Page 31 of If I See You Again

Malcolm

“ C an you believe we did it?” My face hurt from smiling so damn much.

Going into the restaurant had felt like walking to the guillotine.

All it would take was one misstep or saying something incorrectly, and Mr. Thomas would lose his ever-loving mind.

Things would have been so different had David and I not slept together before I’d gotten the account, since it had really complicated things.

“You need to have a little more faith in yourself. How many times do I have to tell you that you’re talented?”

David could talk me up all he wanted. I was still on cloud nine from Mr. Thomas actually apologizing for the way he’d been treating me. It took a lot to humble that man. Then again, the expensive bottle of champagne probably helped loosen some things along.

Unlike this morning, letting David into my apartment again didn’t feel as strange. We both collapsed onto the couch, kicking our socked feet up to rest on the coffee table as I continued to sit there and smile like a damn idiot.

“Honestly, a lot of it is thanks to you this time. You gave me a lot of inspiration and helped to make me feel more confident about things.”

David chuckled. “Can you just take the credit? You earned it.”

A raise. That’s what I’d earned. It still didn’t feel real, and I’d done it right in front of the client. That felt a little odd. But damn, it felt good that Mr. Thomas finally recognized I’d worked my ass off.

David got back up from the couch, making his way into my kitchen. He shuffled through my cabinets, and I laughed before getting up to join him. For a guy who had only been in my place the one time, he sure wasn’t shy about nosing around.

“What are you doing?”

All the liquor was in the cabinet above my sink, and David pried it open, grinning as he pulled out a bottle of whiskey. “Trying to continue the celebrations, of course.”

Instead of leaving him to continue stumbling his way through my kitchen, I opened a cupboard to retrieve two tumblers.

I carried them over to the freezer and took out two large ice cubes to use.

After I set the tumblers on the counter, David poured a good amount in each glass.

Probably way more than either of us needed to drink at that point.

The liquid burned its way down my throat as I swallowed. It was one of my favorites, but hell, I’d had it in my cupboard for a reason and not just for entertaining. It was a good way to unwind after a long day at work.

“So, how are you feeling after everything?”

David’s question circled in my head for a moment.

“I feel like Mr. Thomas should have trusted me from the beginning. It sort of sucks that he questioned me at any point. I’ve been working for him for eight years without any kind of issue, so for him to suddenly shift gears…”

David nodded, taking a drink of his own whiskey. “I get where you’re coming from. But I really am proud of you. You held your own when so many others would have crumbled and thrown in the towel.”

I preened at the compliment, tossing back the rest of my beverage before stupidly pouring more into my tumbler. I’d had more than enough, and at this rate, I’d be more than feeling it in the morning.

“That’s the thing. By giving in, I think it lets him win. It tells him he can pressure his employees into doing things they don’t always want to do.”

David nodded. “I agree. That’s something I really admire about you. If you weren’t so in love with your job, I’d steal you if I could.”

There it was again. That warm, fluttering feeling in my chest. That I was exactly where I was supposed to be at exactly the right time.

But did I really want to leave my current job? That was a possibility. If the right opportunity presented itself, I would go anywhere. It was a dumb idea to limit myself to my current employer if a better opportunity came along. Was David the correct choice?

My mind whirled over that as I took another swig.

The smoky, smooth whiskey washed over my tongue as I continued to think about it.

David was very different from a lot of people.

Then there was the question of whether I could mix business with pleasure.

Then again, I was sort of already doing that.

But would I be able to handle the man being my boss?

Would he treat me as an equal or as someone beneath him? It was worth discussing.

Today was getting away from me. We were celebrating proving Mr. Thomas was wrong, and here I was contemplating leaving his employment entirely.

Before I knew it, there was a third glass of whiskey in front of me on top of the two bottles of champagne the three of us had finished at dinner.

My face was a little numb. At this rate, I was going to do or say something stupid.

That voice in my head telling me when I was making bad decisions had gone silent. David was being just as quiet.

A hand snaked across my waist, and I leaned back into the warm body that was plastered against me.

Shit. When had I taken off my clothes? Better yet…

when had I gone to bed? Little blips of the night before played through my mind, and at least I hadn’t done anything really dumb.

Not that I could remember, anyway. But I remembered most things.

I remember making it back to the apartment and the way David and I had broken into my whiskey in my kitchen. The way we’d talked about how proud of me he’d been.

“Good morning, gorgeous.”

The purr sent shivers up and down my spine. Not only because it came from David, but because he was here, in my bed. Like he belonged there all along. That it wasn’t some weird or taboo thing he’d ended up there when he shouldn’t have been.

I melted into his touch, sinking further back into his embrace as we lay there under the covers. I wanted to live in this moment and treasure it.

“Morning,” I mumbled back. David’s arm around me tightened, and I wanted to just sink into the moment, but I also needed to know what time it was.

It was a workday. Most days, I got away without an alarm of any kind, but there had been a lot of alcohol involved last night, and I wasn’t in the mood to take chances after finally impressing the boss.

When I opened my eyes, six thirty blinked at me on my alarm clock. At least my internal alarm worked even when I had been drinking too much. We still had an hour until I absolutely needed to get ready for work.

“What are your plans for the day?” I asked as I stretched. My head throbbed a little, but it wasn’t enough to make me miserable.

David held me a bit tighter. “I figured I would still join you at the office.”

I hummed at his words, debating how to respond to that.

It wasn’t like he really needed to be there.

We’d basically finalized everything yesterday, outside of a few odds and ends.

Hell, there hadn’t even been a reason for him to relocate to Chicago for any amount of time outside of keeping an eye on things if it took me longer.

Which it didn’t. Maybe that was one reason that Mr. Thomas had been so worried.

“You don’t need to.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them, and I didn’t miss the way the man at my back completely tensed up at the statement.

“What if I just want to be there with you?”

I sighed. “I’d love that, but after such a big win yesterday, do we really want to give Mr. Thomas a reason to be more suspicious about what’s going on with you and me?”

It took a few seconds, but David finally relented. His hold on me relaxed as he then rolled away. “Maybe you’re right. But don’t get used to it. I sort of like being around you, and if that’s a problem, you might want to speak up now.”

I laughed at the statement before sitting up in bed and turning to face him. “It’s not a problem, but maybe while we’re trying to keep things on the down low, it might be a good idea to give each other a little space.”

God, David looked good first thing in the morning. His dirty-blond hair stuck up at odd angles, and while it might have appeared messy to most, I liked seeing that vulnerable side of him.