by Skylar Hill
“Nothing,” she said. “You’re just a really good guy.”
You’re the kind of guy a girl falls for, she thought.
He was the kind of guy she fell for.
Chapter Twenty
Carter
It had been a few weeks since he’d shown up at Maddy’s door with that pie and she’d fallen apart for him, so fucking sweet and sexy he still was having dreams about it. In those few weeks, he’d spent every minute he wasn’t working or with his family with her. And when he wasn’t with her, he was thinking about her.
He had fallen. Fast and hard, and he had surrendered himself to it wholeheartedly because, fuck, it felt so damn good. It was like he’d been waiting, like a piece of himself had been on hold without him knowing it.
It was like being able to access a part of his brain he couldn’t before. He was a man of science first, after all. And the brain was where the real capacity for love lay. Not in the muscle that was the heart. It was a revelation, feeling like this. He suddenly understood why Renee was so fascinated with relationships and had dedicated her entire practice to the study of them. Feeling this way, connecting with someone on this level—there was nothing he could accurately compare it to.
He’d followed Maddy around Portland, relearning the city he’d grown up in and loved so much. It was like seeing it through a whole new lens when he was with her. She showed up for one date in rain boots that had little whales blowing sprays of hearts stamped all over them, and they’d ended up in a long discussion about jumping in puddles, and he’d ended up scribbling equations for the arc and propulsion of the water on a napkin as he explained it. She’d taken the napkin from him at the end of the date, tucking it in her pocket and she’d said, for later, when he’d asked her why she was keeping it.
He liked the idea of her keeping a memento from one of their dates. It was sweet and sentimental, like her. And he was far gone enough already, his brain high on all those chemicals that he’d valued enough to get inked on his body, to think about that napkin tucked away years from now, in a box full of things that reminded her of him.
Work was hard for multiple reasons. Charles Palmer hadn’t taken Carter up on his offer to divest himself of his shares, but he had been calling nonstop, leaving messages about wanting to talk about his son. Obviously, Dillon was whining to Daddy about not being banned from the company.
Too bad, Carter thought, as he sent off another batch of emails. They were just a week and a half away from the transplant. He and Nat were planning on making an announcement to the company and the board after the operation, because he wanted to respect his parent’s’ privacy and didn’t want them bombarded with well wishes.
Soon, he’d be done with all this CEO work and back in his lab for good. He’d be recovering and hanging with Olivia and letting her serenade him with endless Broadway tunes. He’d introduce Maddy to his parents and bring her further into his life, where it already felt like she belonged.
“Hey.” Maddy knocked lightly on his open office door before peeking her head in.
“Hey,” he said, his mood instantly getting better.
“I’m about to head home, but I wanted to check to see if you got my email about my idea of doing sex advice videos with Renee before I left,” she said, closing his office door behind her, her smile growing more intimate now that they were alone.
“I think you’re just making excuses to see me,” he said. “Since I emailed you back about that idea yesterday.”
“You got me,” she said, shrugging her shoulders in a way that made the cowl neck of her blue jersey dress move distractingly over her curves. “I do have another reason, though. I wanted to invite you to a party tonight. The Secret Society Lounge is holding their Halloween Ball. Nat and I used to always go when we were in college. So we’re restarting the tradition.”
“I don’t know,” he said, pretending to think about it. “You think you can keep your hands off me for a whole night around Nat?”
She laughed. “I seem to be giving you a mighty big head, mister. I’ll have to rectify that.”
He grinned, loving that she was willing to play into his cheesy jokes. He was not the kind of man who hid who he was—but because of what he did, he attracted a lot of women who didn’t appreciate cheesy jokes. He understood it. He wasn’t for everyone.
As long as he was for Maddy, things were going to be golden.
“I’d love to come, but I really should stay here and finish up some work,” he said. “You and Nat go have fun. Send me pictures, okay?”
“Okay,” she said. “But invitation’s open. I’ll text you the address just in case you get finished early.”
She hesitated for a second. “I really want to kiss you goodbye right now,” she confessed.
“When you say things like that, you make it hard for a man to follow the rules,” he said, thinking about how she was last night, when she’d help him test a new glove with special pleasure sensors on each finger.
She laughed, the husky sound making his cock stir with interest. “I’ll behave,” she said. “Have a good night.” She blew him a kiss, making sure to wiggle her hips as she left.
He watched her go, knowing he was smiling like a fool and not caring. He heard Nat and Maddy leave, the elevator’s bell indicating their departure, and he turned back to his work, losing himself in it for a good few hours. When he looked up and checked his phone, it was nearly ten.
And there was a photo on his screen. A selfie that Maddy had sent him. He opened the picture, his mouth going dry as all the blood in his body flooded to his cock in a rush.
She’d joked about a Wonder Woman costume, but the reality of it was another thing. Fuck. His eyes roamed over the picture she’d sent, over the golden lasso was resting against her long, bare, thigh, and her breasts spilling a little out the top of that bustier.
His phone buzzed, and another text from her appeared:
Are you sure you don’t want to join me? ;)
Helpless to resist, Carter found himself searching for the address of the Secret Society Lounge.
