I shrugged. “That too. There’s no denying this company gives me a nice fat bank account, which I duly enjoy.”
He laughed. “Yes, you do. What ‘benefits’ are you enjoying this week? Is it that blond D-list actress or the brunette Vogue model?”
I smirked. “Now don’t be jealous just because you’ve doomed yourself to be a one-woman man. One woman…for the rest of your life…no variety…never changing…” I feigned a yawn.
“It’s you I feel sorry for. But enjoy it while it lasts, man. I suspect when it’s your turn, you’re going to fall hard.”
I shook my head. “Nah. You have to have a heart to fall in love, and I had that removed a long, long time ago.”
It was Adam’s turn to smirk. “Yeah…right. We’ll see about that.”
“What is it with dudes when they settle down? They’re all about wanting to drag their friends down with them. Misery loves company, I guess. Besides—you’re marrying your cousin. I just changed my ringtone for you to banjo music.”
“Fuck you,” he said, moving to his desk when his phone chimed. He picked it up to read the text message.
“Is that the little woman now? Or should I say, the little cousin?”
Adam didn’t look up from the phone as he read but held up his free hand, middle finger pointed straight in the air. He wasn’t too pleased about the fact that he and Mia were now related by marriage, since his uncle had married her mother a few months before.
“I’ll just mention to her that you called her ‘the little woman’ and she can take care of you the next time she sees you. It was nice knowing you.” Adam typed out a quick reply to the text message.
“I’d actually be scared, but you need me too much for this IPO.”
He grinned. “That I do.” Then he frowned as if something had occurred to him and flicked me a speculative glance. “So, ah, how’s your intern working out for you? You teaching her lots of interesting stuff?”
I shifted my stance a little, stuffed my hands in my pockets and shrugged with one shoulder. Trying to act casual without looking like I was acting casual.
“She’s okay.” I hoped the façade worked, because I definitely did not feel as casual as I hope I looked. I was already starting to sweat under my collar at the memory of what had happened between us on Saturday night.
The feel of her curvy, feminine body underneath me on the couch. The taste of her. Those gorgeous tits that could bring a man to his knees. I clenched my jaw.
Adam frowned. “You okay? Did she piss you off or something?”
I resisted looking at him but surmised this was far from an off-the-cuff question. Likely, Adam had been suspicious about the whole thing since interrupting us the other night. And if he hadn’t interrupted us? I knew I wouldn’t have stopped, and I had reason to believe she wouldn’t have either.
I swallowed. She still had no idea that we’d already had sex once. Now the guilt over this situation had a new layer added to it—as if it needed any more. The guilt about lying to Adam, jeopardizing the company and nearly ruining all our hopes and dreams wasn’t enough. Add to that the guilt I felt over the fact that I had been all over her on Saturday night, and that if we had gone to bed, she’d have had no idea that we’d been together before.
I took a deep breath, knowing I had to play this cool. Adam wasn’t asking me to make small talk. He didn’t work like that. There was a purpose behind everything that he did and said.
And if I wasn’t careful—because the guy was as observant as a hawk, too—I could get snagged by my own lies. “She’s fine. I torment her, she hates me. It’s a perfectly healthy boss-employee relationship.”
Ah, yes, if I hadn’t already been heading there, I was definitely going to Hell for that one. Now if I could ignore the fact that apparently I’d been the best sex of her life—and, well, she’d ranked up there in the top three for me.
Maybe top two, I’d admit—if begrudgingly.
I slid out of that meeting a few minutes later, mentally wiping my brow that Adam had chosen not to give me the third degree about the intern. I glanced across the atrium and saw April at her desk.
I’d already vowed to avoid her as much as possible from here on out. As much as I could, anyway. But it was going to be difficult.
Mostly because I really didn’t want to.
I liked looking at her. She was beautiful, of course, but it wasn’t only about looking at a pretty face, perfect, shiny hair and a fine ass. There was this inexplicable deepness in her lovely blue eyes that made it obvious there was a lot going on behind them. But she showed the world a serene, collected face even in the midst of the scorching humiliation and criticism I’d heaped upon her of late. Not to mention, I’d been almost obsessed with the idea of getting her to crack.