***
Seth was wired and edgy. Having Mia close for weeks had been somewhere between heaven and hell. She had done as he asked and not worn a skirt, but it didn’t help. She would look hot in a burlap sack. His c**k had been hard so much that he felt like every drop of blood in his body stayed pooled there. He had missed meetings and was scattered on his calls. He cancelled anything that threatened to interfere with his lunch with her each day. He knew he sat riveted as she told stories of her childhood and later years. His brothers had actually been making fun of his unorganized state. His life seemed to be in some sort of free fall lately and he placed the blame squarely on Mia’s beautiful shoulders. Even Margie had long since stopped smirking at his behavior and now just gave him pitying looks. Hell, he had a longer relationship with his dry cleaner than he had with Mia, so why was he letting her practically take over his life?
As he sat brooding, his personal line rang and he absently answered. When he heard Ashley’s sultry voice on the other end, he couldn’t help but smile. They had grown up together and dated for about a year before she had moved away to California to pursue her true love: acting. She was now a regular on a daily soap opera, which she seemed to love. Their relationship had always been more a friends-with-benefits one rather than a great love affair. She was blonde, beautiful, and sexy, but best of all, a genuinely nice person. When she was in town, more often than not, they had dinner and sex. No strings, nothing exclusive, just two people who enjoyed each other both in and out of bed. He hadn’t seen her in well over six months so he was pleasantly surprised to hear her voice. He also shot a quick look toward the control room to confirm that Mia was still in the penthouse with her team working on the installation there. Fuck, why should that matter?
“Seth! It’s been so long, darling, I’ve missed you!” He smiled at the southern twang that working for years in California had never quite taken away. She told him that it was one of the reasons the producers of the show loved her so much; she was different.
“Ashley, it’s great to hear your voice. I thought you had forgotten about your friends here. I hear you are doing well, though.”
“Oh, I am,” she laughed. “We can save all of that for tonight, though. I’m in town visiting my parents for a few days and I would love to see you before I leave.” She lowered her voice to a purr, adding, “How about I come over to your place around seven?”
“Shit, Ashley, I’ve got a dinner meeting tonight that will probably run late. How about tomorrow night?”Margie walked into his office just as he was finalizing his plans for the next evening. When he ended the call, he couldn’t miss her frown of disapproval. Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, he asked, “What have I done now?”
Ignoring his question, she asked, “So Ashley is back in town?”
He smiled, knowing Margie had always liked Ashley. “Yeah, just for a few days, though.”
“You’re going out with her tomorrow night?”
He was puzzled by her sudden interest in his old friend. Other than making a few off-color remarks through the years about his f**k-buddy, she had never shown much interest in Ashley’s visits when she came by the office. “Yes, I am. Do you have a point?”
“Yes,” she snapped, “that you’re involved with Mia. Don’t you think it might be a bad idea to see Ashley?”
Beyond irritated now, he said, “I’m not ‘involved’ with Mia and there is no reason I shouldn’t have dinner with a friend if I want to. Now if that’s all, I need to get back to work.” He knew a verbal dismissal never worked on her and this time was no exception. He could see her physically digging in her heels.
“Oh, well, excuse me for misunderstanding. I guess the fact that you have been running around here like a schoolboy with his first crush the last few weeks doesn’t mean anything at all. I’ve never known you to put a woman ahead of work and yet you have cancelled at least five meetings lately so that you are free to eat with her. Heck, at this point, she probably thinks you don’t work at all. There are more hormones raging in this office between you two than in a strip club at happy hour.”