Page 98 of Pure Recklessness

‘How old we talking?’ Joe said.

‘He’s forty,’ I exaggerated. Mr Devlin was thirty-seven.

‘Nothing wrong with that!’ Dana said. ‘If you feel a spark, go for it.’

‘I want to, but how do I make him see that I’m not concerned about the age gap or what people will say or think?’ I asked.

‘If he’s nervous about taking advantage, then you have to be bold and take the lead,’ Joe suggested. ‘Tell him that you want him.’

‘Yeah!’ Dana added. ‘Go to his house in a trench coat with nothing on underneath and when he opens the door, drop the coat on the floor, lead him to the bed, push him down and straddle him. Then he’ll know you mean business!’

‘Love it!’ Joe enthused. ‘But they’ve only just met so she probably hasn’t been to his house yet, right?’

‘That’s right,’ I confirmed.

‘Does he work here?’ Joe said.

Crap. Of course they’d ask that.

‘I’d be stupid to get involved with someone from work!’ I scoffed, not answering the question directly.

‘Yeah,’ Dana said. ‘I hate that rule so much.’

‘That’s a shame,’ Joe said. ‘Otherwise, I would’ve suggested you go to his office and make it clear that you want him.’

Been there, tried that, didn’t work.

‘That’d be so hot!’ Dana gushed. ‘Then she could fuck him on the desk.’

‘If he’s worried about the age or some kind of power dynamic, Ellie would need to make it very clear that she was willing.’

‘But what if he still rejects me?’ I said as a flashback of the humiliation I felt last time invaded my thoughts.

‘No risk, no reward,’ Dana repeated. ‘If you want something, or in this case, someone, you can’t wait for him to fall into your lap. You have to go and sit on his!’

‘Exactly!’ Joe laughed. ‘Ladies, I’d better get back. Now that I’m a manager and all that jazz, I’m busy, busy, busy!’

‘Congrats again!’ I said. ‘And thanks for the advice.’

‘You’re welcome. Let us know how it goes with your mystery man.’ He winked, then left.

‘I should head back too.’ Dana took the last bite of her muffin. ‘I’m intrigued to hear more about this older man though.’ She raised a suspicious brow.

‘If anything happens, I’ll let you know,’ I said, certain that nothing would.

‘I look forward to it. I’m really proud of you.’ Dana smiled.

‘Thanks, but why?’

‘You’ve come so far. Professionally, you’re killing it in the press office and soon you’ll get to work on a project that the CEO personally asked you to manage.’

‘Fingers crossed,’ I said.

‘And you’ve made so much progress personally too,’ Dana continued. ‘When you first arrived, you were so innocent. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just, you were so repressed, the thought of using a sex toy horrified you. You couldn’t even say the word cock never mind admit you wanted to get some! Now look at you! You’re a certified sex toy aficionado, you’re embracing your sexuality, your self-belief is growing and now you’ve seen a man you like and instead of crossing your fingers and hoping that something will happen, you’re taking your life and happiness into your own hands and going for it. You’re amazing!’

‘Thanks!’ I smiled, pride blooming in my chest.

Now that Dana mentioned it, I realised I had come a long way.