off—not that he’d ever seen her wear stockings. Imagining her in a black garter belt and stockings… Fuuuuuuck. Stop already!
He wanted to wow her with the ideas he and Scott had come up with for the various lines. This was the last step on the approval ladder. He was proud of what he’d come up with and he’d been looking forward to showing off for her.
But they had to finish the goddamn presentation. Instead he was going to be all bloated and hungover from too many salty snacks and beers.
He forced himself up off the couch, gathering up all the empties and carrying them to his kitchen. He found his phone and stared in dismay at the text messages and missed call from Scott. Shit.
He texted him back right away apologizing. I’m really sick today, sorry. Feel like shit. Tomorrow? What time?
They arranged to meet at the office at nine in the morning. Christ, on a Sunday, but oh well.
He’d better stop drinking. He looked around his kitchen. Did he even have anything healthy to eat? He surveyed his refrigerator. Nope. Nada. He moved on to the cabinets. Okay, there…a box of pasta and a jar of tomato sauce. That was healthy. He wasn’t really hungry but he’d feel better if he put something wholesome into his stomach.
He chugged a big glass of milk while the water boiled. He went into his office and started his laptop so he could review things.
“Were you that hungover yesterday?” Scott asked as they arrived at the office the next morning.
“Uh. Yeah. Hungover.” It wasn’t a lie. “Sorry.”
Isaiah and Hunter showed up around eleven to work on something. Otherwise the office was empty. Levi and Scott spent the whole fucking day working. But they did it. They goddamn well did it. They both slouched in their chairs at seven o’clock Sunday evening, empty water bottles and Subway sandwich wrappers littering their desks.
“Dude,” Scott said. “I don’t know how you pulled that out of your ass. I am seriously in awe.”
Levi grinned. “Thanks, man.”
The next morning his gut was like a rock as he walked into the office. But he looked good. He’d made sure of that. He had his pride. He was not walking into that meeting looking like something Chuck had barfed up.
“Morning, Levi!” Carly chirped at him.
“Morning, doll.” He beamed a high-wattage smile at her and she winked at him.
Scott was already there, shooting a mini basketball into a small hoop mounted on the wall.
“Hey,” Levi greeted him. “All set for our presentation this morning?”
“I’ll be ready as soon as the Xanax kicks in.”
Levi grinned as he threw himself down into his chair. “Little nervous?”
“You’d think I’d be used to this by now. The fear of rejection is making my bowels quake.”
“Jesus Christ. I don’t want to hear about your bowels.”
“Fine. I’ll be in the john. Last stall. Come get me when it’s time.”
Levi shook his head as Scott stalked away.
Yeah, he should be used to it. Every creative team faced rejection, rewriting and revising. It was part of the deal. Nobody liked it, but you had to accept it. That wasn’t going to happen today, though.
At nine o’clock they gathered in the meeting room—Mason, Noah, Scott, Alia…and Sloane.
He was afraid to look at her.
This was probably why getting involved with someone at work was a bad idea. Hell, he’d never make that mistake again. For that matter he’d never make the mistake of getting involved with anyone again.
He picked the moment to sneak a peek at her exactly when she looked at him. Their eyes met and it was like a physical jolt of electricity to his body. He kept his face expressionless and looked away.
She was so damn gorgeous.
His heart contracted and his gut torqued with tension.
Her smooth blonde hair curved perfectly around her face. She wore the black and ivory dress that hugged her curves. Her lips were shiny with rose-colored gloss and her eyes… Even in that brief glance, he’d seen the shadows there.
He fucking hated that she was sad. He wanted to slam a fist on the table. He hated that she was sad and even more he hated that she didn’t want him to be part of that. He’d take all her sadness if he could, if it would make her feel better. That sour ache in his gut started up again.
He and Scott went through their presentation.
The print ads were a success. Even Sloane smiled at the Natural Belgian Blonde ad. He’d hoped for a