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“You can be indignant without saying I had sex with my boss,” I murmured. “For the record, I’m not sure that counts anyway because I wasn’t working for him at the time of the hookup.”
“My point is, he’s already seen you naked and you said it was good.”
Good was understating it.
“So there won’t be any awkwardness that would occur if it had been bad, but this presents the problem of sexual tension between you. Can he take you seriously in a marketing meeting if he’s thinking about you riding him?”
I knew she was right. I also thought that was oversimplifying things. “Sexual tension could exist whether there was a previous hookup or not. That happens all the time in offices. Not that I’ve worked in an office but I watch a lot of TV shows that seem to indicate it does.”
“Oh, trust me. It happens in my books all the time. You’re right. It’s a thing. But that’s my point.”
“I need this job. I want this job.” I wanted the chance to prove myself desperately. I sipped my coffee. “MacKay is determined to stay away from me anyway. He doesn’t want my brother to know about us. He’s not going to want a repeat. I also doubt he would want his brothers to have a reason to criticize his office behavior. I think I’m safe from MacKay trying to touch me.”
Then I thought about his hand brushing over my ass in his office the day before. Spilled coffee or not, I didn’t think he would be touching the majority of his employees in that particular way. At least I hoped not. Otherwise I was about to be jealous.
“Then take the job but stay the hell away from MacKay Lennox. You have a lot on the line here.”
“I know that’s the smart thing, but why does that seem so disappointing?”
Shawna was sipping an iced coffee through a straw. It made loud slurping sounds. When she stopped, she swallowed, and shook her head at me. “I don’t like that look on your face. Listen to Mama Shawna. You’re twenty-three. What do you think is going to happen? That MacKay will want to marry you? That the dream you had at thirteen will somehow come to fruition and you’ll live happily ever after with your brother’s best friend?”
When she put it like that, it sounded implausible. Like the remnant of a pre-teen fantasy. “Maybe?”
“I’m going to slap you through the phone.” She raised her palm and made a slapping motion.
“I hope that isn’t going to be your counseling style,” I said. “Because you’re scary.” I knew she was joking around, but I was feeling a little tender. I wanted cheerleading and hugs, not tough love.
“I’m trying to scare you. You’re just starting your life, Faith. I’m being serious. Don’t blow it straight out of the gate by losing your first job.”
The victory of even getting the job felt a little hollow now. I hadn’t even gotten the job on my own. “I don’t want to marry MacKay. I don’t want to marry anyone. Not right now.” That was true. Shawna was right. My twenties were my launch years. They would determine my future career.
“Think about it this way. Yes, the sex was good. Great, even. But you’ll have great sex with other men in the future. If you’re not looking for forever here, then why risk your job and future for some naked fun?”
Shawna was right. There was way too much on the line to mess around with MacKay in a casual manner. “So if I want casual sex don’t look to my boss? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes.” Suddenly Shawna shrieked. Water had splashed all over her. “You’re such a dick, oh my God! You got my phone wet.”
There was a lot of movement, the screen going dark briefly. Faith suspected she was wiping her phone on a towel.
Shawna reappeared. “Sorry. My brother is a little prick.”
“Try having five of them,” I said, amused. Shawna’s brother was seventeen. I could handle one younger brother in my sleep.
She shuddered. “The horror. The pure, unadulterated horror. How did you ever trust that your friends in high school weren’t just using you to get access to your brothers?”
“They weren’t subtle about it,” I said dryly. “Summer after my senior year, I had one friend go into Conway’s room, get undressed, and climb into his bed to wait for him. I was asleep and I thought she was too. Little did she know, she was actually in Hank’s room.”
“Oh, shit. What did Hank do?”
“Are you kidding? He had sex with her, that’s what he did. Hank’s not known for wasting an opportunity. But when she realized she’d hooked up with the wrong brother and that there was no way in hell Hank was going to date her, she blamed me.”
Shawna laughed. “How was that your fault?”
“I guess I was supposed to draw her a map indicating which brother was in which room, I don’t know.” It was funny now but at the time, it had hurt. “I wonder what happened to her?” I mused. “She left for college and I never saw her again.”
“No wonder your mom is always so nice to me. She knows I’m not trying to sneak into her sons’ bedrooms,” Shawna said. “Like, seriously, who does that?”
“I’m not sure I have much room to talk,” I said, putting my hand on my forehead. I felt flushed. Maybe it was the coffee. Or maybe it was the realization I had to accept responsibility for my own actions. “I did have sex with my brother’s best friend behind the barn at his wedding. MacKay didn’t realize who I was, but I was well aware of what I was doing. I just didn’t want to stop because MacKay was my teen crush.”
