Kiss the Girl Read online

  Over time, he became more than just her employee. He was her friend and they cared about each other. Bentley was the one person she could tell anything and everything to and vice versa. When the workday ended, so did their business boundaries.

  “So what’s your deal today? Why the cave dwelling?” He settled in on the couch next to her with a pint of ice cream from her fridge, nudging her feet out of the way like he owned the place.

  “I already told you. I’m humiliated beyond all repair.”

  “And I’ve told you that nobody noticed. After you left, I made the rounds to all of the Foster VIPS and left things on very good terms. I sampled the drinks, complimented Royce on their delicious fruit flavors, and even danced with Sandra, who now has a wild crush on me. So we’re all good.”

  She had to hand it to him. The guy had her back. “I’m lucky, aren’t I?”

  “That you work with a charming fellow such as myself? Yes, you most definitely are.” She leaned forward and messed up his hair, always the surefire way to annoy and endear herself to him at the same time. “Knock that off. I have a date tonight. I need to look good.” He flashed a killer Bentley smile. “Not that I have to try hard.”

  “With Sandra?” she deadpanned.

  “With Svetlana, the leggy cocktail waitress from last night.” He waggled his eyebrows. “She’s also an actress, by the way. Or at least she wants to be.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Typical. One day, Bent, you’re going to have to grow up and settle down with one girl.”

  “What, like you?”

  “I’d kick you out, but that would require me leaving the couch. And I happen to love the couch.”

  “You’re just upset because the girl of your dreams walked out of this apartment this morning before you could show her what ‘good morning’ really meant.”

  She threw a pillow at him. “You’re such a guy. Who talks like that?” She paused. “We kissed in the elevator that day it was stuck.”

  He stared at her. “I don’t give you enough credit. Was there tongue?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Like I’m going to tell you that.”

  “It’s an important detail. It says a lot about the kiss. The magnitude is everything.”

  She felt the workings of a smile. “You know me. If I’m going to do something, I like to do it well.”

  He whistled low. “This is a nice side of you.” He took a moment. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I don’t think you should let this girl get away, Jess. Rival agency or not. She’s had an effect on you, and I gotta say, I like the end result. You’re all snap, crackle, pop lately, and it works.”

  She set down the box of chocolate-covered caramels and stared at the wall. “It could cause a lot of problems down the line. Not just for me and her, but for the agency.”

  “Worse things have happened in the world. Earthquakes, hurricanes, mass shootings, and you’re worried about a little lost revenue? Besides, you’d find a way to make it back. You always do.”

  He had a valid point.

  “So you’re saying I go for it despite the ramifications?”

  “Yes.”

  “What if she’s not interested?”

  “Worst-case scenario? You crash and burn. You do that all the time when I wreck shop on you in Call of Duty.”

  Jessica ignored the insult of her gaming abilities and stared at the ceiling. “I’m going to tell you something I haven’t said out loud to anyone. I really like her, Bent.”

  He softened. “I know. Which is why you’re sitting here pouting. I’m gonna raid your fridge again.”

  She laughed at the lack of segue. “Have fun with that.”

  “If you have more ice cream, we’re in business.”

  “I do. Peanut-butter chocolate-chip. You can’t miss it.”

  “Peanut butter, seriously? After everything?”

  “I know.”

  He hesitated, but only for a moment. “I’m eating it anyway. And when I’m done, we’re going to war Black Ops style.”

  She laughed and sat a little taller, feeling markedly better about things. Maybe she’d even change into real clothes. “I knew there was a reason I let you come over.”

  *

  It was an achingly beautiful day out, which only helped prove the point that Brooklyn loved autumn in New York. As she strolled through Central Park with Hunter and, as always, Hunter’s dog, Elvis, all the necessary signs of its arrival were there. The air was crisp with the smell of changing leaves, jack-o-lanterns graced the outsides of street carts, and the smell of cider wafted through the air.

  On the streets, everyone was in a hurry, but in the park everything happened at a slower pace. It was as if the world was excited for what was to come, enough to make her want to hug herself in gratitude for the season.

  Hunter studied her. “Okay. You’re doing that hipster Disney-princess thing again. All in awe of the world over there.”

  Brooklyn shook her head slightly, still smiling. “There’s just something about this time of year that makes me want to skip. I love jackets.” She did a little hop. “Don’t you love jackets?”

  Hunter pulled her leather one tighter around her. “I think they’re necessary to brace against the cold, but I don’t own sixteen of them the way you do.”

  “That’s because you don’t fully get it. I love you anyway.”

  They stopped for Elvis to sniff a nearby bench in case it had anything interesting to offer. He really was a pretty great dog. Hunter had picked him out from the city pound the day he was scheduled to be put down, saving his life by hours. That was three years ago, and they’d been best friends ever since. Though no one knew for sure, they had Elvis pegged as part terrier, part corgi. He had an extra-round body with short little legs, giving him a unique look all his own. Brooklyn had never owned a pet but jumped at the chance to accompany Hunter and Elvis to the park any chance she got.

