Marry Me for Money (12 page)

“So?” he said, coming down for another kiss.

I pulled farther away from him but was still locked in his embrace. “Sorry, I shouldn’t lead you on like this. Seriously, I don’t want to complicate things at work,” I said, finally finding my voice.

“It won’t,” he said, his arms still wrapped around my lower back.

“I’ve worked very hard to get this job. I don’t date coworkers because I don’t want to be the talk of One Financial.” I finally pulled away from our entanglement, instantly regretting my temporary lapse of weakness from his irresistible lips.

“Okay, what are you doing next weekend?” Brian asked as a half-smile appeared on his face.

“Did you not just hear what I said?”

“Yeah, we can hang out though, right? Just as friends.”

“I think you used that one before, and that went all so well,” I said sarcastically, shaking my head.

His eyes met mine, his blue to my emerald, and I stood there under the lamppost, admiring how the light accented all his boyish features.

“Okay,” he said, finally taking a step back. “I’ll see you at work then.”

I paused and studied his smiling face, while a car horn blared in the background. “See you at work,” I said as I reached for the door.

He pushed against the door, keeping it closed and blocking my path. “Just as friends.” He pointed to his cheek, gesturing for me to kiss him.

I looked at him, shook my head, and tiptoed to plant one on his cheek, taking in the musky scent of his cologne. He put his hand on the spot I’d just kissed and sighed heavily.

“Bye, Brian.” I laughed once as I headed into my apartment.
What am I going to do with this boy?

It read
6:30
on my computer monitor. Everyone had left work for the evening, but I wanted to get this approval package done and ready for tomorrow’s team discussion. The sound of shuffled footsteps caused me to glance up from my screen, and I locked eyes with Brian as he strolled toward my desk.

“Hey, I figured you were still here.” He peered over my cubicle, leaning his arms against the ledge wearing a serious face that was unlike Brian. “Uh…I wanted to ask you to dinner,” he continued as he rubbed the back of his neck.

I started shutting down my computer, already mentally exhausted from the day, and my stomach growled at the thought of food. “Sure. Where are we going?” I reached for my wallet, stuffed it into my laptop bag, and turned off my computer monitor.

Brian’s eyes dropped to his shoes and up again to meet my eyes. I quirked an eyebrow, wondering what he was up to.

“Not today. I wanted to ask you to dinner this weekend.” He fiddled with his hands. “As in a dinner date.”

I took his words in and could not help but feel flattered. This usually confident banker was nervous for once, and it was because of me. “Brian, I thought we discussed this. We can’t go there.”

“I know what you said, Beth, but I’ve been thinking. I know it matters to you, but it doesn’t matter to me. Plus,” Brian looked nervously to the floor again, “I like you, and I’d like to take you on a date.” He lifted his eyes to mine.

I couldn’t help the smile on my face, which I felt gave him courage as his eyes lit up. “I don’t want you to think that I’m the kind of guy who makes out with girls at the bar,” he said. “I mean, I used to be that guy who made out with every girl at the bar, but you’re not that type of girl. You’re a dinner-and-movie kind of girl.” Determination was set in his face as he stood straighter. He didn’t break eye contact. “Listen, one date. That’s it. No commitment. If you’re embarrassed or don’t want to be teased, no one in the office has to know. Like I said, I’m into you. I want to take this one girl who is funny, smart, motivated, and unbelievably cute out for a nice dinner. Come on,” he said, giving me puppy-dog eyes.

Looking into the deepest pair of blue eyes, I knew I could fall for this guy if I let myself. Kendy’s voice rang in my head.
Maybe I should live a little. Have fun and date.
It wasn’t like we reported to the same boss.

“I don’t know,” I said, doubt in my voice.

“One date. Come on. We do have fun together, Beth, and it’s free dinner on me. How can you turn that down? I’ll pick a good restaurant, I promise,” Brian said, lifting two fingers in a Boy Scout oath.

“Fine,” I said, exasperated but still smiling.

His boyish, relaxed demeanor was back at my answer. “See? I knew my persistence and stalkerish tendencies would win out.” He winked.

When he turned to leave, I smiled and put my fingers on my lips, thinking of the other night. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, I was excited about our date.

I grabbed my stuff and pulled out my cell phone. I knew it was too late to back out of my date. I’d already accepted going with Brian. I was excited, and I wanted someone to share in my excitement. I didn’t know if it was a good idea, but either way, I was jumping up and down inside. I hadn’t been on a date in quite a while.

The phone call went directly into voice mail.

“Hey, this is Kendy. Leave a message.”

“Kendy, where are you?” I huffed. “I’ve been calling you for days. Miss you, babe. Call me back.” I frowned, dropped the call, and stared at my phone.
Where is she?

I’d always shared my giddiness with her. We had been talking about boys since we were in sixth grade. Also, I wanted her advice. It frustrated me that our calls were becoming less and less frequent. I knew part of the reason was due to her work schedule. Either way, it was at times like this I missed her the most.

Instead of walking directly home, I drifted toward Trump Tower and headed past security. Before I knew it, I was knocking at his door. I paused a little bit before knocking again. I was about to turn around when a pretty redhead wrapped in a navy silk robe opened the door. I looked at the numbers on the door and felt my cheeks warm. I was definitely at the right place.

“Hi, um…is Kent here?” I asked shyly, squeezing my hands together.

“Oh, yes, come in. He’s in the shower.” She pulled the door wide open to let me enter.

