“Fantastic.” She flashed that brain-melting smile at me again. “I’ll get the standard documents for him to go over, then he can do the final signing with the senior partners tomorrow.”
“Let’s do dinner.” I’d been waiting to ask her since I’d arranged to take be put on this deal.
Dylan flinched. I gave myself a mental kick. I’d rather apologize over dinner, but she clearly wasn’t going to accept an invitation from me until we talked.
“Dylan—”
“It was nice working with you. Good luck with everything,” Dylan said, which clearly meant she’d lost her mind since we weren’t totally done with the work. She snatched up her briefcase and rushed out the door as fast as she could on her three-inch heels.
Funny. I’d never pictured Dylan wearing heels before. Now I wouldn’t be able to un-picture it. I had a feeling watching her sexy ass sway out the door was going to be fodder for my dreams for a very long time.
Chapter 3
Dylan
I leaned my shoulder against the wall and started deep breathing exercises as soon as I rounded the corner. Yes, I’d walked right past the elevator, but I was going to need a minute.
I smacked the back of my head against the stylish faux brick wall.
Holy shit. Cameron Richmond. HOLY SHIT. I clapped a hand over my mouth to muffle a sudden giggle. Is this real life?
He was my every dirty fantasy and wannabe hate fuck rolled into one, and I’d just negotiated with him for the biggest deal of my life.
I’d actually told him I didn’t want it that bad. Liar. He’d leaned in close enough to kiss me and all I’d been able to think about was tearing his clothes off and doing him on the conference table.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. But I hadn’t made a single move on him. I’d left that room with my dignity mostly intact.
I couldn’t believe he’d asked me out to dinner. Was he insane? Maybe he thought ten years was long enough to forget how he’d taken my most precious offering, then pulled a middle of the night disappearing act. Sure, I’d been stupid and young, but I’d been convinced that I was in love with him. I’d been so crazy about him that I’d given him my virginity … and then I’d woken up to an empty bed and a heart full of regrets.
Jerk. Sexy, handsome jerk. I shook my head and combed my fingers through my hair.
Shit. I still needed to print the agreements for his client.
Maybe I could find a way out of finalizing the deal. The hard part was over, now someone just had to get it signed. Hell, I could get promoted out of it, couldn’t I? I wasn’t likely to get promoted in the next ten seconds, though, and I needed to find an excuse not to go back in there. I’d survived my one encounter with Cameron Richmond and now I was never going to see him again.
“Dylan.”
Except for right now. I dropped my hands to my side and glared at him. Of course he was interrupting my much-needed Cameron-free moment, because the only time he stuck around was when I didn’t want him to.
“Cameron,” I said. I was proud of how cold I sounded. Inside I was heating up and flying around like a jumbo jet. The problem with Cameron was that he was too sexy for the good of any woman in his vicinity.
“I’ll give you a few minutes to print up the agreements while I get George. We’ll continue after that.”
Shit. This wasn’t over yet. I’d have to keep standing around Cameron Richmond and trying not to tear my clothes off. At least there’d be a third party to cool things off between us. There’d be no sex on the conference table with his client in the room. Not that I was going to have sex with him anyway.
“We could always finish this tomorrow,” I said.
“No. I’d rather do it now.” His voice was husky and suggestive.
My cheeks flushed. I looked up into his dark, dark blue eyes. I needed to run, but my legs were locked in place.
“Before we go back in there, I have something to say.” Cameron brushed a finger against the hair hanging down to my shoulders.
I knew, scientifically, that I should not be able to feel a finger against my hair follicles, but I felt him right down to my marrow. He felt like fireworks inside of me, tearing through all my nerve endings.
“I’m sorry,” Cameron said. “I screwed up that night, and I need you to know how much I regret it.”
My first reaction was shock. I’d never expected to hear those words come out of his mouth. Shock was followed a second later by anger. Fury knotted in my chest. Our night together was nothing but a fuck up he regretted. I finally knew why he’d left me there, and I hated him even more for it.
I took a deep breath, and steeled my shoulders. “I don’t have time to deal with this right now. We’re in the middle of a negotiation.” My knuckles were white around the handle of my briefcase. “On second thought, I don’t have time to deal with this ever. Whatever happened that night is in the past, and I’m over it. Understand? I don’t care.” I was growing more worked up by the second. I had to get away from him before he broke me completely. “Now you can go live your life regret-free knowing it doesn’t mean a thing to me.”