He’d stuck it under my hips and screwed me on it. Now, he stood here gloriously naked. I tried not to look as stunned as I felt by his maleness—perfectly pink and veiny—or his statuesque beauty. My thighs quivered as I remembered taking all of him last night. I was the real champ. If anyone deserved to be honored for the large, godlike feat of nature in front of me, it was me for braving it—and for my willingness to do it again. I almost whimpered as he dressed.
“Luckily, I run warm and carry my own comb,” he said, pulling on his pants next but leaving them open. “Do you sleep on one side of the bed even when you’re alone?”
“I can’t get myself to stay in the middle,” I said. “It feels weird.”
“Not for me. I’m a spreader.” He winked and checked his cell on the nightstand just as Bruno barked from the hallway. “Can I let him in?”
“Yes, please.”
Sebastian opened the bedroom door and Bruno zoomed in, tail wagging, tongue out. He launched himself on the bed, turned in a circle, and lay right where Sebastian had been.
Loyal as they came. I patted his haunches.
“Et tu, Brutè?” Sebastian shook his head and picked up his dress shirt from the ground. “That right there is why you have a side.”
My alarm rang, and I leaned over to the nightstand to turn it off. “You could’ve waited for me to shower, you know.”
Pulling his arms through his sleeves, he came around to sit on my side of the bed. “Believe me, I struggled over whether to wake you. But I knew if I did, we’d never get to the office in time.”
I twirled a piece of my hair around my finger. “We could be late for once.”
“You didn’t let me finish. I meant I wouldn’t even get to the office in time to place a lunch order.” He squeezed above my knee. “My mornings are insane.”
“How come?”
“This is when I check the news outlets, brush up on industry trends, and review our social media to make sure everyone’s doing their jobs. You?”
“I sleep as late as possible and do that stuff at night.”
He chuckled. “Sorry to break it to you, but not tonight, my little flying squirrel. I still have hours’ worth of Poised-approved positions to try on you.” He slipped his hand up my leg, lowering his voice as he leaned in. “I figured instead of getting cozy now, we’d sneak out of the office early and come back here for takeout.”
“Is that a euphemism for something else?”
He kissed me once. “As they say, keep your friends close and your enemies between the sheets.”
I bit my bottom lip, partly from the warmth of his hand through the thin sheet, and partly because the real world was encroaching. Sebastian had assured me we were never enemies, but I still had information that would hurt him. If we were no longer at odds, then weren’t we on the same side? I touched his hairline, and he closed his eyes as I ran my fingers through his damp hair.
“Will it be weird at the office?” I asked.
He pecked me again, then sat back. “No weirder than Justin makes things on an average day.”
“I’m serious,” I warned. “You better talk to him. This has to stay a secret.”
“It’s not as if we have to keep it long.” He buttoned his shirt. “Shouldn’t be a problem.”
I could’ve stayed in bed with him all day, even if it meant jeopardizing my job. That was a first for me. If I wanted his success as much as my own, I had to be honest with him about what was coming. But Sebastian had been wary of me just for showing up, and being offered his job would only validate his concerns. Would he blame me? I didn’t think I’d ever felt this way this quickly about anyone. There was no question he’d be angry, but would he see this as a betrayal and end things before they’d even begun?
He patted Bruno’s hip and stood to do up his pants. “I’m going to try to get in early so you and I can take off right at five. See you there?”
The prospect of Sebastian finding out from someone else at work, even Vance, was enough to put things in perspective. Since I hadn’t had a chance to officially turn down the position yet, I couldn’t risk Sebastian thinking I was going to accept it. He had to hear the truth from me. Now that he and I had potential to be more, the meeting no longer felt confidential, just secretive. “Sebastian,” I started.
The corner of his mouth quirked. “Proceed at your own risk. If I don’t leave in the next few seconds, I can’t promise I won’t climb back into bed with you.”
I shifted against the headboard, pulling the sheet more tightly under my arms. “Actually, there’s, ah, something you should know.”
“Yeah?” he asked, tucking his chin to fix the back of his collar.
Sebastian and I were past the bullshit—no use in drawing this out. “When Vance called me into his office the other day, it wasn’t just to touch base. He wanted to talk to me about a permanent position.”
He lowered his hands and studied my face. “Which position?”
My palms were suddenly sweating. “Yours.”
He went still as a statue, not even blinking. “Mine?”
“I didn’t know if I should tell you, but—”
“Of course.” He shut his eyes and inhaled deeply. “On some level, I knew this could happen. But after all my years there, I assumed he’d have the courtesy to warn me first.”
By the set of his jaw, he was angry or getting there. Though I’d expected it, it made my stomach churn. He pinched the bridge of his nose much the same way he had in the café that first morning when he’d stepped away to take Justin’s call.
“He swore me to secrecy so he could tell you himself,” I said. “I just . . . after last night, I couldn’t keep it in any longer.”
His glare had me shutting my mouth. I doubted he’d even heard what I’d said. Naked in more ways than one, I knew I’d never be able to channel George in this moment. I had to try to stand my ground and explain things from my side, but I could already feel a tremble working its way up me.
“Unbelievable,” he finally said.
“I wanted to tell you yesterday, but . . .”
“Jesus. I’m so tired of his shit.” He hung his towel over my reading chair and said, “I’m sorry, Georgina.”
I wasn’t sure I’d heard him correctly through the pounding of my heart. “You’re sorry?” I asked.
“Yeah. Vance never should’ve put you in that position.” He went to the other side of the bed and checked the screen of his phone. “I wish you’d mentioned it yesterday,” he said, “but I suppose I can’t blame you for thinking you were on a fake date most of the day. Thanks for being honest.”
I hazarded a smiled. His understanding felt almost too good to be true. “I didn’t say anything because I was afraid you’d get angry and end the date.”
“I don’t think anything could’ve torn me away from you last night.” He returned my smile. “Don’t get me wrong—I’m pissed. But I’ll take it up with him.”
“Not today,” I warned. Bruno rolled onto his side and groaned sleepily, clearly put out by our conversation. “Vance said if you went on the attack, he’d fire you on the spot.”
Sebastian shook his head and slipped his phone in his back pocket, trading it for a comb. “I’m not sure I give a fuck.”
“You might feel that way now, but promise me you’ll wait until you’ve cooled off.”
“I don’t know if I can.” He stooped to the mirror above my dresser and fixed his hair. “I should go hand in my resignation just to fuck him over. Then he’d have nobody.” He scoffed. “I’d like to see him put out a decent issue without either of us.”
I relaxed back against my headboard, relieved I wouldn’t be the one to feel Sebastian’s wrath. Until his words registered—Vance would have nobody? What about me? I wasn’t taking the job, but I hadn’t said that yet. “Sebastian—”