Tell Me You Want Me by Willow Winters
Adrian
Today was less than ideal. I’ve never felt so conflicted when it comes to business.
Because she’s a factor now. The moment the meeting ended, I left first and I’m ashamed to admit, I closed the door to my office to avoid it all. Especially Suzette and all the questions written in her expression in that conference room.
There’s not a doubt in my mind, word will get out.
Wyatt clears his throat across from me, and I wish I’d canceled this meeting, but in truth, I’d forgotten about it until he walked through the door.
“Whatever’s going on, just tell me,” he comments from across my desk. A stack of papers, or more specifically, the contract he wants me to sign sits in front of him. To-go bags from a sushi place are in the other lounge chair beside him.
“We don’t have to discuss business,” he offers. He’s dressed in his lucky dove gray suit. He’s worn it to every wedding and every business meeting I’ve accompanied him to. He told me once that it’s his lucky charm. But as he fiddles with the thin pale pink tie, he leans forward, and his eyes search mine. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
“You didn’t come here to be my therapist.”
“No, but I’m always your friend. Business aside, you look wrecked.” He leans back, his tie wrapped up in one fist that lays on his chest. His brow’s pinched as he speaks with concern. “Like, is it a chick, is it your parents? What’s going on with you?”
“A chick,” I utter before I can stop myself and then I hate it. I hate the description. “She’s not just some woman.”
“Oh shit.” Wyatt elongates the words, pushing the contract out of the way to make room for the sushi.
“I’m not hungry,” I tell him and he only pauses to tell me, “Look, I need to eat. You pour your heart out, I’ll stuff my face. Whatever’s left you can have later.” The plastic bag crinkles as he digs out his carton of choice. “So, what’d she do?”
“Nothing that I shouldn’t have known was coming.” It was written on the walls. Before I even stepped foot in this building, without even looking at the security footage to detail employees, I knew Suzette Parks was going to fight me. It was written on the fucking walls.
“You’re going to have to elaborate,” he states, opening up a small container of soy sauce. “She cheat on you?”
“No. No. She wouldn’t do that.”
“Do we hate her? Want to date her? You haven’t given me anything at all, so I’m going to need you to fill me in.”
I stare across the desk at Wyatt. He’s young, a player, never held on to a woman for more than a few weeks. There isn’t shit he could tell me that would help in the least.
“You can vent to me,” he assures me, separating a pair of disposable chopsticks and giving me an exasperated look. “Whoever she is, she’s gotten to you. You were distracted last time I was here; you’re obsessed to—”
“I have feelings for her,” I admit to him rather than listen to him continue. “I like her … a lot and because of that, I compromised a business.”
The California roll stops midair. “What business?”
Tapping my two fingers on the desk, I point to the door. “This one.”
“What do you mean? You okay moneywise? You need help or something? You know my father—”
“I don’t—No. No. It’s fine moneywise. It’s just …”
“Oh thank God,” he mutters, far more relaxed as he leans back with the container in one hand and the chopsticks in the other.
“It’s just, I’m taking a risk I wouldn’t, if it weren’t for her.”
“It’s not so bad,” he says after an exaggerated swallow. “You’ve done it before,” he reminds me.
“And I nearly lost it all before.”
“Passion outweighs statistics.” He tells me something I’ve told him years ago. Pointing the chopsticks at me he adds, “You know that.”
I can only nod, feeling the anxiousness of this morning come back to me. “She knows what she’s doing and I think this would be best for her,” I tell him.
“But not for you?” he guesses.
“… It would be much easier to merge, which means she could lose her job, her entire department even. It would mean uncertainty for her.”
“So what, you’re keeping her out of it?”
“I’m forming a business for her and her department alone. Allowing her to keep the clients while the remainder of the business is merged with another company.”
He arches a brow, surprised. “One of your other companies?”
I shake my head. “I’ll profit quickly and be done as far as the merger goes. The investment goes into her business, though.”
“Does she know that it’s her business?”
“She’ll find out soon enough.”
“Is she ready for that? That’s kind of,” he says and repositions himself, more serious now. “It’s kind of a lot.”
“It was that or the alternative, giving her passion to someone else to control.”
Wyatt shakes his head, his brow still raised as if it’s stuck there now. “Well okay, so … now I see why your mind is occupied.” He aims for another piece of sushi but stops before picking it up. “Wait, you're screwing someone here?” he questions. “Like you’re sleeping with the head of a department and because of that, you’re forming a company for her to protect her from the obviously correct business decision?”
My stomach drops as I nod. “More or less.”
“How long have you been with her? It’s got to be serious.”
“Less than a month, but yes. I’m serious when it comes to her.”
If I thought his brow couldn’t raise any higher, I thought wrong. It’s quiet a moment, and the weight of my decision settles against my chest, uncomfortable and heavy.
“So, you’re telling me,” Wyatt pipes up, chopsticks once again aimed at me, “all I have to do to get you to sign these papers is sleep with you?”
The laughter is unexpected and if there was anything on my desk, I’d toss it at him. It’s the first time I’ve smiled all day. “You’re an ass, you know that?”
“I’m an ass who’s happy you’re in love,” he comments and everything stops. “Men in love do stupid things but, if she’s worth it, she’s worth it.”
“She’s worth it,” I tell him quickly. Ignoring the cold sweat that slips down the back of my neck at the thought of being in love with her.
“Good, maybe marry her or something. In case the company takes off.”
“Marriage is not a business deal.”
Wyatt shrugs. “It could be.”
The knock at my office door is discreet and Andrea reveals herself. “Mr. Bradford, I just wanted to let you know the next meeting is seating now.”
“Thank you, Andrea.”
“All right, I’ll get going then.” Wyatt stands to leave. He takes in a deep breath and pushes the contract my way. “While you’re a little puppy dog in love, could you take a look at that and sign it, please?”
Picking up the contract, I tell him, “You got it.” I decide then and there that I’ll sign it tonight.
Andrea watches our exchange from the threshold of the door.
“Give me five, and then can you scan this in for me?”
“Of course,” she says warily and I look up at her.
“Everything all right?”
“Just checking on you. I know things are a bit tense at the moment.”
“It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”
She stares back, her glasses slipping slightly from the bridge of her nose and her brow rises just as Wyatt’s did. “Is there something else? Something you want to say?”
She shakes her head softly, the corners of her lips turning down. “No, sir.”
“You can tell me,” I say. “If there’s something on your mind, speak freely.”
“If Ms. Parks asks to meet with you, would you like me to let her up still?”
“Of course,” I’m quick to answer.
“Good, good.” Relief colors her face.
“Why would you ask?”
“She seemed upset yesterday, and so did you this morning. I just … I’m glad to hear that, is all.”