Page 21 of My Office Rival (Keep Your Enemy Closer #2)

CYNTHIA

S aturday. The best day. The day I didn’t ever work unless I was literally forced to.

Margo and Andrew were psychos who frequently found themselves in the office, which is why they were perfect for each other, but Saturday was my sacred day.

Most Saturdays I didn’t leave the house until one p.m., and even then I took it easy.

I liked to wander from my apartment to the waterfront or even Central Park.

Here, I would have to settle for a stroll through the cornfields. Blech .

My eyes were gritty and my head was fuzzy, thanks to the scorching dreams I kept having about a certain opposing counsel and roommate.

In each one, his eyes were electric blue, his body was just as insane as it was in real life, and he had an unreasonable love of going down on me in every position imaginable.

I was barely awake, but I shuffled through the house in my sleep T-shirt and fuzzy socks. I hadn’t heard Jason yet, so hopefully I could grab my coffee and retreat to my room without running in to him.

I stood blearily over the coffeemaker and tapped my foot. I was not my best without caffeine, and my friends and family knew to stay far away before my first sip.

“Make enough for two, would you?” I started at Jason’s voice. Clearly, he had no sense of self-preservation. I grunted at him and kept my eyes on the machine, praying for it to heat faster and for him to retreat to wherever he came from.

“Not a morning person?”

I nearly growled at him, but pasted on my blandest expression and turned around. Bad idea. He was in his workout clothes, shirt draped around his neck and chest glistening with sweat. Was nothing sacred? I immediately turned back around. “Why are you even awake?” I grumbled.

“I’ve been up since four a.m. Couldn’t sleep. Pretty standard for me. I read a novel, marked up some documents for a junior, started the crossword, did my workout.”

“You are an insane person.” I grabbed the coffeepot and did a careful sequence of mug under the drip, pour, grab, replace.

I turned to see him leaning against the fridge, smirking at me.

His pectorals were annoyingly firm. I had a brief flash of how they’d felt under my fingers. Gah. Stop it, brain. Not helpful.

“Says the woman who can’t wait three minutes for the coffee to be done percolating.”

“I need this. And you’re blocking the fridge.”

He stayed put, annoying smirk firmly in place. “You don’t drink it black? I assumed you did.”

“No. I drink it with hazelnut creamer. Which is in the fridge.” I stopped out of arm’s reach, and he slowly peeled himself off the fridge. I kept my eyes firmly on safe places—his face, the fridge, the creamer—before I made to escape with my precious coffee.

“Do you want to do something later?” His voice was tentative.

I stopped with my foot on the stairs. No, I really didn’t.

I wanted to watch Vampire Diaries and eat Taco Bell and maybe have a whole bottle of wine.

I did not need the distraction that was Jason “just one night” Elliott.

I needed to get my head on straight and stop thinking about him naked.

Which isn’t helped by the fact that he keeps walking around half naked.

After a week of running into him day and night, I was a ball of frustration and pent-up sexual energy.

Exactly what he wants . I was playing right into his hands.

At the office, our battlefield was a conference room.

At home, it was something much more dangerous.

“You know, Jason. You really should be wearing a shirt.” I turned around and made a face at him.

“Distracting you?” He was stoic, but his eyes were hot.

“Never.” Liar, liar.

He slowly pulled his shirt on, his lifted arms causing his abs to ripple. Look away.

“Better?” he asked with a smirk.

“Not really. You’re still keeping me from the limited time I have for personal activities.”

“So you do think I’m distracting?” He looked far too pleased.

“I swear, if it weren’t against the rules of professional conduct for lawyers, I would push you into traffic,” I grumbled.

He huffed a laugh. “You’re really fun to annoy. So you’ll do something with me later? I want to get out and see the sights.” His eyes were shadowed with uncertainty. Something about the careful way he held himself tugged at my heart.

“Fine. Yes. Let’s go out this evening and do something. Five p.m.?”

“Great.”

I turned around and locked myself in my room. I needed to call in reinforcements. It was ten a.m., which meant Margo was very likely awake, though she was probably still in bed with Andrew, if they weren’t at the office.

I called her and she picked up on the first ring, like the real phone addict she was.

“Hey, hey,” she said, mouth clearly full of food.

“What’s in your mouth? I hope it’s food and not a body part.”

“Ew, gross.” She started laughing, then choking, and then I heard Andrew saying “easy there” and thumping her on the back.

“Just calling it like I see it. How’s my mortal enemy?” I was just kidding, since Andrew was head over heels in love with my best friend and I had elevated him from mortal enemy to part-time annoyance .

“Har har. He brought me bagels this morning from that place everyone lines up for near your apartment.”

Yum. I missed my apartment and my privacy. And my weekend routine.

“Jealous. This place is a hellhole. There’s so much nature but all the landscape is completely flat. And all the food is fried.”

Margo started laughing. “Honestly, this could be good for you. Maybe I’ll finally get you to come visit my parents in Vermont one of these days.”

“Okay, but I didn’t get to the worst part.”

“You mean worse than the fact that you and Jason are shacking up, I mean, rooming together?” She cackled at her own joke.

“Yes, worse than that. First of all, I heard him jerking off a few nights ago.” I was whispering now, knowing how thin the walls were. “And second of all, he won’t stop walking around half-naked.”

“I’m waiting for the bad parts,” she said and laughed.

“It’s horrible! I already know what it’s like to have sex with him, and now I can’t stop thinking about it,” I hissed back.

She lowered her voice, presumably so Andrew couldn’t hear. “Girl, he is seriously hot. Any woman would be thinking about sex.”

“Well, I need to stop. Because there’s no way we are going to sleep together.

He told me he only does one night.” I practically heard Margo’s eye roll.

“I know, I know. But at this point, if I want to make partner, I need to come out on top of this deal, not on top of my opposing counsel.” I halfway wanted Margo to say “go for it” like I had told her to do months ago.

But that had been different. I had known Andrew was in love with her when I had told her to seduce him.

It had been there in the way he tracked her with his eyes and the way he spent so much time needling her.

“I know you’re right,” she said slowly. “I just want more for you.” She sighed. My stomach twisted. What was it about your friends settling down that made them want you to do the same? I didn’t ever consider the possibility, because wanting something you couldn’t have only made things worse.

“Jason is not the guy to give me that,” I whispered. “I’m not going to risk my job for someone who can’t give me more than empty pleasure. You know if I seduce Jason, I won’t feel good after. I’ll feel empty. And things will be even more awkward between us.”

“Or you could say fuck it and have some fun,” she said.

Doubt wormed in. What if we slept together again? What was the worst that could happen?

“I could get fired.”

“ I hate to remind you, but you could get fired anyway.”

I barked a laugh. “Not helpful, Margo.”

“Live a little. Stop overthinking.” Her voice was stern.

“Says the queen of overthinking,” I muttered back. But maybe she was right.