“Who says getting laid, having a good time and being an entrepreneur have to be mutually exclusive?” I laughed. “And considering you had your own security firm at twenty-six, I’d say we aren’t all that different.”
He shrugged, raising a brow. “You think we should get married and have kids? Settle down?”
“That’s the worst proposal I’ve ever heard. You didn’t even get down on one knee,” I scoffed, rolling my eyes.
Bennett laughed. “You know that wasn’t what I meant.”
I loved how uncomplicated things were with him, how we could toggle between business and personal stuff and none of it felt awkward. He knew about Lewis breaking into my apartment, and how a few months earlier he’d pulled a gun on me, which had me finally kicking him out for good. But he didn’t coddle me, making sure I knew he was there for whatever I needed, without making me feel like the scared little girl everyone assumed I should be.
“So . . . is that why you interrupted me? To tell me I should have a better work/life balance?” I asked, honestly surprised that he’d come to my office solely for a philosophical chat.
He smirked, the cocky look on his face making me slightly unsettled. “Nope, just wanted to see if you’d pulled a fire alarm. Clearly, you haven’t checked the monitors.”
Goddamn it.
I hadn’t checked the monitors, too buried in spreadsheets, cost reports and prospective real estate sites to give them the attention I usually did. But I swear, as much as I loved and appreciated him caring, if the hovering didn’t stop, my parents were going to find themselves short a son.
“Tell Tibbs—”
“Not your brother.” Bennett cut me off, grinning wider. “It’s the other one. The one whose tongue hits the floor every time he gets eyes on you. Caught him sneaking in the staff side entrance and was ten seconds from laying him out. Of course, I didn’t know if you wanted the pleasure.”
Jared. Leighton.
Of course.
Because sending me a text to apologize after we’d had sex was what every woman wanted. Especially when it was from the guy who featured in almost all your teenage fantasies. The same guy you’d harbored deep and dirty thoughts about for longer than was reasonable. And boy, every single one of those dirty thoughts hadn’t even come close to how good it had been.
Pity he had no spine and cared too much what anyone else thought. I’d have totally been into cueing up my fantasies and playing them out, one by one.
“You thought I might want to lay him out?” I rose slowly, wondering if it was somehow written all over my face that my ride home hadn’t stopped with the drive. There was no way anyone could have known considering I hadn’t told a soul. Unless Leighton had opened his big mouth, and judging by his need to keep it between us, I’d say that was highly unlikely.
“Presley, don’t pretend like making men piss down their legs isn’t a turn on for you.” Bennett laughed, my body relaxing as he continued. “You love it, so if you want to read him the riot act, I’ll let you do the honors. Just make sure he comes through the front from now on. Not like we ever make him or anyone else from your brother’s company pay the cover.”
That was true, which begged the question why he’d been trying to sneak in. Oh, and I still had no idea why he’d come in the first place, unless it was to humiliate me further by telling me to my face what a mistake last night had been.
“Do me a favor and escort him in. I assume he’s alone?” My skin tingled, knowing if he’d been with someone, Bennett would have already mentioned it. Which meant the conversation—or confrontation—was going to happen with just the two of us.
Good.
“Yep, he’s without the entourage. I’ll send him in.” Bennett chuckled, heading toward the door.
My eyes flashed to the monitors I had been ignoring, seeing him at the bar.
Hell.
If I thought sleeping with him was going to stop me from being attracted to him, I was sadly mistaken. I remembered exactly how that six-foot-three athletic body had felt against mine, with his gorgeous blue eyes looking down at me. They were so clear, almost translucent, but could fill to an inky black when I screamed out his name. It was like I could still feel his lips against my skin, still see my fingers raking through his sandy blond hair. And as much as I wanted to pretend it hadn’t been the best sex of my life, I couldn’t deny that it had been even better than my fantasy.
Clearly, the feeling hadn’t been mutual, his body language animated while he spoke to Raelle, one of my female bartenders who was never short of male attention. She was beautiful, dressed to maximize her tips, and able to make any cocktail no matter how complicated. It was no wonder he—like anyone else with a penis—wanted her attention. Wonder if he was planning on circling back to the bar after our little chat, picking her up after her shift was over and giving her a little taste of what I’d had the night before. After all, she didn’t have the complications I apparently did, so wouldn’t get the apology after.
Bennett approached him, Leighton’s hand rose in a wave as he said his goodbye—or see you later—to Raelle and followed Bennett back to my office. I didn’t move from my desk, watching their progression through the club on the colored screens until there was a brief knock at the door before it opened.
“Thanks, B, that will be all for now.” I pretended to be bored, my eyes moving slowly to where they were both standing in front of
