Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
“Give me the blow by blow,” is what he actually says, drawing out the word ‘blow’ and making a lewd gesture with his tongue and cheek.
“Shh,” I whisper, eyeing Sawyer’s open office door behind me then glaring at Preston. “Hush.”
“Oh, are we pretending this isn’t happening?”
“Nothing is happening,” I insist.
“Mmkay,” he retorts, grabbing a nail file/buffer I keep in my desk drawer and taking a seat on the edge of my desk. He files a single nail then examines it before continuing to the next. “Well, this is dull,” he murmurs, giving me a pointed look. “But I can wait. I’ve got all day.”
“Preston.” I sigh.
“Great. So we’ll discuss Gabe over lunch. Eleven-thirty. We’ll go to that new bistro down the street. Your treat. Pick me up at my desk.” He hops off my desk and takes off down the hall before I can say no. It’d be pointless anyway, Preston is a pro at getting what he wants.
At eleven-thirty I grab Preston and we leave the building, walking a block over to the bistro that he likes. Once we’re seated I stick my nose into the menu to avoid Preston’s interrogation. That buys me about four minutes. When the waitress stops at our table I try to stall by claiming I don’t know what I want, but Preston snatches the menu from my hand and orders for me then shoos the waitress off.
“So you’ve been busy,” he starts, squeezing a lemon wedge into a glass of ice water.
“Super busy.” I nod and fidget with my watch. Maybe I can get away with just talking about work? “I’ve been working on the TPS reports all morning. You know they take forever to do correctly. And I’m off Friday for Marissa’s wedding so I’ve got to finish them before then.”
“And Gabe fucked you on his desk,” he continues like I haven’t said a word.
“He did not,” I say, but I’m a terrible liar so I shift my gaze away and scrunch my nose up.
“He fucked you on the couch in his office? You straddled him on his desk chair? He took you from behind while you were standing with your hands pressed against the window?” He opens his napkin and shakes it out before laying it across his lap. “I know something happened in there.”
“I, um. It wasn’t quite like that.” That’s not a total lie, right? I unwrap my own straw and stuff it into my glass, tapping the top with my fingertip.
“Oral then?” Preston asks without even blinking.
“Preston!” I slap a hand across my eyes while he laughs.
“So what’s the problem? He didn’t make you come? He shot his load in your hair? I’ve been there, honey, that’s a deal-killer, I get it.”
“Stop!” I drop my hand, shake my head at him, then bring him up to speed with everything that’s happened since I saw him before Christmas.
“Again, what’s the problem? Sounds like a good time to me.” Our sandwiches have arrived and Preston digs in with gusto. “Nooners. Quickies on the copy machine. Trysts in the executive conference room.”
“It’s inappropriate,” I remind him.
“Appropriate things are rarely fun.”
“I can’t…” I shrug and try to find the right words. “I just can’t get invested into something with him that’s not real,” I say, then pause again before summoning the courage to say the words out loud. “I like him, Preston. Like I really like him. I know it’s stupid and seems like a silly crush, but I like him. I’ve liked him for a long time, and I don’t want to get hurt if he’s just having fun with me.”
“Why are you assuming it can’t be something real? He seems sort of taken with you.”
“Does he?” I question. “I’m not sure.”
“He does. If you’re worried that he’s going to leave you for your best friend, you can rest assured. Gabe is not interested in me.”
“Well, that is reassuring. Thank you,” I say, even though Preston is kidding.
“How many times do I have to tell you that it’s not your fault that your ex dumped you for your best friend?”
“I don’t know, but I’m hoping it will be less than a hundred.”
“Sandy.”
“It feels a little bit like it’s my fault.” I shrug. “How did I surround myself with two such awful people?”
“Don’t give that to them.
Don’t let them hold you back from your happiness because of their shitty behavior. That’s on them, not you.”
I sigh. “You’re right.”
“Or do you think Gabe doesn’t like you because he bolted on New Year’s Eve before the cum was dry?”
“Oh, my God, Preston.” I’m sure I’m blushing a thousand shades of pink. “Stop.”
“It sounded like he liked you enough for a repeat in his office on Monday,” he continues anyway.
I throw my napkin at him to shut him up and he laughs, but I think about Gabe as we walk back to the office. Am I selling myself short thinking that Gabe is only interested in a secret fling? I think about it. A lot.