Operation Foreplay (6 page)

And then Jared showed up. He threw me off my game, tilted me sideways. And my libido lost her mind. I wondered, briefly, what that meant. Then I threw the answer out of my head.

I returned to the conversation in time to hear Caroline describe how much she loved living with Brian. She’d moved in only two weeks ago and none of us have ever seen her happier. After seeing her with Steven for so long, none of us thought she’d ever be the same. But I’d learned one should never say never because she met Brian and, after six months together, knew he was right enough to give up her apartment with Sarah and move in with him. Couple that with their new dog and a stranger would think the two of them were made for each other.

I couldn’t lie. I was jealous. I was happy for her, of course, but a tiny piece of me wondered why love wasn’t as easy for me. I would never tell her. That secret was something I kept to myself. If you couldn’t be happy for your best friend, then who could you be happy for?

My phone buzzed and I reached for it, but Berk grabbed it before I could.

“Melody’s phone.”

“Give me my phone!” He held up his finger to shush me.

“I’m sorry she isn’t available right now. May I take a message?”

He pulled out a pen from his pocket and wrote on a napkin.

“Berk!”

“Yes, uh-huh.” He pressed his finger to my lips. “Absolutely. I’ll give her the message.” He hung up and placed the phone in my hand.

“Who was that?”

“That was Zachary Waterman. He was calling to let you know you need to stay late tomorrow to finish the proposal. I wrote it all down.” He playfully handed me the napkin as if he were handing me a note in math class.

“Zac’s calling on a Sunday?” Sarah raised her eyebrows.

“That’s not necessarily unusual.” I read the note, noticed the tiny penis Berk drew next to Zac’s name, folded it back up, and stuffed it in my purse.

“He couldn’t wait till tomorrow to let you know?” Caroline asked.

“Look, he probably wanted to let me know so I would be prepared. Whenever we stay late, I bring more comfortable clothes with me so I don’t have to wear a suit for a million hours.”

“Comfortable like naked?” Berk laughed as I slapped his shoulder.

“No! Well, sometimes—”

“I knew it!” Berk pointed at me. “You have office sex!”

“Who hasn’t?” Sarah offered.

“I haven’t!” Caroline said. “And when have you? Don’t tell me you do it in the classroom?”

“Ew, no. I’ve done it in the janitor’s closet.” Sarah’s eyes widened as she shook her head.

“With who?” Caroline pulled out her credit card and handed it to the waiter.

“You don’t know him and besides, we’re talking about Melody.”

Berk wiggled his finger. “Shame on you!”

Sarah pushed his finger away as I continued, “But I told you. I’m off Zac. You are right. The situation isn’t good for me. I’ll be sure to bring my rattiest sweatpants and holey T-shirt for my comfy after-work attire.”

“Do you even own ratty sweatpants and a holey T-shirt?” Siobhan asked.

“Of course I don’t.”

I only hoped I had the actual resolve I forced into my voice. After-hours work meetings were definitely not good for staying away. Especially since Zac and I generally didn’t get much actual work done in the hours after everyone else left the office.

“Ohmygod!” Siobhan squealed.

“What?” All four of us looked at her.

“I have to go. Picked up a scoop.”

“Do tell.” Berk leaned in.

“Well.” Siobhan looked around before she said, “You know Cami Jax?”

“The actress?”

“Yeah. Well, my guy just told me she was spotted walking out of a hotel in Midtown holding hands with, get this, another woman.”

“No!”

“The horror!” I feigned disgust.

“Yes. And that’s not all. The goodbye kiss was apparently one for the record books.” She leaned back, obviously pleased with herself.

“Well, ain’t that something. Cami Jax is a vagitarian.”

I snorted when Siobhan asked, “A vagina-what?”

“Vagitarian,” Berk explained. “Carpet muncher.” He rolled his eyes when the confusion refused to leave her face and said, “Lesbian.”

“Oh. Right. Well, I gotta run. Scoop time!”

Lunch was over and we all stood, said our see-yas, and as we walked away from the restaurant, Berk said, “Hold on.”

He ran over to the waiter and handed him a business card.

“What?” He asked as he returned. “Gotta keep my options open. Now, let’s go buy you some new sexy comfy clothes because you and I both know you won’t wear ratty sweatpants and holey T-shirts in front of Zac.”

He knew me so well.

He put his arm around my shoulder as we said goodbye to Caroline and Sarah.

“Just so you know, I support whatever you decide about Zac. Just be careful. All I want is for you to be happy.”

“I know.” I looped my arm in his and leaned my head on his shoulder. “When are you going to be my work husband again?”

“I told you, I have a job for you anytime you want to leave.”

“But I miss you at
my
work.”

“It wasn’t for me, doll. You know that. Not enough room for me to spread my wings.”

“I know. I just miss hanging with you at work.”

“I miss you too, Mel. And I can still be your work husband. We just work at separate places.”

“Defeats the purpose of a work husband.”

“I know.” He patted my hand. He was quiet for a bit before he said, “Maybe it’s not a distraction you need.”

“Tell me, what
do
I need?”

“Foreplay.”

“What?”

“I mean it. You need that slow buildup. Those crazy feelings where you think you’re going to lose your mind.”

“You’ve lost your mind.”

“I hereby rename the challenge Operation Foreplay.” He shot off a text to the girls to let them in on his new idea.

I was going to do my best to refuse Zac’s advances but who said I couldn’t look good doing it? At least Berk understood. Being single was so much better than being in the wrong relationship.

“And for the record,” he whispered, “I think Jared is perfect for you.”

“Shut up.” I secretly wondered if he was right.

