“Always.”
She sighed and yanked the door open. “Let me work on the reassignments this morning and we can meet up after lunch to talk strategy.”
“Works for me,” he agreed. Using his notebook to mask his hardened cock, he stepped through the open door. Their shoulders brushed as he squeezed by. He wanted to tease her, tell her the office was a “no touching zone”, but the guarded look she wore told him to bite his tongue and let the moment pass. Antagonizing her after the kiss they’d just shared wasn’t going to earn her trust…or get her back in his bed.
…
Cole watched as Olivia propped a small compact up on her desk and leaned down to check her makeup, completely oblivious to his presence in her doorway. She looked good to him, given the late hour, but what the hell did he know about makeup?
It was after six, and most of the office had cleared out already, but it was no surprise she was one of the few who’d stuck around. He watched as she expertly applied a swipe of bright pink to her luscious bottom lip. By the time she’d finished, he was already starting to get ideas about how he might rub that color off. She didn’t need it anyway. She was a natural beauty. He hadn’t known many, but there was no doubt Olivia was one of them. His cock stirred at the thought of touching her silky skin and he decided that interrupting beat the hell of standing there like a voyeur, given his wayward thoughts. The last thing he needed was for her to find him lurking.
He knocked on the door lightly to draw her attention.
“Yes?” she said, pausing her routine for a moment. When she looked up to see him filling her doorway, surprise flashed across her face before she returned to the task at hand. When she was done with the top lip, she swept all of the makeup into her bag and turned her attention to him.
“Sorry to interrupt,” he offered, shifting his weight and stuffing his hands in his pockets. He was used to seeing women in various stages of undress, but this? Not so much. It was weirdly…intimate.
“What can I do for you, Cole?”
She’d used his name, and while her tone wasn’t especially warm, it wasn’t cold either. He’d take it. If he could avoid dangerous subjects, he might just be able to pull this off. He hoped getting her out of the office might help repair the damage to their professional relationship and mend some of the bridges they’d burned without regard. Despite their undeniable chemistry, there were still some hurt feelings lingering between them, and he was determined to make things right, one way or another. Their afternoon meeting had gone all right, if you considered bickering like five-year-olds a success—which he did, given there was no bloodshed—but with the Vixen pitch on their plates, they needed to officially clear the air.
“I thought perhaps we could grab dinner and go over the details of the Vixen pitch before tomorrow’s meeting with the rest of the team?” he offered. When the idea had originally come to him, he was surprised to realize that having dinner with her, despite all of their bickering, was still appealing. It had been a while since he’d taken a woman to dinner—for business or pleasure.
“No need to worry,” she responded, crossing her arms. “I’m ready for the meeting.”
“I’m sure you are, but it will give us a chance to do some top-level brainstorming,” he coaxed, hoping to persuade her. “Besides, even you need to eat.”
“You’re right. I do need to eat,” she agreed.
“Perfect. I know a great—”
“Which is why I made plans,” she finished without a trace of regret. “I have a date, so unfortunately, I’m already booked this evening.”
“A date?” he asked, unable to the keep irritation from creeping into his voice. He couldn’t believe it. Since when did Olivia go on dates? Weeknight dates, no less. It was counter to everything he knew about her. She wanted to be a partner and she was going out to dinner with some asshole the night before they kicked off the biggest pitch of her life? “Sorry, I’m just a little surprised, given the magnitude of the Vixen account.”
“Is it a problem?” she asked, leveling her blue eyes at him. A thin smile spread across her lips and he knew he’d stepped in it again. “Last time I checked, business hours were eight to five and I was your top closer.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“Like I said, I’m prepared.”