Complications(20)

“I thought we could take him out to that new bar downtown. Maybe throw in a stripper or two…”

Alex shook his head, even though Luke couldn’t see him. His friend was crazy. “You and strippers, man. I’ll never understand.”

“That’s because you’re into commitment and all that shit,” Luke replied, sounding as if relationships were a plague he planned to thoroughly avoid every second of his life. Alex ignored the comment. If only Luke knew what situation he was in with Olivia at the moment. Fuck-buddy? Lover? Rebound? Alex knew they all applied.

Alex gave up his search for the missing spreadsheet and leaned back in his chair. “Do you think strippers for Caleb would even be a good idea? He’d strain his eyes glaring at them the entire night,” Alex replied, cradling the phone while bringing a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. He needed a vacation soon. The stress was starting to catch up with him. Even though last night had definitely taken most of the edge off.

Luke pretended to think about it. “No, Adam would freak out, being a fucking virgin and everything. But Caleb still has needs, you know, even if he doesn’t trust women.”

“I don’t want to think about Caleb’s needs at all,” Alex grumbled. He sighed, “I’m calling it, Luke. No strippers tomorrow night, okay? Between a virgin and a self-proclaimed woman-hater, I think it’d be a bad idea.”

“Yeah, but what about for us two?”

Alex laughed, not surprised by his friend’s suggestion. “No, I think I’ll pass.”

Luke sighed loudly, “Fine. I’ll call Adam and Caleb. See you at nine tomorrow night?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Alex replied, making a mental note of the event. “See you tomorrow.”

Alex leaned back in his chair once he returned the phone to its cradle, rubbing his hand over tired eyes. He couldn’t wait to catch up on some sleep tonight. Last night, he didn’t think he netted even five hours. Not that he was complaining.

Flashes from last night kept haunting Alex, making it hard to focus on work. Olivia’s face as her orgasm overtook her. Their bodies finally joined together. Olivia’s heated gaze as she ran her eyes over his body.

Alex pushed a hand to his groin, trying to lessen the unease of his suddenly tight pants.

Even after three rounds of sex, he still wanted her. Even more than he did before, as unbelievable as that sounded to him. It didn’t make sense. But his attraction to Olivia was undeniable. Friday suddenly seemed like a century away.

A knock sounded on his office door and Alex straightened before calling out, “Come in.”

His assistant popped his head in. “Mr. Kerry is here. I sent him to the conference room.”

Alex wanted to sigh, but instead nodded curtly. “I’ll be right there.”



Alex called Olivia the following night, right before he was heading out to meet up with his three closest friends. He had somehow refrained from dialing her number the previous night, but only when he figured it seemed too eager on his part. But who could blame him? He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her.

Olivia picked up on the third ring, “Hey.”

He smiled immediately. “Hi, darling.” He heard background noise. “I’m not interrupting your dinner, am I?”

“No, I’m waiting for my friend at the restaurant. She’s running a bit late,” she explained. “What are you up to tonight?”

“Celebrating a friend’s birthday. I’m heading out soon actually.”

She laughed, “Good thing we didn’t do dinner tonight then.”

Alex grinned, but it was almost bashful. “I’m one of those people who can never remember birthdays. It’s terrible, I know.” He cleared his throat, leaning against the granite counter in his kitchen. “Are we still set for dinner tomorrow night?” he asked. He was oddly nervous, not a feeling he experienced too often, even being in sales.

“Yes, of course. Still sure you don’t want me to bring anything?” she asked.

“I have everything covered.” Then he smirked as a thought crossed his mind. “Just get a lot of sleep tonight because I have plans for you, all of which involve you being naked.”

He could almost imagine her blushing. “Alex!” It was both an admonishment and a plea.

Alex chuckled. “I couldn’t resist, darling. It’s too easy.” But he sobered a little when another thought crossed his mind. “Now that you’ve had two days to digest everything, are you still okay with what we’re doing? Any regrets?” It had never occurred to him that she might be harboring some second thoughts. But now he was kicking himself for not asking her that very next morning.