Hot Single Dad(12)

Paul says all is under control. We’ve put on a lavish dinner for them at Ondina, the hotel I’m using for this trip. They won’t turn their noses up at a restaurant with such prize-winning chefs, I’m sure, but Paul assures me our negotiating position and the required paperwork are all in order. I run through it all. Excellent.

“They asked to bring an extra guest. One of the execs has a woman in tow,” Paul says.

“No problem. Keep them sweet.”

“I thought you’d say as much. I’ve let them know at the restaurant already. I reserved a private room so we can talk without fear of being overheard.”

We meet up with Robert and Sarah from the local office in L.A. Paul has already briefed them and they know how they should play it tonight. I feel better, knowing everything is in control, but we have tomorrow to continue discussions if things do not go well. I have back-to-back meetings arranged already, but they can be canceled if need be.

But my good feeling about the evening does not last long. It lasts only until the BTGRM team show up with the late addition to their contingent. It’s my ex. Mercia.

Have she and John, the CEO from BTGRM, cooked up this whole thing to get at me? She is all over him, as if that would bother me. But she knows far too much about what gets me riled. And her new friend is using every bit of that insider knowledge to his advantage.

Is she trying to exact her revenge for me not falling to pieces when she divorced me? Was my lack of public sorrow not good for her image? That bitch! I see Paul signaling to me to cool it when my hackles rise at some comment one of the BTGRM team makes that hits too close to home.

“Gentlemen,” he says, “maybe we should just enjoy our dinner and continue this discussion tomorrow.”

And thankfully, there is general agreement that the meal and wine are far too fine to be spoiled by business. But I’m seething inside.





CHAPTER 13


Holly




After a night going over and over the thought of Reid and Friday, and resisting any temptation to touch myself as if he was in the room watching me, I call my friend Tanya to fill her in on what’s been going on. Not in detail. I can’t share that with anyone. But in general.

“You go, girl,” she says. “You’ve always had a crush on him.”

“How do you know that?”

“The way you get all dreamy whenever you’ve been on a visit to his house. And now you’re living there. With him. And you’ve kissed him.”

“You don’t think he’s just using me because I’m here, do you?”

“I don’t know him, Holly. What do you think? If you’re not sure, wait a while; but not too long—a nice, experienced man for your first. That has to be better than Will Brown at high school, who was mine.” She makes an audible shudder. “What was I thinking? I could never look him in the face again after that.”

“I worry it will all go wrong with Reid and we’ll be awkward with each other if I sleep with him.”

“You think he’d be awkward with you?”

I think about it a moment. “Not really. I’m the only one that will be awkward, I’m pretty sure.”

“So get over yourself. He sounds like he’d be good for you.”

“Yeah!” I go all dreamy again. “It was good.”

“Good? Holly Jamieson, you already…”

“No, we didn’t get that far.”

“Define good then. What was good?”

I can see she’ll drum it out of me eventually. Tanya never gives up until she has the truth. I blame it on her job on the local newspaper. She’s training to be a journalist and I can tell she’ll go far, if managing to extract the truth from me is anything to go by. “Good in that he gave me, you know, an orgasm.”

“Without coming himself, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, you’ve got to hang onto him. There are not that many men like that around here. Ask me how I know. I think I’ve dated every selfish one of them. Well, at least ten. That’s enough of a sample size.” She giggles. “Sleep with Reid and you can add to the experimental data, a service to womankind.”

“He’s the only one I’ve ever wanted.”

“I have to meet this god of all men sometime. Invite me around. Introduce me to his friends. Maybe the unselfish lovers all congregate in groups and only come out in the dead of night in secret.”

*

Reid is different on the phone when he calls later, less flirty. He talks to Jack and Katie and they don’t appear to notice any difference, but I do.

“Jack and Katie sound like they enjoyed the roller rink,” he says.