Wanted For Pleasure

Chapter Seventy-three: love me again

"[that] every gesture, every caress, every touch, every glance, every last bit of the body has its secret, which brings happiness to the person who knows how to wake it. She taught him that after a celebration of love the lovers should not part without admiring each other"

Chris Omar Vaughn

February third was in two days, I only realized just when I looked at the calendar.

My leg shook under the table at this meeting.

I couldn't even believe myself for coming back home and working.
Reuben said he wanted to catch up, ask me about the New York branch, then I ended up at a damn luncheon.

"—Chris?" Reuben sounded frustrated, impatient.

"What?" I hissed, annoyed at him for calling my name like he was Carter or Mary.

"I've been calling you for two minutes now. You with us?"

"I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." I lied. I got more than eight hours and slept like a baby. And, get this, we didn't even have sex! Mind blowing stuff, I know.

"You've never looked better." Jenny complimented. I did not miss her.

"Wait. You think so? I got a lil' haircut, shaved a bit." I boasted, rubbing my chin stubble. I had let it grow out some since the move but Morgan liked it how it was before so I let Mary give me a trim like she used to before the dinner last night. Except, she kept saying I had a bob and laughing so I insisted she cut more. I'm a man, I don't have a fucking bob. But she got scissor happy and I had to stop her hand before she got to ear length, I did not want my high school look back, no.

"A-hem." Rueben cleared his throat. He didn't even have shit important to say.

I could be spending time with her right now, I thought in my head, mad I had to be here.

You don't even need this job, fake a family emergency and go be with Morgan, the devil on my shoulder told me. Not sure if it's a devil or overage hormone monster.

The clock ticked, reminding me that time wasn't stopping and I would in fact run out of it if I didn't act fast.

"There's something I gotta do." I announced, standing tall.

Reuben, Jenny, and others all glared at me.

"And what is that?" Asked my boss.

I didn't want to say out loud, I just hoped flashing a charming smile would work. Well, it did on Jenny and the other women, not Reuben.

"Just go, Chris. Go." Reuben granted and I did not hesitate to dart out of there.

I zoomed through the lobby and paused when I saw a bowl of M&Ms on the receptionist's (Jenny's) desk.

Shit, that reminds me...

I sat in my truck waiting for this pain-in-the-ass to answer the call. They would only get three rings on me.

Luckily for them, they picked up before the fourth ring.

"Hello?" They talked first.

"It's me." I yawned, bored.

"Mom?"

I already rolled my eyes at this conversation. "Close. Johnny Depp."

"Oh, I loved you in Magic Mike! How's Amber holding up since everything?"

"What, Cleo? No. It's, me, Chris."

"Clearly, I have your number saved. Do you not have mine saved?"

I was caught. "No. I don't really save numbers." Only Mom's, Dad's, Morgan's, Jack's, and JB's.