Ricky introduced himself and asked if he could join me. We were just talking.”
He nodded again but didn’t say anything. I noticed he had put up a bit of a wall between us. It felt cold and uncomfortable.
“I’m not interested in Ricky, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
His look was sullen. “Ricky has a way with women.”
“He’s not really my type,” I said. “And I’m interested in someone else.”
I looked into his eyes and the intensity between us started to melt the ice that had formed. He started to bite his bottom lip, a habit I found extremely attractive. Anything that brought my attention to his lips made me think about kissing him.
“And just who is the lucky guy you’re interested in?” he asked, knowing full well it was him.
“We’re going out Saturday night,” I said.
“Is that so?” he said as the heat between us continued to intensify. I was suddenly glad there was a desk separating us. “I’m jealous.”
I grinned. “You should be. This guy is the full package.”
I could see his face grow red with embarrassment. “The full package, huh?”
I nodded.
“I hope this guy doesn’t mind that we’re meeting for lunch tomorrow.”
“I think he’d be terribly jealous,” I said playing it up as much as I could. “He hates to see me with other men.”
I was surprised when Daniel touched my hand. I instinctively glanced up at the door to make sure it was still closed. He grazed his index finger along my thumb and then each of my fingers. The act was so sensual it took my breath away. “I’m really looking forward to Saturday night,” he said as he continued caressing my fingers.
“Me, too,” I managed to get out with the limited breath I now seemed to have.
I felt like crawling over the desk and into his lap. I tried to distract myself by looking around his office. I noticed for the first time that his walls were covered with framed posters of guys in the ocean on boards attached to kites. I assumed they were kite surfers.
He must have noticed me examining his art work. “I like to kite surf,” he said.
“Are the posters of you?” I asked. It was difficult to tell who was actually doing the kite surfing in the photos.
“Some of them,” he said. “Some of them are my friends.” He pointed to one across the room from me. “That one’s Ricky. The one next to it is my roommate.” He pointed to two close to me. “Those two are me.”
I nodded. I wondered if that explained the rough hands and calluses.
“You should watch us sometime,” he said. “We’re all pretty good.”
I nodded. “Okay, sure.”
I stood. “I’d better get back to work,” I said. “Please don’t freak out when you see me talking to Ricky. You know we have to work together.”
“I know,” he said. “It’s just…” I could see him thinking. “We have a history. I know how he is with women.”
“Please don’t worry,” I said, and we left it at that.
***
That evening, I was a little surprised when Eddie didn’t barge in. My heart sank a little as I settled into bed and I realized I probably wasn’t going to see him. Then I chastised myself for feeling that way. I should have been glad not to see Eddie and be tempted by his advances. He was an asshole, plain and simple, and I knew getting involved with him would be a huge mistake. Still, there was something about him that was irresistible no matter how hard I tried to control it.
I also felt guilty thinking about Eddie when I had a chance for a real relationship with Daniel. He was so hurt when he saw me just sitting with Ricky, I couldn’t even image what he would think about my interactions with Eddie. Not that he would ever find out. I would make sure of that.
The best course of action was to steer clear of Eddie and give my full attention to Daniel. He deserved my full attention, something I’m not sure I could give him with Eddie in the picture.
My decision was reinforced when I heard Eddie’s door slam and the voice of a woman in his apartment. It didn’t take long for, shall I say amorous noises, to filter through the flimsy walls. Amorous was actually too nice of a term for what I heard. It sounded like he was filming a porno in his apartment. I put my pillow over my head and tried my best to