eyebrow, daring her to deny it. “You are so completely smitten with Zane, there’s no point in trying to hide it anymore. Gwen’s even commented on it. So when are you going to invite your boyfriend over for dinner so we can get to know him better?”
At the word “boyfriend,” Bea’s heart did a little jump from both pleasure and panic. “He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just…casually seeing each other. There’s a difference.”
Felicity rolled her eyes, her expression one of doubt. “Come on, Bea. You might as well move in with the guy. You’re at his house almost every night. Either you two have sex drives that surpass normal human limits, or you actually like spending time with the man.” She tipped her head with a grin. “Or maybe both.”
“Well, think again,” Bea retorted sharply. “It’s just sex, and we just happen to like a lot of it. A boyfriend would have to be my type, and Zane is definitely not. He’s infuriating and cocky and way too take charge for me.”
Her sister snorted, shaking her head. “Please. You need someone to take charge with you, and you know it.” Bea started to argue, but Felicity pushed ahead. “You two are practically the same person, and that’s what infuriates you. You’re just as high-handed as he is.”
“I am not!” Bea protested, slightly offended.
Felicity continued, unfazed by Bea’s outburst. “You always walk all over any guy that you get even slightly involved with, but Zane’s the first person to not put up with that crap. When you push, he pushes back even harder. You may not realize it, but you respect him for that. For taking you down a peg when you need it. I know you won’t admit it, but you love that he’s man enough for you.”
Bea was speechless.
She couldn’t decide if the woman was talking out of her ass, or if what she was saying might actually have some truth in it.
Felicity’s eyes widened as she took in Bea’s reaction. “Seriously? Did you really not know any of that?”
Bea swallowed, her heart pounding. “However much of that might be true, we’re not dating,” she insisted. “We both knew before we started this that neither of us is looking for a relationship. He’s leaving for London soon, remember? Once he’s gone, we’ll make a clean break.” She swallowed at the lack of emotion in her words. “We’re on the same page.”
“How do you know? Have you guys talked about it?”
“We don’t need to,” Bea snapped. She was starting to get annoyed at her sister’s nosiness. “We’re just having fun. You should try it sometime.”
Felicity’s eyes narrowed. “Meaning?”
“Gabe.”
Her sister’s focus shifted, suddenly fascinated by the bookshelf.
“At least I acted on my attraction and made a move,” Bea continued heatedly. “You just waste your time pining after Gabe. Newsflash, sis. This isn’t a John Hughes movie. It’s not going to magically happen. You want something with Gabe? Grow some lady balls and go after him.”
Felicity’s lips curved into a tight smile as she stood up to leave. “I’m not even going to comment on that because you like to fight whenever someone puts you on the spot. It’s one reason you and Zane fight so much at work. When you get all defensive like this, you’re as deaf as a doornail and stubborn as a pit bull. So I’m going to walk away.”
“And you always walk away from a fight when you know the other person is right,” Bea shot back.
Despite everything, she had to chuckle when her sweet and shy sister flipped her the finger as she walked out the door.
But God, the woman was frustrating when she made sense.