Page 22 of Back for More

I’ll just hang out here by the mixed nuts until someone realizes what an exasperating little turd she is and comes to join me.

And then, there’s some shuffling of the crowd around her, and I can see that Dan from the Brokerage Department is chatting Lily up and laughing. Now I know why Kate is giving me a look. He puts his hand on Lily’s shoulder.

Oh hell no.

I used to be the only single executive here until Dan’s wife finally gave him the boot a few months ago. He started using more cologne and hair product and frequenting bars and clubs in neighboring towns, so Kate and I started secretly referring to him as Douchebag Dan.

Get your dirty paws off Lily, Douchebag Dan.

Fuck, I’m going in.

I make my way over to Kate and put my arm around her shoulder. In doing so, my fingers brush up against Lily’s arm because the two women are standing so close to each other. Lily doesn’t look over, but I feel her arm tense up and then rest back against my fingers again. Kate looks up at me.

“Having fun over here?” I ask her.

“Areyou?”

“Always.”

Lily scoffs and looks over at me, ignoring Dan.

“What?” I say to Lily. “I’m a fun guy.”

“Sure you are.”

“I don’t hear anyone complaining.”

“That’s because you’re always stomping off into your office and shutting the door.”

One day here, and she’s already got me pegged.

There’s snickering from the Barnes Group gang, and Kate pats me on the chest. “He’s fun on the inside. Way down deep.”

“Damn right.”

Dan puts his stupid fucking hand on Lily’s shoulder again. “If you want to be where the real fun and action is, come on over to the Brokerage Department. I’m kind of known as the fun boss around here.”

Lily makes an awesome move to brush her hair out of her eyes, thereby shrugging his hand off her shoulder.

“Yeah,” I say, “and you already have a great assistant.” I nod toward Cheryl, who stares at the floor.

Dan shrugs. “We can trade.”

That’s honestly not a bad idea—moving Lily to another department. Or maybe it’s time my associate had an assistant. Then at least there’d be a couple more walls between us. But no way in hell is she going to Douchebag’s desk.

“I’m not really here to have fun, believe it or not,” says Lily. “So working for Wes is perfect.”

I put my hand on my heart. “And I enjoy the challenge of working with people who are new to the industry. And to doing real work in general.”

She fakes a laugh. “I’d like to see you work the lunch shift at a bistro and then do a night shoot in five-inch heels and a minidress under a rain machine.”

“I definitely want to see you do that,” Kate says to me.

“And I need to see that movie,” Dan states. He hasn’t taken his buggy eyes off Lily this whole time. If he had, he might have caught the way I’ve been glaring at him and backed off.

“Oh, it was just for a commercial. I don’t think it’s airing anymore.” She turns to Kate, literally giving Douchebag Dan the cold shoulder. “Should we cut the cake?”

“We have to wait for your dad,” Kate says.