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We had a good five minutes before we needed to be out the door, but with all the talks of poop and swinging long ones, I’d had enough embarrassment today. I didn’t do well with situations I wasn’t in control of, and the situation with Becky and me was out of my control. I couldn’t rein in my feelings toward her. I couldn’t control how my body reacted to her. I couldn’t control what I was going to do next around her.
So, right now, I headed to the car.
* * *
Throughout the day, Becky filtered through every one of my thoughts. Her citrus scent followed me everywhere I went. Maybe I was conjuring up the smell of her shampoo. All I knew was that I was going a little bit crazy.
Fuck, it is going to be such a long, awful day.
And now that the embarrassment of waking up with a hard-on next to her and the poop situation had died down, I wanted to see her again—be in her presence, drown in her laughter. Yes, it would be awkward, seeing her again, but the need to see her trumped that.
“Charles?” Selena said, shifting in her seat to get my attention.
My head flipped up to our head of marketing sitting in the chair in front of me in my office.
I straightened in my seat and swallowed, unsure of how to answer because I hadn’t heard the damn question.
“What do you think, Charles?”
I cleared my throat and tapped my fingers against my desk.
She tilted her head, assessing me. She lifted her mock-ups and waved them in my direction. “You don’t like it, do you?”
I released a silent breath of relief, noting the mock-ups were of the packaging for the Colby Chocolate endeavor, one of the contracts we had with the biggest chocolate and candy factory in the nation.
“I like it. Seriously, it’s clean, and the branding is on point. Email it to Connor. Have him approve it, and then we can start printing their labels at the end of the month.”
Selena smiled, and her shoulders relaxed, fully satisfied with my answer. She stood and playfully saluted me. “Sounds like a plan, boss.”
As soon as she left and the door shut behind her, I rubbed at my brow.
Get a grip, Charles.
The door swung open, and Brad sauntered in like he owned my office. In typical Brad fashion, there had been no knock on the door. He sat in the seat that Selena had just vacated.
“You like my tie?” He unbuttoned his suit jacket and lifted his tie. “It’s new. It’s for tonight’s shoot. When I asked Sonia, she ignored me. Seriously, I can’t get an answer from that woman when it’s not about work.”
Which is exactly why Mason and I’d brought her on.
“It’s fine,” I said.
“This is the thing. I need a great tie, not just anit’s finetie.”
My face was steady, my mouth slipping into a grimace. I had work to do, and given that my thoughts were on Becky, there was not enough time in the day to finish all I needed to do.
“It’s a great tie,” I deadpanned.
“Now, you’re lying.” He dropped his tie and rested his elbows on his thighs, leaning in. “Did you know that Mason is bringing Janice tonight?” His face scrunched, as though he had eaten something sour.
“You did say the whole family has to be there,” I pointed out.
He glared at me. “She’s not family.”
I threw my hands up. “They’ve been together for years. She’s on the way to being—”
He shot up on his feet. “Don’t say it. I mean, can we just be in denial and hope for the best for a little bit? Seriously, do you want that thing to be part of our family?”
I threw him a pointed look. “Be nice, Brad.”
