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“Did I?” I can’t tell if I’m imagining it or it’s wishful thinking, but I swear her expression goes from coy and innocent to flirty as she cocks her head to one side.
I nod my head slowly, sliding my hands into my pockets. I’m biting my tongue to resist telling her that maybe she needs a little paddling to remind her that she should listen to me.
“You’re right, I guess you didn’t.” I hear the octave of my voice lower as I say, “But this little exchange right here proves my point because most of the time, when I tell someone to do something, they obey me, Presley. Maybe you need a gentle reminder?”
Her breath gets a little heavier, her chest rising and falling visibly, more than before as the blush creeps from her cheeks down to her neck. My eyes fall down to her exposed collarbone and I have the most sudden urge to reach out and run my fingertip gently across it but I don’t.
“Re-reminder?” She stumbles with the word.
Don’t do it. Don’t say what you want to say. I remind myself that I’m a changed man.
“So I can tell Lisa to expect your call then?” I ask firmly, bringing us both out of whatever lust-filled haze had settled between us.
She nods her head and slides the card into her pocket as she grabs her bag and hoists it over her shoulder.
“Thank you, Pro—Mr. Gates.” She shakes her head at her own correction. “Seriously, thank you.” She offers a slight nod of her head with a tight-lipped smile and scurries around me to exit the room.
I grab my coat and slide it on as I walk down the long hallway toward the exit. I pull up Lisa’s name on my phone and hit dial.
“Cyrus, always concerning when you call me unannounced. What happened?”
I laugh. “Pleasure to hear your voice, Lisa. Nothing happened, but I do have some good news for you. I have a student, my best student actually, who just lost their job. I gave them your card and suggested they give you a call about the open publicist position you have. I know Becky had years of experience under her belt, but I think you should at least interview this candidate.”
“A student? Cyrus, I need someone who can be up to speed like yesterday and already has experience in the industry.”
“I understand. They have experience, just lost their job this morning at another firm, a mediocre one but still, it’s experience. Trust me, Lisa, if I didn’t think she couldn’t handle it, I wouldn’t have suggested it.”
“She?” I hear the concern in her voice at my slipup. I had hoped not to divulge that information because I knew it would illicit this kind of response from her.
“Trust me, she’s worth it. She’s extremely bright; she’s got a backbone and a moral compass that would keep even the worst of us on the straight and narrow.”
The other end of the phone is silent for several seconds.
“Fine, I’ll interview her, but Cyrus, so help me, if this is some ploy to get this woman into your life, I’ll make it my life’s mission to make sure you regret the day you were born. You understand me? No ulterior motives.”
“No ulterior motives,” I repeat back to her through a half chuckle.
As much as I want to think there’s some small chance in hell that Presley James and I could ever be anything more than student and professor, I know damn well that if I value my career and my balls, it can never be anything more than a fantasy.
Chapter 4
Presley
I lie in bed, the blue glow of the television illuminating my bedroom as I absentmindedly flip the business card in my hand over and over.
I noticed the handwritten note on it indicating Lisa’s personal cell and it made me wonder if Mr. Gates had written that for my benefit or if Lisa had written it for him. Maybe they’re an item or maybe it’s exactly what he said, that her firm represents him.
I drop the card down to my side and stare at the television, rewatching an episode of Friends I’ve seen probably more times than I can count. I smile at a snarky comment made by Chandler, but my mind quickly begins to drift back to my interaction with Cyrus this afternoon.
“Most of the time, when I tell someone to do something, they obey me, Presley. Maybe you need a gentle reminder?”
Did I read into that exchange or was there innuendo in his comment? What kind of reminder was he referring to? I feel my thighs squeeze together almost involuntarily as I recall the way his voice dropped an octave when he said it. The look in his eyes made my stomach quiver in the moment, just like the first night we met when he leaned in to tell me, I sure as shit don’t pretend to be a nice guy.
I close my eyes as my fingers find their way across my pelvis, settling at the juncture between my thighs as I lightly tease myself. Goosebumps break out across my skin just like they did when our fingertips touched. I felt like my body was on pins and needles, seconds away from melting into a puddle of goo, but he seemed unfazed, so I quickly pulled my hand away and shook the feelings from my head.
My phone rings beside me, startling me. I sit up, glancing around in embarrassment like someone witnessed what I was about to do to myself with thoughts of Cyrus Gates.
I slide my finger across the screen when I see Serenity’s name appear.
