“Bruce.”
“Tom.”
The air in my office grows tense. It’s been two years since we last saw one another, but it’s obvious that neither one of us forgot what happened.
He sits down on the leather sofa, crossing one leg over the other before resting his hands on his knee.
If he were any other guest, I would have offered him some coffee, but I don’t have time to waste on a dick like Tom.
“What can I do for you?” I ask, feigning politeness. “If I’m correct, this wasn’t a scheduled meeting.”
“It wasn’t.”
“You should know that I don’t typically let people into my office uninvited.”
He shifts in his seat, looking slightly uncomfortable.
After a while, he looks up at me. “I heard you and Katie tied the knot.”
As soon as he says that, I nod with pride. “We did. I knew she was the one for me, so I made it legit. Sorry I had to steal her back from you,” I say with a hard smile. Sorry, not sorry.
“No hard feelings. She and I didn’t click anyway. I’m sure she told you that,” Tom responds, shrugging his shoulders like it’s no big deal.
I nod. “I’m afraid she did tell me that. She told me everything.”
There’s yet another knock on the door. This one I know by heart; it’s soft and delicate. “Come in.”
Katie walks in looking absolutely stunning. The white blouse she’s wearing hugs her breasts, enveloping those lovely mounds. She has the top button unbuttoned, but still, her chest looks like it’s about to break free at any moment. And don’t even get me started on the pencil skirt. It’s tight and makes her ass look heavenly, and then her amazing legs are on full display. If Tom weren’t here, I’d probably take her right now by bending her over the desk and having my way with her, just like the first day we met.
She glances at Tom, looking at him askance. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were here, Mr. Benning.”
The movie star grins like a hungry wolf. “Did I frighten you, Mrs. Lockhart?”
“No,” she says. “But to be honest, I’m still getting used to being around so many famous people with my new role in Lockhart Industries.”
I interject, eager to boast about Katie’s accomplishments. “My wife is the new CEO of celebrity endorsements for our company. Did you know that? And I assume you’re here because you’re interested in endorsing something of ours?”
Tom adjusts his tie, looking awkward. “I am.”
“In that case, Katie will be interviewing you today. I hope you don’t mind, buddy.”
“Not at all. Ask me anything you want, Katie,” he says, trying to act nonchalant. But I can tell he’s growing anxious. He probably thought he could sway me into giving him the role by playing the ‘old friend’ card, but now that he’s up against my wife, it’s a whole new ballpark. He straightens out his legs, running his sweaty hands along his pants.
My wife is making a bona fide movie star nervous, and it takes a lot on my part to hold back a chuckle.
Katie takes a seat next to me, clipboard in hand. She flips through it before making eye contact with Tom.
“Okay, so what makes you think you’d be a good spokesman for oatmeal?” she asks, her tone of voice very professional. Over the last two years, Katie has impressed me. She’s slipped into the role of CEO with the utmost ease, almost like she was born to lead a company. Of course, this makes sense. She led Panty Time on her own before I came along, and it was a thriving business. We decided to shut it down, but by then, Katie had earned her stripes.
“I eat oatmeal,” Tom replies, answering with the lamest remark I’ve ever heard. This guy isn’t even trying. Does he really think that because he’s Tom Benning, he can walk in and just get the gig? Apparently, no one gave him the memo that he’s turning into a washout. “I like oatmeal. And what’s more, I love the brand I’d be representing.” He leans back in his seat, a smug look on his face. It’s clear that he thinks he’s a shoe-in for the job.
What an arrogant asshole.
He hasn’t changed a bit.
“Hmm.” Katie postpones her comments by twirling her pen on her finger before writing something down. “To be honest, I thought I’d use a kid as our spokesman for this one, Tom. Or spokeskid, if you get what I mean.”
His eyes grow big. He can’t believe it. Reality check, buddy – people don’t fawn over you the way they used to.
“A kid?” he blurts out. “Why? I can do this job, Katie.” He gets up, towering over my wife. “You don’t know shit! A kid can’t memorize lines the way I can! A kid doesn’t have my handsome face! A kid doesn’t -”
