I’m so fucked.
“Okay, have a seat, Jamie…”
I shake my head back to reality and sit down in the nearest chair I can find, which is hard to do when I still can’t really take my eyes off her. Of course, I nearly drop all my stuff, solidifying my place in Lexi’s mind as an idiot.
Don’t say I love you. Don’t say I love you. Don’t say I love you. Don’t say I love you.
“…and we’ll have a card setup…” Sam is talking, and I’m catching every few words and nodding like a bobblehead doll.
FOCUS!
She’s married…shit, no ring. She’s absolutely got a boyfriend. Girlfriend? Both? She smells like fresh strawberries in the summer.
Her sweater slides off her shoulder again, and I follow her clavicle, letting my gaze drift lower. Realizing what I’m doing, I screw my eyes shut as my cock strains against my pants. I grab my bag, desperate to find anything I can use to distract myself.
“I’ve already told Jamie about the hotel rooms. I want you to experience the vibes of the places and really let this stuff get into your soul.”
“I’ll still need to work around my other schedule for the time being.”
“Absolutely. Jamie?” My head snaps to Sam’s voice. “Make sure you double-check on dates before you book anything. Lexi has some side hustles you’ll need to work around.”
“Side hustle implies I’m making money from it, Sam,” she shoots back. “More like a side headache.”
I nod to Sam and try hard to remember what he’s said. I lose every word when I catch a glance of Lexi in my periphery, sliding on a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Kill me now—my nerdy little muse.
“So you two will be the team.” Sam’s voice brings me back to reality yet again.
“Go, team,” the sarcasm is unmistakable, and it makes my heart sink a little. “Okay, so we’ve got the schedule, paperwork, releases…”
My heart is racing. Her voice is soft but with an edge to it that would sound utterly perfect as she says my name—screams my name. Those perfect glossy lips—I can’t help but picture them wrapped around my—STOP! The pencil in my hand snaps and they both turn their attention to me.
“You good, Jamie? Seriously, man, you need to relax. I should give you a card for a masseuse instead of thera?—”
“I’m good!” I cut him off before he can say it. “It was an old pencil and I’m eager to get to work.” It takes everything in my face to keep me from cringing at what I said, wishing I could take it back.
“Okay,” Sam draws out every letter. “Cool. How about we get out of here? I’ll take you both out for an early dinner as a thank you because you’ll be working some overtime for this one. And because I’m hungry.”
“No can do, Sam. I’ve got a hot date,” she says, and my heart crumbles to pieces. “With your receptionist.”
But his receptionist is…Dani?
“That industry mixer?”
Oh. That kind of date.
“Yep. I’ll get you a stack of business cards to add to your dragon’s hoard.”
“You should go to the mixer, too, Barton. Work out some of that stress on the dance floor. If you’re lucky, pick up some new clients or a date while you’re at it.” He playfully elbows Lexi. “Both of you.”
That should embarrass me, but I’m way too excited because I’m already going to that fucking mixer. So, I watch the soft pink dusting of a blush spread across her cheeks, highlighting the constellation of tiny freckles that decorate her nose and under her eyes. I want to count them, but I keep getting distracted by those eyes. The sun turns her eyes into glasses of whiskey I could stare into for days on end. In fact, I’ll never again look at a glass of whiskey and not think of her. The soft light diffused by the windows catches the honey-gold flecks.
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I, uhm, I don’t know if I can make it out tonight, but thanks, Sam.”
“Alright, what do you say to tacos and beer before the mixer? Come on! I’m starving, and I’m paying.”
“I uhm…yeah. Sure, Sam, but I can’t stay long.”
“Yeah, whatever. Not my fault you live in Pasadena. Like I said, go to the mixer.”
