Park Avenue Player(68)

My eyes darkened. The thought of any man coming anywhere near her made me crazy. She saw my face and smiled knowingly.

“You’re going to pay for that comment, smartass.”

“I hope so. When?”

I dropped my head and chuckled. “You sound as desperate as I feel.”

“It’s been two years, Hollis. We need a whole night.”

I couldn’t agree more. Although something in the pit of my stomach told me a whole night wouldn’t scratch the surface with this woman. A whole year might not be enough to get my fill of her.

“Let me see what I can do. Hailey asked if the girl who had the pool party could sleep over. Maybe I’ll call her mother and suggest they do one night here and then one there.”

Elodie squinted. “I’ll call the mother. I didn’t like the way she looked at you when you came to pick us up the day of the party. That woman wants to see you naked. DILF, remember?”

I liked that we were on the same page. Normally, a jealous woman would be a complete turn off to me, but for some reason, I loved Elodie jealous. I wanted her possessive, because I felt the same way about her.

“It doesn’t matter who wants to see me naked. Because there’s only one woman I have any interest in getting naked for.”

***

“It’s about time.” Addison plopped down in the guest chair on the other side of my desk. Staring out the window, I hadn’t even noticed her walk into my office.

“What?”

She smiled. “You’re banging the nanny. It took you long enough.”

My brows drew together. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Addison sighed and rolled her eyes. “You’ve been softening for weeks. I was in the hall when you walked in this morning. The new receptionist was texting on her cell phone. Again.”

“And…”

“You smiled at her and said good morning instead of firing her.”

“You’re out of your mind.”

Addison arched a brow. “So you didn’t get laid last night.”

Technically, I hadn’t. I lifted a stack of papers on my desk that didn’t need straightening and straightened them. Looking away, I said, “I didn’t sleep with Elodie. Not that it’s any of your damn business.”

Addison’s face changed to surprised. Her eyes widened, and she clapped her hands together. “Oh my God. You’re falling for her, and you didn’t even sleep with her yet.”

“Don’t you have any work to do? I looked at the new client roster. Your team isn’t exactly pulling in big numbers this quarter. Maybe you should spend some time riding them and get off my ass.”

Her answer was a giant, ear-to-ear smile. “I’m so happy for you, Hollis.”

I shook my head. “Be happy somewhere else. I have actual work to do.”

“It’s been a long time since Anna. You deserve some good in your life.”

Normally, any mention of my ex left a sour taste in my mouth. But this morning, I was too busy savoring the taste of Elodie to let anything else seep in. If I closed my eyes and breathed deep, I could still smell her on my face. I inwardly laughed at what Addison would’ve said if I’d suddenly done that—closed my eyes, took a deep whiff, and flaunted a satiated smile.

I looked over at my business partner. She wasn’t going to get the hell out of my office unless I gave her something. So I tossed the pen in my hand on the desk and gave in a little.

“It’s not going to end well.”

Her brows drew down. “Why do you say that?”

“Hailey is already pretty attached to her. When things go south, she’s going to suffer.”

Addison’s eyes roamed my face, and then she shook her head. “There’s just so much wrong with that last statement that I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Stop psychoanalyzing everything. Not everything someone says has a deeper meaning. I have a legitimate concern when it comes to Hailey. She’s a kid, and someone has to protect her. God knows her fuckwad of a father left her swinging in the wind.”

“Hollis, it’s not your concern about Hailey getting hurt that’s odd. What did you just say to me? Think about it.”

I shrugged. “I have no idea. But I’m guessing you’re about to enlighten me.”

“You said, when things go south, Hailey’s going to suffer.”

“So?”

“What does when things go south look like to you?”

Did she really need it spelled out for her? I thought it was pretty damn clear. “Hailey’s not attached to many people. When Elodie leaves, she’s going to be hurt. What part of this is so hard for you to understand?”

Addison frowned. “The part that you’re so certain she’s leaving. Not every woman is going to abandon you. But if you go into this relationship with the ending to the story already written, everything you do will be leading you in that direction.”

***

I knew she was staying because I hadn’t left yet. That was typical Addison. Normally, it would be a business issue I was struggling with—a client asking me to do something I wasn’t sure about, or something going on with an employee that didn’t sit right with me. We’d air things out in the morning, generally disagree, and then hours later, on my way out for the night, I’d stop at her office and together we’d find a middle ground on how to handle things.