I stepped in and stood by the door as she shut it behind me. I felt the warmth creep up from my neck to the apple of my cheeks as I shifted from one foot to another. My eyes scanned the area in his condo but Kent was nowhere to be seen.

“Have a seat. I’ll let him know that you’re here.”

I stuck out my hand awkwardly and introduced myself. “Hi, I’m Beth, Kent’s friend,” I said, drawing out the last word. I didn’t want her to think I was another one of his girls, especially when they were obviously more than friends.

She chuckled and shook my hand. “I’m Anne. Let me tell him you’re here.” She glided into his room and shut the door behind her, leaving me standing there, wishing I wasn’t.

I sat down on the edge of the couch and contemplated leaving, but at this point, it was too late. He would already know I was here. When she returned, she was wearing skinny jeans, accentuating her height, and a tank top, showing off her perfect figure. Kent, wearing only a towel, followed right behind her. I caught sight of the well-defined lines of his eight-pack slightly glistening, not fully dry from his shower, and I dropped my eyes to the floor.

“Hi, Beth,” Kent said, using another towel to dry his hair.

I glanced up and concentrated only on his face. “Hey,” I said with a small wave before quickly dropping my hand to my lap.

A dimple emerged on his cheek, and I felt the warmth move from my face to my ears.

He turned to the redhead beside him. “Do you need money for a cab home?” he asked softly, walking her to the door.

Looking at my flip-flops, I felt as if I was intruding on something intimate. At that moment, I wanted to leave.

“No, I think I can manage. I’d tell you to call me, but I know you won’t.”

I glanced up to see a sad smile on her face, making me feel sorry for her. She tiptoed and kissed Kent on the lips before he led her out and shut the door behind her.

“I’m sorry. I know I should have called. I mean, it’s seven. I didn’t think you’d have company—obviously. Either way, I should have called.” I shook my head and stood up to leave.

“It’s fine. You didn’t interrupt anything. We were done anyway,” he said, readjusting his towel.

My eyes moved to where his hands were—right by his happy trail.

“Seriously, can you please put on some clothes?” I angled my head to the floor, embarrassed that he’d caught me staring.

“Stay right there. Let me change,” he said. “Don’t leave,” he commanded before heading to his bedroom.

I sat back on the couch and ran my hands against the black leather, feeling the cool material under my fingertips. Turning to the right, I looked outside through the floor-to-ceiling windows to the amazing view of the city below.

“So, Beth, did you need something?” he asked, pulling a gray shirt over his semi-wet hair.

My eyes moved to his chisled hard-tone abs again and I shook my head to focus. I thought back to why I’d come here. “I’m sorry for barging in. Next time, I’ll call. I called Kendy first, but she didn’t pick up. I needed girlie advice.” I smiled.

He sat right beside me on the couch. “Girlie advice?”

“Why are you smiling like a cheeseball?” I asked.

“Because you’re smiling like a cheeseball,” he said, motioning with his hands for me to continue. “Go on.”

“I have a date,” I said, eyes wide. “But with a coworker,” I added, overly frowning. I explained the situation with Brian and me—how I thought he exuded perfection but how working together complicated things.

Kent rested his ankle on his knee as he listened intently. He did not speak until I was finished talking.

“You’re interested in him, right?”

“Yeah, but we work together. If it didn’t work out, I’d still have to see him day in and day out. Plus, I’d be the gossip of One Financial,” I said.

I’d moved here to escape the gossip, the snickers, the looks of sympathy from the people of Bowlesville, and I didn’t want that to happen here—in my new home in a new city.

“Women are so confusing.” He shook his head. “From the way you described him, he seems like a nice guy.”

“Oh my gosh, he’s perfect,” I squealed. “He’s smart, nice, and successful. He’s funny and super cute. He has the nicest eyes,” I said, bouncing up and down slightly on the couch. “Seriously, he’s happily ever after material.”

“Well then, that’s settled. What’s the problem? Go out with what’s-his-name, have fun, and see where it leads.” Kent shrugged.

“Okay,” I said, clasping my hands together. All I needed was for someone to tell me that besides my doubts, everything would turn out okay. I always had Kendy for that, depending on her for advice when I needed it. I was surprised that Kent was beginning to take her place.

Before I could take it back, I jumped on Kent and wrapped my arms around his neck, giving him a hug. “I’m so excited. He’s über cute,” I said. I felt my ears warm when I realized I was practically on his lap and I backed away, embarrassed.

Kent’s smile matched my own.

“Just invite me to the wedding,” he said. “Since I won’t have a wedding of my own, you can have me stand up on your side.”

“Deal.” I nodded.

“Glad that’s decided.” He stood and walked into the kitchen. “I’m hungry. Did you eat?” he asked, opening the fridge.

On cue, my stomach grumbled. “No, but really, I should get going, I have a big day at work tomorrow,” I said, getting up. I reached my arms above my head in a satisfying stretch.

“I’m an excellent cook,” he said, poking his head in the fridge.

“You cook?” I laughed, thinking of his no-job lazy ways.

Kent glanced back at me and feigned insult. “Yes, I cook, and I’m quite good at it. I went to culinary school for fun a while back. Just stay. I promise to serve an excellent meal.”

My eyebrows shot up to the ceiling, but he couldn’t see because his head was back in the fridge. Every day, he surprised me with his unexpected behavior. I wondered what else he did in his free time. Must be nice to take classes just for fun, because he was most likely bored. When he took out steaks from the freezer, my mouth watered.

“Okay, I’ll stay,” I said, knowing my fridge at home was practically empty.