“I’m just saying.”

“You’re always just saying.”

“And I’m always right.”

Chapter Five

M
onday, just like the week before, I was a jumble of nerves as I did everything in my power to avoid Zac. It wasn’t easy. There were a dozen red roses with yet another apology note from him waiting on my desk when I arrived that morning. A week ago, my knees would have buckled at the thought and I would have gone running to his office to accept his apology.

I was a new woman. I would no longer be guided by the immediate needs of my lady parts. I needed to stay the course.

Slow.

Easier said than done, of course.

Moving the flowers off my desk and onto the ledge by the windowsill, I slipped off my new stilettos and distracted myself with spreadsheets and numbers. I was in my glory and didn’t notice I’d not only skipped lunch but it was four thirty in the afternoon by the time I stopped to take a break. Reaching in my bottom drawer for a protein bar and a bottle of water, I found, on top of my snacks, a pale blue box complete with a simple white ribbon. There was no card attached. Needless to say, I ditched the protein bar for a candy bar.

As if it were a bomb, I gingerly placed the box on my desk and studied it. Leaning back in my chair, I stared at the box while I chewed on a pen. It might have been five years since I quit smoking but the oral fixation never fully disappeared.

And was probably the reason I gave such amazing blow jobs.

A knock at my door intruded on my focus. “Come in.”

Jenny, my twenty-two-year-old assistant, stood at the door wearing the scarf I’d purchased for her birthday.

“Nice scarf.” I glanced up at her before returning my attention to the pale blue alien box on my desk.

“Thanks. I didn’t want to bother you earlier. It looked like you were deep in numbers. But I’m leaving a few minutes early today and wanted to give you your messages.”

“Great. What are they?”

“You have a noon lunch with the Alonzo account tomorrow, they were just calling to confirm. Berk wanted to let you know he was in the city. Johnson will have the report to you by Wednesday. And Mr. Waterman wanted me to remind you not to forget your promise to stay late and finish the proposal.”

“Fine. Thank you. I remember.”

“Those flowers are beautiful! Secret admirer?” She rushed over to the window and inhaled the bouquet.

Jenny was one of the most eager assistants I’d ever come across. I handpicked her from a dozen other applicants. When I earned my promotion last year, I was allowed to choose my own assistant and I wanted someone who would make my life easier. She reminded me of me when I was just starting out. She wouldn’t be an assistant long and she knew it. After all, I was the one who promised to take her under my wing.

“Yeah. Kind of. Do you know where this”—I the nudged the box with the tip of my chewed-up pen—“came from?”

“No. I don’t.”

“It was in my drawer.” She followed my glance.

“I didn’t put it there.” She walked back to my desk and sat across from me and eyed the box with interest.

“Then who did?”

“No idea. I only go in your drawer when I restock your protein bars and I haven’t done that since last week. Is there a card?” Leaning forward, she inspected the box as well.

“Nope.”

“Did you open it?”

“Nope.”

“Are you going to?”

“Not sure yet.”

“Well, good luck. Do you need anything before I head out? My boyfriend is taking me out to Rocco’s for my birthday dinner.”

“Yeah?” She had my full attention. Jenny had had the same boyfriend since she was sixteen. My logical brain told me they wouldn’t last. My heart didn’t say anything. Sometimes I wasn’t sure I had one. That isn’t true. Zac had mine in his back pocket.

“I think he’s going to propose!” she squealed.

I bit my tongue and held my perma-smile in place. I wanted to keep her around and didn’t want to rain on her parade. Who was mature enough to get engaged at twenty-two? Hell, I wasn’t even mature enough to get my own boyfriend at twenty-nine. I had to borrow one from a married woman.

Almost divorced woman.

I shook the cobwebs away. “Really? Well, if he does, take the day tomorrow. If he doesn’t, take the next two.”

Her smile was infectious. “You sure?”

“Absolutely. We girls need to stick together.”

“You’re the best.”

“Don’t spread that around. I have a reputation,” I whispered.

“I won’t.” She smiled, knowing that the rumors about my being a bitch weren’t always true. My favorite was that I walked around sprinkling bitch dust everywhere. As if I had the time.

I did have a reputation. I didn’t tolerate bullshit and people who didn’t pull their weight. I was a dragon lady to many who worked in the office and I wasn’t even thirty yet.

Jenny smoothed out her navy pencil skirt and left me alone with my mystery box.

I picked up the phone and dialed Berk, since I knew he was in the city.

“Hey.”

“Hey. You still in the city?”

“Yeah, why? Aren’t you working late?”

“I am. I need your expertise for a few.”

“I can take a detour. Be there in ten minutes.”

I disconnected the call. Rolling my neck to ease the tension, I stood and stretched. I checked the time and figured Zac would expect the team in the conference room around six, so I locked the door, dropped the shades, and contemplated changing into more comfortable clothes. It was really a great perk of working for the company. They didn’t expect work attire for late-night meetings and brainstorming. Some people were still more comfortable wearing suits and heels late into the evening. I wasn’t one of those people. I mean, I made sure I was constantly put together, but my preference? Naked. Of course, that wouldn’t do at the office, so I generally changed into comfortable jeans and a button-down. Besides, I had a point to make. I wasn’t dressing up for Zachary Waterman.

I’d decided against changing my clothes when Berk knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

He walked over, aviators resting on the bridge of his nose, his hair expertly mussed, and gave me a hug. “Hey there, pretty lady. What was so urgent that you needed me to rush over here at the end of the work day?”

I stepped back and pointed to the box on my desk.

“Who’s that from? You look great by the way. Blue really is your color.” Picking up the box, he turned it over.