Any self-respecting geek would have done the same.
Chapter Twenty-One
Maddy
On my way.
Maddy grinned when she saw the text Carter had sent to her phone. She had known the Wonder Woman costume was a good idea.
She checked the time on the text. Nearly forty minutes ago. That meant he should be here soon. Perfect. Nat had run into an old friend about twenty minutes ago, disappearing with a wink at Maddy that told her she shouldn’t wait up.
Maddy stood on her tiptoes in her Wonder Woman boots, her lasso of truth slapping against her thigh as she looked for him. Since he was taller than most of the people in here, he should be easy to spot.
“Maddy?”
Maddy froze, the happy glow in her chest being dashed to ice. Trying to breathe normally, she turned around. Her ex, David, was standing there, wearing a basketball jersey as his costume.
You can do this, she told herself. He’s a jerk who doesn’t deserve your respect.
Keeping her face smooth and detached, she smiled blandly at him. “David. Hi. How are you?”
“Good!” he said, sidling up to her, getting way too close. She took a big step back.
“Aw, Madz, don’t be like that,” he said, sticking his lower lip out, pouting like a toddler. “We never really got closure, did we?”
She wasn’t going to take his bait. Especially because she’d just spotted a light brown head towering over everyone else. “Carter!” she called, waving. He spotted her, waving back, making his way through the crowd towards her.
“Who’s that?” David frowned, peering through the throng.
“Bye,” Maddy said, not even looking at him as she moved toward Carter.
Of course, of course, David had to follow her. As she reached Carter, she realized that he was still behind her.
“Come on, Maddy. We should be friends, after everything,” David said.
Carter raised his eyebrow at Maddy when she reached him, like, who’s this guy? She mouthed the ex at him.
Immediately, Carter shifted, taking her hand and moving so he was between her and David. David, who had been running his mouth about “friendship,” immediately shut up as soon as Carter towered over him.
“Hi,” Carter said. “You must be the slut-shaming asshole I’ve heard about.”
David’s eyes widened. He was the type of guy who liked to think he was enlightened, but who also mansplained all over your Twitter feed when you disagreed with him. He may have been all twisted up about sex in private, but in public, portraying himself as open and enlightened was important to him.
“You have anything to say to this guy?” Carter asked her.
“Who is this?” David demanded. “Who are you?”
“He’s the man who’s drawn me down a path of incredibly satisfying, ultra-decadent, toy-filled, adventurous sex,” Maddy explained, unable to hide a smirk. She leaned forward, her eyes wide with fake sincerity. “I’m sorry, David, but you’ve lost me to the land of women with high libidos forever. I’ve become their ruler.”
“All Hail the Queen!” Carter said, grinning, and she looked over her shoulder at him, falling a little bit more in love with him in that moment than all the moments before.
“What the fuck, Maddy?” David sneered. “This is another one of your weird jokes. All I wanted was to give you some closure since our breakup was so difficult on you. It was me doing you a kindness.”
“You know, I’m really good with no closure,” Maddy said, tossing her hair back. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” she looped her lasso of truth around Carter’s neck, pulling him toward her. He laughed, going willingly, and Maddy pulled him onto the dance floor, leaving David—and all his baggage and all those shitty feelings he tried to stick her with--behind.
“Is it wrong of me to find you really fucking sexy right now?” Carter asked, grinding against her as the heavy beat of the music sang through them.
She tossed her head, rolling her ass along to the rhythm of the bass drum, with his hands anchoring at her hips making her think of his hands on other parts of her body. God, she felt amazing. Sexy. Empowered. Like she could do anything. Like she was Wonder Woman herself.
“Come on,” she said to Carter, pulling him from the dance floor, leaving the music behind.
They found a dark corner, just the two of them, and when he kissed her, his hands skimming over her costume like she really was a goddess, for the first time in her life she felt like one.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Maddy
Finally, Maddy had a Sunday to herself. She’d been spending most of her free time with Carter, in bed and out. Out of bed, he’d taken her to hole-in-the-wall jazz clubs she’d never heard of, and in turn, she’d taken him on a mini-tour of the newer places in Portland he might have missed since moving away.
She had so much fun with him, it was almost strange to be spending this Sunday alone, doing what used to be her normal: a latte, a Danish, and the New York Times crossword puzzle. Though she still tried in vain, she never, ever managed to finish it.
It was rainy out today, so she took a seat inside the coffee shop, sipping her coffee and fiddling with her pen before checking her texts. Carter had sent her one, a picture of him with Olivia on his lap. He was visiting his parents today, and the photo made her smile. Olivia was beaming, she clearly adored her big brother.
She tapped out Cuties! And sent it, putting her phone down so she could turn her attention back to the crossword.
“Mind if I sit here?”
She looked up, about to tell whoever it was to find somewhere else to sit when she realized who it was: Dillon Palmer. The guy who had cornered her in the toy closet. A few days after that, Zoe had told her about her own experience in New York, making Maddy relieved that Carter had come in when he did and so sorry that Zoe had to deal with that. The two had bonded then, and now had a standing weekly dinner date trying new restaurants, after they both discovered a mutual love for Indian food.