  After scoring a couple of hot ciders from a street vendor, they found a nice stretch of lawn and had a seat. Elvis danced all around them like it was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to him and not just their twice-a-week routine.

  “Hey, Elvis. Is this what you’re looking for?” Hunter asked, holding up his prized blue, fuzzy tennis ball. His response was to launch into a series of vertical leaps as if competing in the doggy high jump.

  Brooklyn clapped her hands for him. “You’re a good boy, Elvis. The best, aren’t you? Look at that form.” She turned to Hunter. “You know what? I think you should throw the ball for him after that. Pretty impressive skills.”

  “I should? I should throw it?” She imitated a throwing motion.

  “I think you probably should.”

  “I might throw it, now that you mention it.”

  Elvis stared at one of them, then the other, listening intently to their conversation for any sort of confirmation that his wildest dreams were about to come true and his ball would, in fact, be thrown. After a few more impressive jumps, and a series of breathy whines, Hunter threw the ball into the distance and Elvis bounded off after it, short legs in flight, as if his life depended on it.

  Hunter stretched her own long legs out in front of her and popped on her sunglasses. “So did you sleep with her?”

  She sidestepped the question. “Who? Sophie? Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”

  Hunter gave her a long look. “You know exactly who I’m talking about. When you didn’t answer your phone this morning, I called Samantha’s to ask her to wake you the hell up. She hemmed and hawed and said you were out. But here’s the catch. Sam’s a horrible liar. She’s too sweet to lie properly. So, I repeat. Did you sleep with her?”

  Brooklyn threw the ball for Elvis, who let out an amusing squawk as he tore after it. With the shift in conversation, she felt her good mood begin to float away. “No. I didn’t.”

  “But you stayed over?”

  “To make sure she was okay.”

  “Very noble of you. When ar
e you going to sleep with her?”

  Brooklyn turned her body to Hunter in mystification. “How do you seem to know so much? I haven’t talked to you at all about this.”

  She shrugged. “I’m pretty good at picking things up, and you’ve been all out of sorts ever since the much-talked-about Jessica Lennox walked into your life. Which means one thing. You’ve got it bad, which,” she held up a finger, “is new for you. I scoped her at the cocktail thing. She’s smokin’, Brooks.”

  Brooklyn had a couple of options here. She could balk—she was an excellent balker—and move on from this conversation. Or she could level with Hunter, who would see through her bullshit anyway. She decided to go with the latter. “Okay. So there has been some flirtatious interaction. Did you tell Mallory?”

  “What, and have her kill the messenger?”

  She covered her eyes in relief. “Exactly. Thank you. I don’t see that conversation going well.”

  “No, me neither. But you have to understand, Mal means well. She just happens to think Jessica Lennox is Satan in high heels, and whether or not that’s an accurate representation, she sees her as a threat to the agency.”

  “And she puts the agency first,” they said in unison, because it was Mallory’s mantra.

  Brooklyn studied Hunter. “Can I tell you something?”

  “Always.”

  “I didn’t have a nightmare last night.”

  Hunter turned to her, clearly intrigued. “Nothing?”

  She shook her head. “And it might just be a fluke, a coincidence. Or maybe when I’m with Jessica, I feel…”

  “Safe,” Hunter said.

  “Safe.”

  “You’re a big believer in signs, Brooklyn. This might be an important one. Maybe you should talk to Mallory.”

  Brooklyn nodded. “Trust me, I get that and will cross that bridge if I ever happen to encounter it. We’re a little ways off. And then there’s the fact that I’ve perfected the art of bridge avoidance.”

  “So that means all systems are not a go?”

  Brooklyn pulled a doomsday face.

  “All right. Out with it.”

  “It’s possible that I acted like a lunatic this morning when things got a little too real. She may not be speaking to me.”

  “I’ve done lunatic and come back from it. What’d you do?”

  Brooklyn explained the events of the morning and made sure not to skimp on the incriminating details. “I guess I just freaked out.”

  “Too much. Too soon.”

  “What?”

  “That’s what it was for you. I think in that way, we’re kind of alike, you and me. I don’t get attached because I’m not into drama. You have—”

  “Some complicated emotional issues. Yeah, I’m becoming more and more aware of that.”

  “Right. So, if Jessica didn’t fall into the important column, you’d have had no problem with this morning. In fact, you’d have probably taken things much further and had the best time doing it.”

  It was a valid point.

  “So the moral of the story is this—when you find someone who really matters to you and you want it to have staying power, you’re going to have to go slow. Baby-step the hell out of that thing to give it a fighting chance.”

  Brooklyn stared at Hunter for several long seconds before finally nudging Hunter’s shoulder with her own, because what she’d just said was everything.

  It gave her hope.

  Maybe she could go out on an emotional limb for the right person, but for her it probably wouldn’t be something she could do overnight. And she found comfort in that, because someday was better than never. “You’re a smart chick, you know that?”

  Hunter shrugged and flashed the killer Hunter smile. “I’ve been trying to tell you people.”

