If We Were Perfect - Ana Huang Page 0,38
playing fetch, chasing squirrels, and cock blocking his human dad’s friends.
Speaking of which...
Aaron’s feet entered Sammy’s field of vision, and when Sammy cranked his head up, he confirmed the blond wore the exact smirk he’d imagined he would wear.
Olivia scrambled off him, and Sammy mourned the loss of her warmth before he pushed himself off the ground.
“Didn’t mean to interrupt.” Aaron’s gaze moved from Sammy to Olivia and back again. Amusement warred with trepidation in his eyes.
“You didn’t. Your dog did.” Sammy reached down and ruffled the golden retriever’s fur, earning himself another tail wag. Milo was too damn cute to stay mad at. Depending on how one looked at it, he may have even saved Sammy from committing a massive mistake.
“He does that a lot,” Aaron said in a wry tone that made Sammy wonder how many times Milo had interrupted his parents doing the deed.
He didn’t want to know.
“Anyway, figured you guys wouldn’t want to miss the fireworks.” Aaron’s smirk widened. “The ones in the sky, I mean.”
Sammy glared at his so-called friend while red washed over Olivia’s cheeks. He’d been so caught up in their moment he hadn’t noticed the pyrotechnics lighting up the sky. They were too far out in the suburbs to catch the city’s fireworks show, but Aaron had his own supplies. The other guests had set up camp on the other side of the backyard, where no trees blocked the view, and they’d dragged over enough lounge chairs and pillows to make the corner look like an outdoor slumber party.
Sammy couldn’t believe he’d missed the migration. That was what Olivia did to him—made him blind and deaf to everything that wasn’t her. Proving once again how dangerous she was.
To his relief and disappointment, she excused herself and slipped inside the house—ostensibly to use the restroom, but he wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t see her again until it was time to leave.
“Don’t,” he warned when Aaron opened his mouth.
“I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I mean it. I already warned you earlier, and you’re a grown man.” Aaron fell silent for a moment before adding, “You know what you’re doing.”
Sammy tilted his head up and watched the lights paint the night sky in a kaleidoscope of colors, his cock still semi-hard, his skin still tingling with electricity.
I sure hope so.
Chapter Eleven
The town car smelled like leather and expensive cologne courtesy of Michael, who remained quiet as he skimmed through the Ty Winstock dossier Olivia had delivered last week. Other than the rustle of paper as he turned a new page, the company car taking them from the office to Avenue Steakhouse was silent.
Olivia stared out the window, counting to ten in her head to keep her mind off the nerves buffeting her stomach.
Tonight was her chance to make a big impression on her boss. Even though she planned to move back to New York after she got her MBA, Michael was a managing director and a trusted voice. His recommendation would move her that much closer to the vice-presidency she craved.
“What do you think of the San Francisco office?” Michael’s deep voice rumbled through the quiet and startled Olivia out of her fantasies of the future—striding into the boardroom suited up in badass Armani, kicking Wall Street ass during the day and coming home at night to a beautiful home and gorgeous husband with whom she’d have all the explosive, kinky sex she liked. Somewhere down the line, there’d be children. Even further down the line, she’d be a CEO, gracing the covers of Forbes and Fortune and carving a legacy for herself as one of the few women who rose to the top of the finance food chain through sheer grit, intellect, and perseverance.
She had it all planned out.
But first, she had to survive this dinner.
“It’s different from New York,” Olivia said carefully. “That’s to be expected. There are inherent cultural differences between the East and West Coast, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to work here this summer. It’s a great way to connect with other branches of the firm and meet new colleagues.”
Whether she liked said colleagues was another matter.
The key to evasion: provide a parallel answer that sounded like what the questioner wanted to know without actually answering anything.
“True,” Michael agreed. “What about the people? How are you getting along with the team?”
The men are pigs, and the only other woman seems to be allergic to conversation. They suck and I hate them.
“They’re brilliant,” Olivia said smoothly. “I learn something