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“Good morning.”
My heart stops the minute I see Kyle standing at my office door. He's got two cups of coffee and two bagels, and he’s wearing that same hopeful smile from the break room.
“Good morning, Kyle.” I smile a friendly smile to be polite.
“I have an extra coffee and a bagel here, in case you haven't had breakfast. I know sometimes it’s a pain to get to the office on time after the weekend.”
I'm wondering if he somehow saw Marc and I at his penthouse. Was he there the entire time and neither of us knew? Or is he just hopeful that I'll sleep with him too?
“Oh, thanks,” I say, accepting his breakfast because I don’t want to be rude. “This was really thoughtful of you.”
“I’m a pretty thoughtful guy,” he chuckles proudly. “I’ve been told that quite a few times before.”
I can tell Kyle hasn’t had a girlfriend in a long time. He's too eager to please someone. It could be the trauma surrounding his relationship with his father, or the fact that I took over his job without warning. Whatever it is, it’s not working as well as he possibly thought.
“I was thinking,” he says. “Maybe we can go for dinner sometime. You know, to make up for the way I stormed out of our last dinner. I've been thinking about the first impression I left on you and kind of want to clear my name.”
Dinner with Kyle? I would accept his invitation if I didn’t feel like he was coming on to me. There's no way I can go to dinner with a guy whose father I'm having sex with. And there is no way I can go to dinner with a guy who likes me in a way that I don’t like him. I don’t believe in leading people on at all, but how do I let him down easily?
“Sheesh, Kyle,” I say, keeping my voice soft so I don’t hurt his feelings. “I appreciate your invite, but I have a lot of work to do. I'm still getting settled in at home and don’t really have a lot of time to hang out.”
“Oh, it doesn't have to be right away,” he says. “Whenever you’re settled in and have some free time, will do. I have no problem waiting for the woman I want.”
It's too early for this. And too soon after Marc just fucked my brains out in the conference room. I'm still imagining the sensation of his tongue on my breasts and here’s his son asking me out to dinner. I should just tell him what’s going on, so he forgets all about me.
“Kyle,” I sigh. “I don’t think we’re on the same page here. I mean, you’re a very sweet guy and good looking, but I just got out of a relationship. I'm not really ready to go on any dates with anyone. I don’t want to sound rude at all, but I can’t go to dinner with you. I have a lot going on at the moment”
Now, for the awkward stare. I knew it would come the minute I turned him away. Kyle may be sweet when he wants something, but at the first sign of rejection, he turns sour again. He reminds me of Sean.
“Okay.” He nods unpleasantly. “I understand. Sorry I wasted your time this morning.”
He walks away before I can gather any words to soften my blow. I wouldn’t mind going out for lunch or having a drink during the day, but dinner is far too intimate for people like Kyle and me. He would surely get the wrong impression from there and I don’t have time for that.
I enter my office and see a dozen roses in the middle of my desk. They're waiting neatly with a card and a tiny teddy bear. I know they’re from Marc because who else knows where to find me? Although my heart pounds with nervousness at the thought of them being from Sean or Kyle.
Felicia,
I hope today is as wonderful as you are.
Marc.
My daydream of us having sex is interrupted by a knock on my door. It's one of my team leads letting me know everyone’s waiting for me in the conference room. Today, we’re going over ideas for Heiress’ commercial, and today, I get to see what everyone’s creative minds are like.
“I’ll be right there,” I say.
I set my things down, give the roses a quick sniff and the teddy bear a quick hug, then make my way to the conference room. I can see Kyle there; I'm not sure why he is since he works in sales. But the more the merrier.
“Good morning, everyone.” I enter and close the door behind me. “We have a huge opportunity to revamp this entire department. So, let’s see what everyone’s come up with over the weekend.”
They're all so eager to get their ideas onto the table. Some of them are good, some not so good. But there’s always room for improvement. I haven’t come up with a single idea myself over the weekend. My only thoughts were about sex with Marc.
“What did you come up with?” Kyle snarls at me. “I mean, everyone else is throwing out ideas. Let's hear yours.”
I glare at him, trying to see where he found the nerve to talk to me that way. If I remember correctly, I'm the director of marketing, not him.
“Today isn’t about me,” I say. “I need to see how my team thinks. I already know how I think, so knowing how my team thinks is essential to moving forward. If we’re not all up to par, someone has to go.”
He and I stare at each other briefly before I turn my attention back to the people who actually matter here. A few of them are trying to hide the smirks on their faces, while Kyle is obviously angered by my reply.
