Hayden was about to shake her head when she stopped. “I’m going to be upfront with you, Presley. Mack and I were going to try and start a family. It would be irresponsible for me to accept a new job and then leave you high and dry later.”
“So, have a baby, have ten. You’ll be working days, no nights and other than some of my staff, the bar will be empty. We’ll set you up with an office that has room for a porta cot and some other baby stuff as well as a desk, and you can bring the little goofball in with you. I can even set you up remotely, half the stuff can be done offsite anyway. Which means when you get close to delivery and after you’ve had the baby, you can still keep working if you want to. I’m not saying you have to, because I can only imagine how intense it would be to push out a human, but if you did, you wouldn’t have to make the choice. We’d work it out. And not to brag, but I’m a really good boss.”
I’d been overselling it and I knew it. To anyone it was a good deal even if I’d only put in half the effort. But part of it was being brave enough to show my vulnerability, even if I’d never do it in business with anyone else.
“Do you always get what you want?” she asked, her eyebrow lifting.
“Yes,” I answered without apology. “I have to work my ass off for it, but once my mind is set, then it’s already mine. That’s not to say I don’t fail sometimes or have disappointments, the self-doubt is new though, and to be honest, I’m not a fan.” I laughed, shrugging. “But surprisingly, it didn’t change who I am. You know you can be a badass and still have a bad day, who knew?” I leaned forward, nodding in surprise. “And I’m working on the patience thing too, more so with myself than anyone else.”
It was more honest than I usually was, but I didn’t regret it. Apart from the bond we shared of my psycho ex, there was something about her that I just liked. Maybe because I could see that fight in her too, and I wanted to be around it.
“So you might as well agree, Hayden. I’m not known to back down.”
I felt like I was back in Jared’s Mustang, my hands locked around the steering wheel and my foot planted on the gas.
The smile edged wider on her lips, and I knew she wasn’t going to turn me down. “Okay, I’m in. But I still want to take those college classes as well. If I’m going to do this, I don’t want to half-ass the effort.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
We hugged again, sealing the deal, and it occurred to me we hadn’t even discussed important things like income and benefits. I guess that told me that she trusted me too, which made me feel even better.
I handed her a contract I had already prepared and told her to go home, read it and bring it back when she was ready to start. I had a hunch it wouldn’t be long, expecting to see her in the next week.
“So, you going to sneak to the firehouse and go fuck your hot boyfriend before we open?” Raelle waltzed in, not bothering to knock since Hayden had left the door open. “Because if we’re taking a poll, that’s where my vote will go.”
I rolled my eyes. “I am not going to go have sex at the firehouse. I don’t want our first time to be a quickie in public.”
Shit.
Of all the things I’d meant to share, that hadn’t been one. I blamed all the extra talking I’d done in therapy, my lock a little looser on my emotions than it used to be.
Raelle narrowed her eyes, pointing a finger accusingly. “What do you mean your first time? You’ve had sex before. Jesus, you had sex in this office, and God knows where else. I’m surprised we haven’t had a visit from the Health Department.”
“It’s been a while, okay. No big deal. We’re just going through a little dry spell.”
What I hadn’t told Rae was that I’d previously used sex as a coping strategy, a distraction. Which initially I thought was a good plan until I realized how that must feel for Jared. And in case I had any doubts, my therapist recommended that I didn’t have sex, dealing with things in other ways and abstaining for a while. The woman was crazy, had she not seen how hot my boyfriend was? How the hell was I supposed to keep my hands off that? But me and my big mouth had casually mentioned it to Jared, and suddenly we weren’t having sex.
It was a challenge, the imposed embargo making me want it even more. Jared didn’t cave, digging deep with his willpower and not backing down. Not even when I gave him a lap dance, almost getting myself off with the bulge in his pants. Instead he kissed me, told me how hot I was making him and went and jerked off in the shower.
“A dry spell, what are we talking? A few days? A week?” Raelle asked, ignoring the boundaries most people had.
I cringed, clearing my throat as I announced, “a month.”
“A month? You haven’t had sex in a month?” she shouted. You know, in case Hank at the bar needed to hear about the sexual habits of his boss.
“Keep your voice down,” I hushed, grabbing her arm and giving it a squeeze. “I shouldn’t even be talking about this with you.”
Deciding not to tempt fate any further, I moved to the door and closed it. Not sure it mattered much anymore, the damage had already been done. “And lots of couples take a break. Not everyone is screwing like fucking rabbits all the time.”
Raelle scoffed, taking a step back as she screwed up her face in disgust. “Well, the smart ones are. And I can say this because you know I love you and it comes from in here.” She tapped her heart. “But the two of you are both hot. Like if there was a porno and you were both starring in it, it would be a bestseller for sure. I just don’t know how it’s possible.”
“Okay, okay, we are not talking about this.” I waved my hands, before pointing to the door. “We both have work to do, and I’m finalizing the second site for Diablo tomorrow. Go look busy.”
She sighed dramatically, shaking her head and whispering, “a month,” under her breath like it was a dirty word. And worse, I couldn’t disagree, my hormones at levels that couldn’t be healthy.
“Uhhhhhhhhhh!” I had my own moment of drama, feeling the subtle throb between my legs whenever I thought about it for longer than a second. “This is such bullshit.”
But like I’d told Hayden, I always got what I wanted.
And regardless what anyone thought, I was going to get laid.
Jared
I’D TRIED TO be quiet when I’d entered Presley’s apartment. It was eight a.m. and we’d both been working, Presley already asleep in her bed.
So I followed the usual routine, stripping down to my boxer briefs and slipping into the bed beside her. I liked holding her, loving how she instinctively curled into me whenever I was there and slept with her body on mine.
It had been a while since we’d had sex, her therapist suggesting we take a break while she worked stuff out, and I was willing to do whatever it took. Not to say it was easy, my balls drawing up tight and my dick getting hard with just the slightest encouragement, but I wasn’t going to cave.
Nope.
Not me.
Sure, I’d jerked off so many times I was at risk of developing RSI, but other than my new steady relationship with my hand, it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.