“I have nothing to say to you,” Maddy said. “Please leave me alone.” She kept her voice level but strong, refusing to look away from him. She tended to intimidate guys like him. There was something about a tall woman that either attracted them or unsettled them. But it made both types want to poke at her. Like she was a target to either be hit, or destroyed.
“You should be nicer to me,” Dillon said, sliding into the seat despite her request. “You never know when the company you work for may undergo a sudden management change.”
She shot him a disgusted look, saying nothing. She didn’t want to give him any ammunition or reason to continue sitting next to her. Maybe if she ignored him, he’d go away. She turned her attention purposefully toward her crossword, contemplating it deeply, even though her real focus was on him and the potential threat he might pose.
God, she hated guys like this. Some of them were just gross. And some of them were truly dangerous. It wasn’t like they wore buttons identifying which was which. Plus, all of them were toxic, and the gross ones could turn dangerous. Basically: avoiding them was the best recourse. Problem was, avoidance required boundaries they didn’t respect.
“I saw you, you know,” Dillon continued. “At the party.”
Maddy’s heart began to beat too fast. Was he talking about the Halloween party? Shit. That wasn’t good.
“If you give that kind of attention to all the CEOs, I’m in luck,” he said, shooting her a look that made her skin crawl.
Maddy refused to react to him, knowing that’s exactly what he craved. “I hate to disappoint you, but I wouldn’t touch your dick with ten-foot pole,” she said, getting up and grabbing her crossword and her purse and stalking out of there, leaving him gaping after her.
Sometimes, a girl needed her best friend. Right now, Maddy was that girl.
“I need your advice,” Maddy said, charging into Nat’s new apartment as soon as she opened the door, without even so much as a hello.
“Hi,” Nat said slowly, looking bewildered as she chased after Maddy, who was already in the living room.
“I can’t believe you still have that old couch,” Maddy said, looking at the expensive designer cream-colored linen couch that Nat had found at a thrift store their second year in college. She’d dragged it in and out of every dorm room and apartment the two of them had. And then she dragged it to New York with her.
“I love that couch,” Nat said. “You look positively green. You’re not pregnant, are you?”
“No, I’m not pregnant,” Maddy scoffed. “I just got, I dunno… threatened? Blackmailed? Kind of? I don’t even know. It was weird.”
Nat frowned, sitting down on the infamous couch and patting the spot next to her. “Okay, sit down. Breathe. Explain.”
But Maddy couldn’t sit down. She needed to move. She began to pace in tight circles around Nat’s living room. There were things she recognized on the walls and shelves—pictures and paintings that Nat had had when they were in school or before—and then there were new things: a sheepskin blanket tossed over a chair, a series of hooks shaped like horseshoes, an old barn wood sign that said EST 1887. Finally, she turned around, facing her friend.
“I’ve been sleeping with Carter,” she blurted out.
Nat cocked one of her impressive eyebrows at Maddy. “What a shock,” she drawled, with such sarcasm it told Maddy it was anything but.
“You knew.”
“Of course I knew,” Nat said. “You two keep making goo-goo eyes at each other. The entire office knows. There’s a pool on how long it’ll be until you get married. Renee’s also taking bets on how big your first baby is going to be, because oh my God, Maddy, you are going to have a basketball team with that man.”
Maddy groaned, flinging herself on the couch next to Nat and burying her face in her hands.
“I was joking about that last thing,” Nat said, and Maddy could see her fr
owning through her fingers. “What’s wrong? This is a good thing.”
“No, it’s not!” Maddy said. “Because that asshole Dillon Palmer just came up to me at the coffee shop and kind of weirdly implied that he was going to get Carter ousted from the company!”
“What? Dillon is still in town?” Nat sat straight up, looking irate. “I swear to God, I am going to kick that guy’s ass. What did he say to you?”
“A load of bullshit, or so I thought,” Maddy said. “I was getting my Sunday coffee and just sitting there doing the crossword like I always do,”
“You are such a dork,” Nat interjected.
“Anyway,” Maddy said, pacing back and forth. “He sits down at my table. Starts talking about how companies go through management changes. He… he said he’d seen Carter and me at the Halloween party at the Secret Society Lounge,” her cheeks began flaming as she continued. “We, um… might have been sharing a moment. You know…”
“You were getting frisky in public,” Nat filled in. “Dirty. I like it.”
“Oh God, this is so embarrassing,” Maddy moaned, making Nat laugh. “I was not having sex in public! We were just kissing! But I guess Dillon saw us, and he seems to think that gives him some major ammunition. Does it? I know Carter was worried at the beginning, about the whole being-my-boss thing. But is it going to hurt the company?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Nat said. “Really,” she stressed, when Maddy continued to look skeptical. “There’s nothing in the company contract you signed banning higher-ups from dating employees. You can’t get in trouble for this. And Dillon can’t take over the company. He doesn’t even own any of it. He’s just an investor’s son. You don’t have to worry at all.”
“I wanted to talk to Carter first,” Maddy said. “But with the transplant coming up…”
