Be a Doll(52)

“She must be something if you can’t keep your hands off of her at work. It’s not your style, man,’’ Chance said in observation and grabbed some files from his briefcase, but soon enough his laughing eyes found mine.

In any other circumstance, meaning that if it had been about any random woman, I’d be smirking and exchanging a few disrespectful words with him, but in this case it was about my wife. I wanted to fuck her to move on, but the fact remained; she was my wife and she would still be my wife for the foreseeable future.

“Don’t push me, Chance,’’ I warned in a voice that didn’t leave any space to argue.

He shrugged and shook his head, not once losing the amusement in his eyes. That man while very professional and smart in his work, was always taking everything as a joke, women most of all and because he was so charming and compelling, they usually didn’t hold it against him when he put the brakes on any type of ‘relationship’ he was in.

“Blue balls don’t improve your disposition. Can’t blame you.’’ He pointed at the door Lila closed behind her. “She’s a stunner. You picked good at that marital agency or whatever that is you got her from.’’

I glared at him, a man I’d known for years, the exception to my rules of keeping people at a distance and put my elbows on my desk, leaning forward. “She’s off-limits. You don’t even lay a finger on her.’’

He stiffened and glared right back, but with his bronzed skin, blonde hair and clear blue eyes, it didn’t have the same kind of potency as it did when I had the same expression on my face. “I would never touch a woman already taken, even if she’s only bound by a damn contract to protect your business ventures and your need to give your mother what you think she’d have had with your brother.’’

“Be careful of what you’re saying,’’ I said through clenched teeth. My hands were closed into tight fists and every muscle in my body contracted. He knew not to go there.

“The truth you mean? Oh come on, it’s obvious that you married that woman also because of your brother and your mother. She’s always hinting at you settling down and from what you’ve said about your brother, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that you wanted to give that to your mother because of Max.’’

“You have no idea of what you’re talking about. Friend or not, remember who I am, Chance.’’ I stood up and turned around, breathing too fast. I fixed on the view outside with all the tall skyscrapers gleaming in the daylight. There was nothing better than to bring up my deceased brother to kill a boner.

I breathed deeply and forced the anxiety to subside, forced my muscles to relax and my head to empty to keep only business related topics. In this office, nothing but work mattered. Nothing but work existed. Nothing could get to me.

Not my wife.

Not my mother.

Not Chance.

Not my father.

And not my brother.

I was the master of this universe. I had control. I was the one ruling here.

I nodded to myself and turned back around and saw Chance rubbing his forehead with that same movement he had always had when he was regretting something or getting ready to apologize. I held up a hand when he opened his mouth and sat again.

“Save it. Let’s get back on track. What do you have for me?’’

He stared at me a beat longer, but unlike most people, I didn’t feel the urge to twist in my seat or drop my eyes to avoid his examination. I remained perfectly still, eyes on his almost daring him to bring a subject up I never talked about.

But he proved to me he’s not completely stupid and brought the files he had in his hands to the desk and opened one. The logo of a company I had been working hard to acquire for the past four months caught my attention.

“It’s looking up with the company making GPS chips. Old man Tober canceled his next appointment with Hartmann and he didn’t give a counteroffer to Hartmann.’’

I leaned back in the chair as appreciation filled me, chasing away the last remnants of my close encounter with an anxiety attack. Now, my mind was fully on this new development.

“It’s funny how it happens right when word got out that I’m a married man now. I told you it would work. An old man like Tober is old school. He was already warming up to me when we broke the news regarding my engagement to Lila.’’

Garry Tober was the head of a company making GPS chips and while the business was thriving, old Tober got the word out a year ago that he wanted to retire and get his company bought for a hefty price and a good business plan. Considering he had no kids or family members to get in the business and because he was firmly attached to family values, Tober wanted to sell his company not only to the best bidder and with a real vision for his company, but to a man he thought showed what he thought was important; a balance between business and personal life.

A few months ago, I realized that my drive to succeed in my work and my lack of a wife waiting at home bothered him greatly. He was one of the main reasons why I had made the decision to find a wife to marry for the time being and that idea became only more burning when my business relationships with others deteriorated when rumors started to get out regarding my lack of interest in settling down, my overeager use of women to discard them in my next breath and my excessive drive regarding my work, thought unhealthy. That, plus my young age and I was stagnating. I couldn’t have that. I wouldn’t.