Page 47

I’d never had a hard-on in a meeting. But there was a first time for everything.

I drew in a deep breath and then turned the phone over with the screen down. I shouldn’t have looked at it.

It took me a few moments to push the image of Grace with her legs wide open out of my mind. Then I decided to text her back; otherwise, I’d be thinking about it for the rest of the meeting.

“Just one second. I need to reply to something urgent,” I said in a serious tone, picking the phone back up.

Zachary: When do you have your lunch break?

As soon as I hit Send, I flipped the phone back over and set it to the side. Astonishingly, I focused perfectly on the meeting after that. But the second we were finished and I was alone in the meeting room, my thoughts raced back to Grace. Grabbing my phone, I saw she’d texted me twice.

Grace: One.

Grace: Damn it. I won’t have a break today.

I groaned. The impulse to flirt with her was overpowering.

Zachary: The evening, then.

She didn’t reply.

I spent the rest of the day in a huge negotiation with a potential business partner. It was six o’clock by the time I finished. Almost everyone on the floor had left. Six o’clock was the unofficial end of the workday here. I didn’t encourage extra hours, as I’d seen enough people burn out early in their careers because they’d worked far too long for years. I didn’t wantthat for any of my employees. Burnout could sneak up on you unnoticed.

I texted Grace.

Zachary: Fucking long day.

Grace: Mine is still ongoing.

Zachary: That’s not good.

Grace: What are you going to do about it?

My pulse shot up for the second time today, and it wasn’t because someone was annoying me. Rather, I was seriously considering tracking Grace down.

Jesus, I was starting to lose my mind. It was one thing to flirt; it was another to barrel into her office.

Zachary: I can take the edge off right now.

Grace: Through the phone?

Zachary: Hell yes. We don’t even need to call. Texts are enough.

I was getting turned on from the prospect of it alone.

Grace: Zachary! I’m about to start a conference call again.

I wondered if it was the truth or if I was pushing too much. Maybe it was a mix of both, so I decided to backtrack.

Zachary: Then good luck. I’m off for the evening.

***

We texted back and forth for the rest of the week, and it was the damn highlight of every day. I didn’t push as much as I did on Monday because I realized that I needed to ease Grace into this—whateverthiswas. I couldn’t define it yet, but one thing I knew for sure: I wasn’t ready to forget what happened at the ranch.

After a record six-hour meeting on Friday, I was headed to the mansion to have dinner with the whole family. Later, I wasgoing into the Quarter with Anthony and Beckett to blow off steam.

As I went down to my car, I texted Grace.