  “That’s a cute dog you have there.” Suddenly a guy was kneeling next to Hunter and petting Elvis rather enthusiastically. It wasn’t uncommon for them to be approached in the park. Hunter attracted flirtatious attention practically everywhere she went.

  “Thanks,” Hunter said. “I think so too.”

  “I’m Simon.”

  “Hunter.”

  “Brooklyn,” she said, unprompted, and raised her hand in greeting. Simon didn’t seem to care. Yep, second fiddle when Hunter was around. No biggie.

  “I don’t mean to be rude, but I saw the flag sewn on your bag. Are you from Hawaii? I spent a year there in the service.”

  Hunter’s gaze flicked down to her bag. “When I was a kid. I don’t really remember it. My mom’s a native, though.”

  “It’s beautiful there.”

  “It is.”

  Mind if I join you?” He was one of those ultra-tan, super-confident fellows with the athletic sunglasses and energy drink in hand.

  “You could, but Brooklyn and I were just in the middle of breaking up. She wants to see other people and I’m not taking it well. I mean, at all.”

  The wide-eyed look on his face was priceless, and he froze mid-sit. “Right. So I should leave you alone then?”

  “Probably. I might cry at any moment.” She grabbed his shirt. “How could she do this to me, Simon? How? After everything.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sure I don’t know.” His gaze flicked nervously from her back to Hunter.

  “And I’m pregnant. Now what am I going to do?”

  His mouth fell open in mystification, and he shrugged apologetically as he practically sprinted for the nearby sidewalk.

  Hunter dropped the emotion, turned back to the lawn, and casually drank her cider as if none of it had happened.

  Brooklyn shook her head, unable to suppress her own chuckle. There really was no one like Hunter. “You’re going to hell. You know this, right?”

  Hunter threw the ball for Elvis. “But I’m gonna have fun getting there.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Jessica didn’t make it to the gym until late Monday night. She’d ended the workday in a brainstorming session with her top team of account executives. They’d locked themselves in the boardroom to go over some of the product stats for Foster’s summer-drink line that would launch in the spring. She’d had a hunch it would be tossed their way as part of the pilot deal, and she’d been right.

  It also most likely meant that Savvy was taking a crack at it too.

  By the end of their session, they’d come up with some stellar ad ideas, but the team had a few more questions for the Foster folks before latching on to one idea and developing it.

  All in all, it had been a productive day.

  The hour and a half she’d finally squeezed in for a workout had made her body sing in all the right ways. The hot shower she took afterward eased her aching muscles. She was still on the tail end of an endorphin high as she turned the corner to the entrance of her building.

  “Hey, Patrick.”

  “Good workout, Ms. Lennox?”

  “Awesome, actually.”

  He took a step closer and lowered his head. “I don’t want to overstep my bounds, but you might take a look to your left as you make your way into the lobby.”

  It was unlike Patrick to engage in any sort of real conversation with her, so this was clearly important. Jessica peered over her shoulder through the glass doors and was able to make out Ashton sitting in one of the couches near the center of the room. Her face was tear-streaked, and Jessica’s stomach dropped at the sight.

  “How long has she been down here?”

  “A little over two hours now. I checked in on her, but she wasn’t much for talking.”

  “Thanks, Patrick.”

  “Of course, Ms. Lennox.”

  It was probably best to approach Ashton casually when something was wrong. She embarrassed easily, and the last thing Jessica wanted to do was scare her away when she clearly needed help.

  Jessica strolled through the glass doors and into the lobby, pausing a few feet from Ashton. “Hey, kiddo. What’s new?”

  Upon seeing her, Ashton sat a little taller
and forced a smile, but it didn’t take over her face the way Jessica was used to. “Just, you know, thinking. Introspection is in these days, and you know me. Trendy.”

  “That you are. I’m fresh from the gym and gonna make a smoothie. Healthy is also trendy. Ask your friends. Want one?”

  She seemed to consider this. “Um. I guess I could go for a smoothie.”

  “Fabulous. Follow me.”

  Once inside her apartment, she gave Ashton the job of slicing the fruit while she prepped the blender.

  “You’d think a high-powered businesswoman like yourself would have one of those machines where you didn’t have to cut the fruit at all.”

  “And yet I have but a simple blender to offer our cause.”

  “You’re livin’ the struggle, Jessica.”

  “Don’t I know it.”

  She opened the lid in order for Ashton to toss in the requisite fruit pieces. A dash of milk later and they were off and blending. She poured a glass for each of them and turned to Ashton. “Cheers.”

  Ashton offered the slightest of smiles. “Sure. Cheers.” She strolled across the room and sat on the couch, still not offering up any information. As Jessica watched her, she decided she was just going to have to go for it.

  “So, hey, where’s your mom tonight?”

  “At home.” The fact that Ashton was instantly entranced by the contents of her glass signaled to Jessica that she was on the right track.

  “You guys getting along okay?”

  Silence.

  “Ashton, you can level with me. We’re friends, right?”

  “I mean, yeah. We are.”

  Jessica perched on the side of the armchair across from her and dropped her head to catch Ashton’s gaze. “Then tell me what’s up. It’s possible I can help.”