“Well then, I think I would’ve rather heard more about Hadley and the bouncer man,” Brynn jokes, and I drop back to the floor groaning. “I’m just kidding.” She takes her place back beside me, taking my right hand in hers, while Hadley lies beside me on the other side, taking my other hand.
“Maybe all Mr. CEO needs is a little push,” Hadley says, patting our conjoined hands.
I think either Hadley is either still in an orgasmic haze from a night with the bouncer boy or maybe had one too many mimosas while cooking this feast, but I don’t think a push is going to do anything to Ben but make me look more of a fool than I already am.
Hadley: You’re welcome. ;)
Brynn: Please don’t hate us.
Brynn: For the record, I didn’t agree with this.
Hadley: Yes, you did. Stop lying.
Me: I’m confused. Anyone care to explain?
Hadley: You’ll see.
Me: What does that even mean?
I’ve been staring at my phone for the last ten minutes, confused by the cryptic texts coming from the two of them.
“Lexi?” The voice of our new administrative assistant at the front desk comes over the speakerphone of my desk.
“Yes, Sarah,” I respond, picking up the phone and balancing it on my shoulder.
“I have a Mr.…” she begins, followed by a muffled voice. “A Mr. Cal Murphy here to see you.”
Cal? What’s he doing here?
“Would you like me to send him back to your office?” she politely asks.
“Oh, sorry, yes, that would be fine. He knows the way.” I hang up and push back from my desk and walk to meet Cal. Does this have to do with that text from the girls?
I see Cal walking toward me, and I meet him halfway.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
Cal leans down to my ear and whispers, “Just go with it.”
I pull back, confused yet again. Is anyone going to fill me in? “Just go with—”
Before I have a chance to finish my question, Cal leans down, palming my cheeks, and covers my mouth with his.
I start to push away with my hands on his chest. What the fuck is happening? But he grips my hips, holding me to him.
When we finally break apart, I am so stunned that I’m speechless. What the hell was that?
Cal brushes the hair out of my face and kisses my cheek. When he pulls back, I feel his breath in my ear. “You know he’s watching, right?”
“What,” I gasp.
From the corner of my eye, I see Ben staring at us. His jaw is tense, a line furrowed between his brows. I want to smooth that crease away, but he is the one who set the boundaries.
Then it hits me. Understanding crosses my features, and Cal tips my chin, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger. “Now you get it.”
He smirks, and I narrow my eyes. The girls may have gone a little too far this time.
“He’s still staring, so ready for the big finale?” I’m scared even to see what that is, but I tilt my head to the side.
“Sure, why not.”
He fuses his mouth to mine. I feel his calloused hands on the back of my neck, holding me close, before tipping me back in one of those famous return-from-overseas military kisses, although this is not downtown, this is in the middle of my office, and he is not my lost love, he is just a friend. In a second of panic, I place my hands on his shoulder to keep me from falling backward. To the untrained eye, aka anyone who is not in on this plan, it looks like two lovers happy to see each other.
When Cal’s tongue glides over my lips, seeking permission, I gasp, and he takes advantage, exploring my mouth with his tongue.
There are no sparks. When I kissed Ben, there were enough fireworks to light up the darkest night sky. For a moment, I forget that it is Cal I am kissing and not Ben and get lost in the kiss. When he nibbles on my bottom lip, I come back to reality. I slowly pull back to find Cal’s eyes traveling from my eyes to my lips. Oh shit, did he enjoy that kiss? Did we completely fuck up our friendship?
“Relax,” he softly assures me with a wink.
I don’t know how to feel at the moment. For one, my head is spinning from that kiss, and two, I’m trying not to be weirded out that I just shared a kiss with one of my closest friends. I also can’t help but wonder if Brynn knows how fantastic of a kisser Cal is. I am so going to tease her if she doesn’t.
A throat clearing from behind forces me and Cal to spin around and meet Ben glaring at us.
“Lexi.” There is a sense of scolding to his voice, and I can’t tell if it’s from me kissing another man or that I was kissing someone in the open office. Either way, there is a hint of jealousy in his eyes.
“Oh Ben, hi, I’m sorry, this is—”
“Callum Murphy.” Cal reaches out to shake Ben’s hand. Callum? Wow, so formal.
Ben’s eyes move back and forth between Cal and me. Can he read between the lines here?
“Bentley Harrington. I’m Lexi’s boss.”
After what feels like the longest handshake of all time, they release each other’s hands but continue engaging in the staring contest. Is this some sort of male territorial thing?
“Well, Bentley,” Cal begins, knowing that I’ve told him that he doesn’t go by it. It’s hard to hide my smile.
Ben holds up his hand. “You can call me Ben.”
“Okay, Ben. I hope it’s okay that I stopped by to surprise my girl and take her to lunch?” His girl? Oh boy, he is bringing out all the stops on this one. Did he take some acting classes or something? He wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his chest, just like I’ve seen him and Brynn do many times.
“Oh, sure, sure. Enjoy yourselves.”
That’s it? I try to hide my disappointment. What was I expecting, though, Ben to just sweep me off my feet Prince Charming style or be a caveman and pull me behind him and beat the shit out of Cal?
“Okay. Let me just grab my purse.” I turn and grab it from my office and turn on my do not disturb message on my phone. When I join the boys, they’re having some sort of weird unspoken conversation with their eyes.
I clear my throat, startling them both. Yeah, because this isn’t awkward or anything.
“Ready?” Cal asks with his hands in his pockets.
“Have a nice lunch,” Ben says, giving a small wave.
Cal reaches for my hand and links our fingers, and his touch feels so different from Ben’s, only further proving how fucked I am. “I’m going to kill you guys. You do realize that, right?”
Cal chuckles as we make our way toward the elevators. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. This was all Hadley and Brynn’s idea. I just went along with it because Brynn promised that I get to pick the movie for the next two months, which means no more romance films.” A look of relief passes over his features, but I see right through the facade. He may not admit it, but since we met, Cal does things that he knows will make Brynn happy, so I would bet my next paycheck that he watches one within the month. “Plus, if I had to guess, I’d say the pain I feel in the back of my head right now is your man burning a hole through me with his look.”
I look back over my shoulder as Cal presses the Down button to find Ben still staring at us. His tense features have softened, and a part of me wants to give him reassurance that I haven’t moved on. But he was the one who set the boundaries.