I shrug. I’m really past caring right now.
“You’re not seriously telling me you’re going to leave town and blow a deal this big over some girl are you?” Matt says, an eyebrow raised.
I sigh. He knows exactly which buttons to press in me to get me to come around when it matters. Because he knows as well as I do that I’m not going to do that. I’ve worked too hard on the preliminary stuff for the merger. I can’t just walk away and let it all fall apart now. Losing Natalie’s business was one thing, but losing the Benton merger isn’t something I can come back from.
“I’ll be here,” I say. “I was just blowing off steam. Of course I’m not really going to leave town because of Kimberley. Why would I even care if she’s back or not?”
“Why indeed,” Matt laughs.
It didn’t take him long to revert back to winding me up now he knows that he’s made it almost impossible for me to leave town and save face. I nod towards the door which he’s still blocking.
“Now if you don’t mind, some of us do have actual work to get on with,” I say.
Matt stands aside with an eloquent hand gesture. I roll my eyes and leave his office. My mind is reeling but I just have to forget about Kimberley, forget about the past, and concentrate on getting through the pile of paperwork on my desk.
My headache is starting to come back and as I approach my office, I ask Bernie, my secretary, to run out and grab me a double shot latte. She smiles and jumps to her feet.
“Do you need anything else while I’m out?” she asks.
Just a one way plane ticket to Outer Mongolia or somewhere equally remote.
“Nope. Just the coffee will be great,” I say.
I go into my office and sit down and begin looking over the pile of paperwork in front of me. No matter how much I stare at the rows and columns of figures, I can’t get Kimberley out of my mind. I find myself picturing her how she used to look. Sweet faced, young, innocent. I try to imagine her all grown up, her cheeks filled out, her breasts filled out, curves on her hips. I feel my cock starting to get hard just picturing it and I groan to myself. How can she still have this effect on me after four fucking years?
I’m seriously debating going into my bathroom and jerking off, but to do that would be to admit that Kimberley still has that kind of power over me, and I won’t allow her any more space in my head. I fire up my computer and force myself to start reading and responding to my emails. Bernie comes in with my coffee and a toffee flavoured donut. I raise an eyebrow at the donut and she laughs.
“I thought maybe you could use the sugar rush,” she grins.
“Do I look that rough?” I ask.
“Oh you look terrible,” she laughs.
“Good to know my misery amuses you,” I say.
“Always,” she laughs as she breezes back out of my office.
“You’re fired,” I shout as the door begins to close.
“Love you too,” I hear her reply.
Bernie has been with me since I joined the company straight out of high school and like Bradley, I think of her more as a friend than an employee. It’s a running joke between us that unlike most of the other people here, Bernie tells me the truth, even when I won’t like it. I then tell her she’s fired and she makes some sarcastic little come back.
I must look as rough as I feel for Bernie to feel the need to bring me sugar though. She knows I rarely treat myself to anything sweet. All the same, I pick the donut up and take a big bite. Instantly, the sugar makes me feel better. I finish the donut and lick the sugar from my fingers and then I start on the coffee. As I’m sipping it, my phone rings. I pull it out of my pocket and look at the screen. Chance. My other brother, the middle child.
Great. Has he been having sneaky meetings with Kimberley too that he now wants to rub in my face and gloat about?
“Hey,” I say, taking his call. “What’s up?”
“Ah not much. Just checking in,” he says.
“Checking in?” I repeat. “Is that necessary?”
Jeez can’t a guy have a fucking hangover in peace around here?
“Well maybe not, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt. Matt told me he told you about running into Kimberley.”
Ah so he has called to gloat. It’s nothing to do with my hangover. Obviously.
“Yes, he took great delight in dragging out the story of their meeting, so if you don’t mind, I’m really not in the mood for round two of that,” I say.
“Relax would you? Believe it or not, I have better things to do than wind you up. I just wanted to make sure you were ok. I know the effect she has on you,” he says.
God, there’s no damned effect. I’m over her.
“I’m fine,” I assure Chance. “Matt’s had his bit of fun and it’s done. It’s not like I’m going to run into Kimberley and if I do, then I’ll deal with it. It was a long time ago and yes, she used to have an effect on me, but that was then. I’m a grown man now and I’m totally over her.”
“Whatever you say bro,” Chance replies.
He doesn’t sound like he believes me for a second, but at least he doesn’t sound amused like Matt did.
“So have you ran into her as well?” I ask.
“No, but I’ve heard from people other than Matt that she’s back,” Chance says.
He answers my unasked question. Was Matt full of shit to get his own back on me for blowing the deal with Natalie.
“Honestly Seb, I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s not like she’s exactly going
