The Duet(54)

“Peachy,” I said with a note of sarcasm. Okay, fine, maybe it was more than just a note.

…



After my trainer made me cry, (it might have just been sweat dripping into my eye, but still, it stung) I headed downstairs. I poured myself a steaming cup of coffee and sat at the table to dial Grayson’s work number.

After two rings, the call connected and a woman answered with a clipped tone. “Cole Designs, this is Beatrice. How can I help you?”

Grayson must have gotten a new secretary. His old secretary was named Katherine, or so I thought. It was hard to keep up with the rotating door of young, beautiful women in his office.

“Hi Beatrice. This is Brooklyn calling for Grayson.”

“Oh, um, just hold on one second please,” she replied, obviously flustered. I wasn’t sure if she recognized my name or if she was nervous to tell Grayson I was calling. Maybe he’d told her not to interrupt him. It wouldn’t have been the first time I’d forced one of his secretaries to connect me to him via hard threats. If the man had it his way, he’d never talk to anyone and just work on his designs all day. Hmm, who did that remind me of? *Cough* Jason.

Speaking of the devil, while Grayson’s hold music filtered into my ear, I watched Jason walk down the stairs and head into the kitchen. When he saw me sitting at the table he nodded and smiled, staring down at the hint of cleavage peaking out of my tank top for a second longer than necessary. Well, well, well… maybe I wasn’t the only one craving round two.

“Yes. Hi Brooklyn, Grayson says he’s very busy right now and can’t talk.”

What a shocker.

“Beatrice, could you tell him it’s an emergency?” I asked, knowing that would get him. I used that trick at least once a month, but it never ceased to work. He never wanted to ignore me on the off chance that this time it could actually be an emergency.

Jason glanced over his shoulder, eyeing me up and down. Once the hold music kicked on again, I shook my head at him. “It’s not a real emergency.”

He laughed. “Of course not.”

I watched him spoon some sugar into his coffee before he came to sit across from me at the table. Apparently since I was making a call in the middle of a kitchen, I didn’t deserve any privacy.

“Can I try a sip of your coffee?” I asked. He’d added a little bit of milk once he’d sat down, and for once I thought it might taste better than my black version.

He eyed me curiously, but then slid the cup over. Holding the phone to my ear with one hand, I used the other to grab the mug and took a sip. The second it hit my tongue I could feel my taste buds shriveling up from how sweet it was.

“Jesus, did you put the whole cup of sugar in there?” I asked, handing it back over.

He grinned. “Are you asking me or Jesus?”

I rolled my eyes. “That is such a dad joke.”

“Hello, Grayson speaking.”

Oh, shit. I waved my hand at Jason to let him know to stop talking, but he just readjusted in his seat, making it so his foot was resting against mine. If I weren’t on the phone with another man, it’d feel like we were enjoying a breakfast together like a couple or something.

I gulped down the idea.

“Brooklyn? Are you there?”

“Oh, yes. Hi Grayson!” I tried to focus on the phone call.

“Tell me, are you missing a leg or an arm?” Grayson asked.

“No,” I shook my head, realizing Jason could hear every word of our phone call.

“Did your car explode?”

“No.”

“Are you stranded in the desert somewhere?”

“Haha, I get it. This isn’t a real emergency.”

Oh God, Grayson was pissed with a capital P.

“You do realize that I’m running a company, right? So when you call me at ten in the morning, I’m going to be in a meeting with a client or out on a job site.”

I felt like a little kid getting reprimanded. Jason might have been quiet and broody, but Grayson was seriously intimidating when he wanted to be.

“I’m sorry. I swear I won’t keep you long. I just really, really need you to call Cammie. She’s nervous about graduating and she’s been in that studio working twenty-four-seven.”

He cut me off. “I don’t see how that concerns me.”

“Grayson Cole,” I said with all of the courage I could possibly muster.

“I’ve got to go, Brook, but if I have time, I’ll give Cameron a call soon. Bye.”

With that, he hung up, leaving me glancing down at my phone like it was about to chew my hand off. Maybe I didn’t want him calling Cammie. Would I really want her to have a boss like Grayson? She’d probably end up spending even more time in the office than she was currently spending in the studio.