“Yeah.”
“Well, there’s something else I didn’t tell you. My new boss is a guy named Ronan Maddox. I worked with him about five years ago, but he moved to San Francisco.”
“Okay…”
I put my hand on my forehead. “So I kind of slept with him on his last night here, before he moved.”
“Wait,” Kylie says. “You hooked up with this Ronan guy five years ago, and now he owns your company?”
“Yes.”
“Fuck, Selene, that’s awkward,” she says. “Is it weird?”
“Kind of?” I say. “He fluctuates between being completely professional, and hard-core hitting on me.”
“Your boss is hitting on you?” she asks. “That’s not good.”
I sink back against the couch cushions. “I know.”
“Selene,” she says, her voice serious. “You aren’t actually thinking about letting something happen with him, are you?”
“No, I…” I let out a breath. Damn it, that’s exactly what I’m thinking. I called Kylie because I know she’ll talk me out of it, but now I’m not so sure I want her to. “I’ve been very clear with him that there is no way. I even set out ground rules and he agreed to them.”
“Good for you,” she says. “You have to set boundaries with this guy, especially if he’s asshole enough to hit on you at work.”
“I know,” I say. That is bad, isn’t it? “Ky, the man literally told me he wants to fuck me on top of his desk. Can you imagine?”
“Holy shit,” she says with a laugh. “You need to steer clear of him, do you hear me? A man like that is everything you do not need in your life. You need a good guy, not another bad boy, remember?”
“You’re right.” I take another deep breath. “And besides, I’m seeing Aidan on Friday at his place. He’s going to cook me dinner.”
“See? There you go,” Kylie says. “Aidan to the rescue.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Stop it, Selene,” she says.
“Stop what? What am I doing?”
“You’re trying to find a reason that something might work with Ronan,” she says. “I can hear it in your voice.”
I hear Braxton in the background. “Tell her to stay the fuck away from him, and if he messes with her I’ll break his face.”
I laugh. If you look up the word overprotective in the dictionary, there’s a picture of my brother.
“I’m not trying to find a reason,” I say. Keep telling yourself that, Selene, and maybe it will start to be true. “He’s just throwing me off.”
Kylie lowers her voice, like she doesn’t want Braxton to hear. “He was that good, huh?”
“God, Ky, the sex was off the charts,” I say. “There’s a reason I remember it so well.”
“What happened after you slept with him?”
I wince. “He blew me off.”
“Fuck him, then,” Kylie says, emphatic. “No, not literally. Don’t fuck him. God, Selene—you’re dating someone else, and Ronan is your boss. Those are two very good reasons to get him out of your head. Add in the fact that you’ve been there, done that, got the shitty t-shirt. I don’t care how magical his cock is. That is not what you need.”
“I know,” I say. “You’re right. You’re completely right.”
“Is your vibrator broken or something?” she asks. “It sounds like you need to use it.”
“That’s rich, coming from you, Miss Squeamish about getting herself off,” I say with a laugh.
“Don’t mess with me, babe, or I’ll start telling you why I haven’t needed a vibrator since … oh I don’t know, since your brother started fucking me last year.”
Braxton laughs in the background.
“Somehow, I’m going to make you pay for that remark,” I say. “Hanging up now.”
I hit End and toss my phone on the couch next to me, then take another big drink of wine. I need the rest of the bottle to get the image of Kylie and my brother out of my head.
***
On the drive to Aidan’s house Friday after work, I’m so tense my neck hurts. I shouldn’t be this nervous for a date, especially since it’s a guy I’ve been seeing for a while. It’s not the good kind of nervous, either—the kind where you’re so excited to see him, you have butterflies. My stomach is in knots, and I’m filled with a sense of dread.
Ronan was all business today, as if nothing happened last night. Although, technically, nothing did happen. Other than he made me question every boundary I’ve ever set at work. I was relieved that he didn’t try to touch me or get in my personal space again. As stressed as I am about this date with Aidan, I don’t think I could have handled it.
I park outside Aidan’s building and he buzzes me in. His condo is on the fourth floor in a nice, modern building a bit north of downtown. He meets me at the door and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek.