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Chapter Sixteen

Eva

I t’s been weeks since I’ve seen Roman. Ever since he confronted me in the lobby and basically accused me of flirting with Drew. We’ve texted and emailed regarding matters of work, but we have not spoken about what happened between us.

I know he’s avoiding me, and I’m not going to tolerate someone running from me. If he doesn’t want to admit that he has feelings for me, that’s on him.

Meanwhile, I’m doing what I can to distract myself. Drew and I have been working closely together the last couple of weeks to get the schedule laid out for our construction phases. I’ve begun ordering the furniture that will take some time before it can be delivered.

Is Drew a bit of a flirt? Sure. But I honestly don’t think it would be any different if it were any other woman standing in front of him. He’s funny, and I like being around him.

He’s not like Roman, who can only let loose behind the closed door of my apartment.

My chest tightens at just the thought of Roman.

Drew might be the funny, laid-back one, but he’s not the one who makes my heart beat faster when I think of him.

Roman can make my body feel things I didn’t know were possible.

I shake my head in frustration.

“What’s happening?” My mother waves her hand at me. “I lost you.”

I look around at my parents’ home, decorated perfectly. Although Ma would never let me decorate it for her. She still doesn’t take my work seriously. I’ve never confronted her with just how much it hurts.

Pamela Harlow, a woman of considerable prestige, disapproves of her daughter working like the average woman in society. She thinks we’re above the working class. So, she’d rather have another woman, one she thinks less of, design her home than her own daughter.

I smile softly at her. “Sorry, Mother. I was just thinking about …” I pause, but she cuts me off.

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking about work. You work too hard.”

Here we go.

“I know you think so, Mother. I’m sorry. But I love what I do. And I don’t know if Walker told you, but I got the Bertini Hotels contract. I’m designing all their luxury hotels around the world.”

Her eyes light up. “Well, that is a lovely hotel. Roman is a dear friend to Walker.” She completely ignores the achievement I just told her about. “You know, he would make a wonderful husband. Walker should set you two up.”

I almost laugh at the irony. If only I could be brutally honest with her. No, Mother, I have not thought about Roman making a wonderful husband, but he did lick my pussy a couple of weeks ago and gave me my first orgasm with a man. She would die.

“No, Walker is not going to set me up with Roman. I work for him right now; it would be highly inappropriate.”

Professional boundaries? Please. That ship sailed the moment his mouth found mine. But she doesn’t know that, and I want this conversation over.

“What’s going on with you and Dad?” I ask to distract her.

She waves her hand. “Your father works too hard. I can’t wait until he retires. Three more years. Then we can travel around the world like Jim and Irene. That’s all she can brag about whenever me and the ladies have brunch.”

Leave it to Mother to worry about topping her friend instead of being happy for her.

Once I’ve made it two hours with her, I am able to leave. As soon as I close my car door, my shoulders fall as the tension releases from my body.

I wish it were different with my mother, but I’ve made peace with the fact that she and I just aren’t the same. She loves me in her own weird way.

An hour later, I’m sitting in my apartment, pouring two glasses of wine when a loud knock starts on my door. It continues the entire time I walk to the door, which makes me laugh.

Well, it’s either Jessie or someone desperately looking for a place to hide out. I open the door to find Jessie standing there in black sweats and a white T-shirt, blonde hair piled on top of her head, with no trace of makeup.

“Do you have to pee or something?” I ask.

She gives me a strange look. “No. Why?”

We walk into the kitchen.

I laugh as I hand her a glass of wine. “Because you knocked like a crazy person.”

She shrugs. “I just felt like being annoying.”

“Sounds about right.” I grab the charcuterie board I made and head toward the couch. “Follow me. We need to catch up.”

She plops down next to me and grabs a piece of cheese, meat, and cracker, then places it in her mouth, talking while chewing. “Totally, girl.”

I take a sip of wine. “I think, in the excitement of knowing we were finally about to live in the same city again, we forgot that we were now adults with demanding jobs.”

“Right!” she agrees strongly. “I pictured us living it up every weekend and constantly having movie nights and wine during the week. Now, I can’t get out of the office at a reasonable time to save my life.”

“Things are busy at work?” I ask.

She sighs. “I know I should just pack up and go home earlier. But when you know your work is the only thing standing between these kids and a crappy custody battle, it’s hard to walk away.”

I pout my lips and lean my head to the side as I look at my amazing friend. “You have such a big heart, Jessie. But if you overdo it, you won’t be of any help to these kids because you’ll be burned out.”

I catch a glimpse of doubt in her eyes—something I don’t see very often. She always tries to keep a brave face.

“I know. I keep telling myself I’ll do better.”

“You better. I’m serious. I’m not above calling you every night to make sure you’re not at the office, then barging in and dragging you out.”

That makes her giggle into her wineglass. “I know. I promise I’m working on it. But I don’t want to spend all night talking about that. Tell me about you. How’s the dream job coming?”

I smile, just thinking about it. “Amazing. Seriously, Jess, it’s better than I imagined. When I’m designing these spaces, the hours just fly by. I don’t want to stop. I’m still in awe of the fact that I get to design such amazing interiors in the world’s most popular cities.”

“I’m not. You were born to do this. Do you remember in high school, when you were always rearranging my room? It’s something that has been a part of you.”

“Thanks, Jess.”

Her words mean a lot to me. Sometimes, I feel like an imposter, pretending to be someone I’m not, like a fraud dressed in a designer pantsuit.

“How is it, working for Roman?” she asks with a mischievous smile.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I take a big sip of my wine as I brace for her response.

“Oh, come on. You two disappeared on the dance floor then you came back all sweaty and irritable.”

“Nothing gets past you, does it?”

“I didn’t bother you about it when we left, but there’s only so long I can keep my mouth shut. So, tell me, is there something going on between you two?”

My body shivers slightly when I think about him. I don’t know how I can miss him. It’s not like we spent that much time together. But he really did become a friend. A friend who seriously knows his way around a woman’s body.

“It’s complicated,” I start.

“I’ve got time. And I would expect nothing less. He’s your boss and brother’s friend. Plus, complicated was written all over both your faces at the club.”

I start to think about how much I want to tell her. But I’ve been holding it in for weeks, and I’m tired. I need someone to talk to.

My chest rises and falls with my deep breath, and then I let it all out. “It started with him acting like a complete asshole. One day, he admitted it was his defense mechanism. That he was really attracted to me.”

She rolls her eyes. “Why do men become assholes when they can’t handle their feelings?”

“Tell me about it. But it was great for a while. We agreed to be friends, despite the attraction.”

Her eyebrow rises. “Are you saying the attraction went both ways?”

“Come on, Jess. Look at the man.”

She laughs. “Fair point. Continue.”

“So, we started hanging out. He offered to build bookshelves in my office. We’d watch a movie or show here. We’d laugh and talk. It was nice. Then, one night, I admitted something to him.”

“What did you admit?” she asks curiously.

I bite down on my bottom lip, embarrassed to tell her. “I told him I’d never had an orgasm with a man before.”

Her eyes open wide. “You mean, like … only a woman has given you an orgasm?”

My head drops back as a loud laugh falls from me. “What?”

“Hey, I’m not judging. Woman on woman is hot.”

“No, Jess. I’ve only had an orgasm alone. Well, I guess only a woman has given me an orgasm. But that woman is me.”

“Wow,” she replies. Sitting in silence.

You know you’ve shocked Jess when she lets silence fill the room.

“Yep,” I say, popping the ‘p’ at the end.

“So, you just, like, fake it or something?” she whispers, as if someone else might hear her.

I nod my head, feeling ashamed.

“Hey.” She taps my arm. “It’s not your fault. That’s a man’s job.”

“Yeah, that’s what Roman said. Then he … showed me.”

She sits up straight. “You mean … he went down on you?”

I confirm with another nod of my head.

“And did you?”

I smile, feeling the blush spread over my cheeks.

“Girl!” She pushes me in her fit of excitement. I try to save my wine from spilling over. “There you go. See, it was just the men you were with.”

“Yeah. It was … just … wow. But …” I think back to the moment, and it feels like I’m there again. “He told me I should leave right after.”

“He did WHAT?” she barks, then stands up. “That’s it. Take me to his stupid-ass penthouse.”

I grab her arm and force her back into her seat. “No, Jess. We aren’t going anywhere. I’m fine.”

“Really? You’re fine?” she asks doubtfully.

“He literally told me the moment before he kissed me that it meant nothing. I can’t exactly be mad.”

“So, he panicked.” She looks down and laughs to herself.

“What do you mean?”

She picks her head back up. “It’s obvious now. The moment he finished, he realized he liked it way more than he should have. He wanted to do more. He felt something and freaked out.”

That’s exactly what I wondered. I proceed to tell her all about how jealous he got the next morning when I was laughing with Drew.

“Yep. He’s got it bad for you. What do you want though?”

What do I want? I haven’t exactly stopped to think about it. “I’m not sure. I like him.”

“Despite him being a complicated mess of a man?”

I shrug. “Do you think I’m crazy?”

“Not at all. If that’s what you want. Just be careful. I don’t want to see you getting hurt.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway. He clearly has no interest in taking it any further. He’s been avoiding me.”

“I have a feeling that won’t last much longer.”

My irresponsible heart flutters in my chest when she says that. I’m not going to hold my breath. I know he doesn’t want a relationship. I’d be stupid to let it go any further, even if he could do things to my body no one else could. Right?