Maybe I shouldn’t ask this. I should probably wait for him to come forward, but I kinda want to see if he’s willing to open up to me. It’s a little test to see if this could actually be something more.
“She cheated on me. Just a classic story, really. Nothing interesting or special about it. We married too young, and she realized that before I did. I guess because the marriage paved over some cracks in my life, mainly my father running off with someone from my school. She saw it wasn’t right and jumped ship. Apparently, she tried to tell me she wasn’t happy, but I didn’t want to hear it. It felt cruel and brutal at the time, but it’s for the best now. I wouldn’t have my company if I was still married, and we wouldn’t be happy either. Maybe as kids we were compatible, but as we grew older, we became two very separate people.”
“Wow.” That was honest. Much more than I was expecting. “That’s horrible.”
“You know how it is, we all have damage, baggage. We’ve all been through stuff.”
I gulp, knowing this is the perfect time to open up about myself. There’s so much I could tell him in return for what he’s told me. The words are there too, right on the tip of my tongue, but somehow they can’t come free. My brain ticks quickly, trying to think of something else to change to instead, to save me the humiliation, and immediately it snaps into flirting mode. My default mode with Brock.
“Well . . .” I part my thighs a little and relish his eyes darting down there. The heat rushes from my core to my face. My whole body feels incredibly hot and tingly for him. “I bet no one ever fucks you around now.”
His eyes glaze over, and I can see him losing himself as he looks at me. Just as I see him about to lean forward, I snap my legs closed again. Just a little tease, just enough to let him know I’m winding him up.
“Uh, no, no. They do not.” I wonder if he’s struggling with an erection. “I do the fucking around.”
“Ah, just waiting for that one special person to change your life around.”
“Mmm, maybe. That’s certainly a popular myth. I think I just enjoy having a good time.”
I slide a little closer to him, almost as if I’m going to cave to the thick, palpable air between us. Maybe I should. Perhaps it’s time to take this game to another level . . . but then Josh’s spiteful words fill me up.
“It seems you’re just another notch on the bedpost rather than the real deal. Sorry to break it to you, girl. I know this must be a disappointment.”
I flinch, losing all the heat coursing through my body, and I push away. I don’t know what it is, but everyone thinking it of me isn’t the nicest feeling. I don’t want to play right into Josh’s hands, but all of a sudden, it feels like this game has much higher stakes than I originally allowed myself to believe.
“Right, anyway, I better get back to my work.” I dart my eyes downward and sidle past him. Accidentally, I brush my butt against him, and my head spins. I gasp a few times, finding it impossible to remain upright. I clutch onto the desk, unable to control myself, and he grips my hips. I’m sure he thinks he’s helping me, but he isn’t.
“Oh, Jodi, are you alright?” He chuckles. “Don’t fall over.”
“Yeah, sorry, I . . .”
I push past him and race from the room, straight into the bathroom. I clutch my knees, breathing through the panic, trying to fill my lungs once more and get my thoughts in order. I don’t know if he’s getting a bit too much for me. This game has been a lot of fun, and I thought I was in control, but now I’m not so sure.
“Oh, Jodi, are you okay?” Shelley’s voice rings out from behind me. “You look sick.”
“No, I’m not sick. I’m fine. I just . . . I think I’m shattered.”
“Yeah? Why does that sound like you’ve been up all night having sex?”
I chuckle. “No, just tired.”
“I can’t believe it. A stunning girl like you.” She runs her eyes up and down me. “You know, I would be surprised that Brock doesn’t have you on the floor, drawing in customers, but I bet he wants you all for himself.”
“Why is that?” Oh God, am I really going to ask this? “Is that something he does a lot?”
“Oh no, I don’t think I?
??ve ever known him to hook up with anyone from work.”
“So why do you think he’d want to keep me for himself?”
“Because you’re stunning. There’s something special about you. You’re intoxicating enough to be stalked.”
I don’t mind her making a joke out of the secret I told her, but my shoulders immediately stiffen. It wasn’t my fault, and it’s taken me a long time to come to terms with that. For a while, I analyzed every detail of the date, every communication we had before then, all to figure out what I did to lead him on and make him think I was available for him, what I did to lure him in so badly he turned into a crazy person. But now I know that was his problem and not mine. It’s little throwaway comments like that which remind me of that mindset.
“I’m sorry. That might make me sound like a bitch. I didn’t mean it like that. Just, you’re beautiful. You should go get him if that’s what you want? Brock, I mean.”
“But he’s the boss, Shelley. That’s all kinds of wrong.”