Page 10 of Hard To Stay

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to see Samantha’s name across the screen. I groaned, hit decline then shoved it back in my pants pocket. She apparently was not getting the hint that we were over.

Lexi crinkled her nose. “Everything okay?”

I took a sip of my coffee. “Yep.”

She didn’t look convinced. Her eyes moved from my left hand to my face. “I don’t see a ring, so I’m assuming that was your girlfriend?”

Was she digging because she was interested or just curious?

“I don’t have a girlfriend.” I said looking around. I was suddenly aware of my surroundings, realizing that we were only a couple blocks away from her office. The streets were packed with people, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched. It was a rapid reminder of how vulnerable she was. My defenses went on high alert. I trusted my instincts more than I trusted her ex, and I was sure he was in the crowd somewhere watching us.

“Do you mind if I ask why?”

My head snapped to hers as we crossed the intersection. “Why what?”

She looked at me with curiosity. “Why you don’t have a girlfriend?”

I stopped once we hit the curb and turned to face her. “Am I supposed to have one?”

“I don’t understand how you don’t. I keep looking at you trying to find something wrong with you and I can’t seem to find anything. I don’t understand how you could still be single. I would have thought someone would have snatched you up by now.” She looked down at the ground seemingly embarrassed. “I’m sorry, that was inappropriate.”

My heart sped up. Was she flirting with me? I pushed that thought aside and answered her even though the topic made me uncomfortable. “I was in a long-term relationship last year that didn’t end well.” Without going into too much detail I added, “besides, my work takes up a lot of my time. If it happens, it happens, but I’m not looking for anything right now.” I hoped that she didn’t notice the waver in my voice. She seemed to be staring at the couple walking hand in hand in front of us.

She looked up into my face and smiled. “I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I know enough to tell that you’d be one helluva catch for somebody. I hope you find that someone special really soon.”

I shrugged my shoulders, trying to act like her comment was no big deal. When in fact, I wanted to tell her that she had the potential to be that someone special.

I let that thought pass and quickly changed the subject. “So,” I said taking a sip of my coffee. “I know you work with Abby at the modeling agency, but what exactly do you do?”

“I’m a personal assistant to five male models.” That caused me to spit my coffee out and bark out a laugh.

“You’re shitting me?” I laughed, while wiping the dripping coffee off my chin.

“Nope.” Her response was quick and unflappable. She tried to cover up her smile, but I caught it just in time. She enjoyed my reaction.

“So, what does being a personal assistant to five male models entail?” I asked trying not to laugh again.

She raised her eyebrows, trying to be intimidating. She really enjoyed teasing me. “I schedule their photo shoots, arrange meetings with clothing designers and fragrance manufacturers, make sure all their female fans don’t stalk the lobby of our building. Sometimes I even pick out the underwear they pose in.”

I was tempted to take the bait and make a smart-ass remark, but remained quiet when we reached her office.

Unfortunately, she could see right through my shit-eating grin. “Not everyone can be the shining knight on the white horse and go out and save the world everyday. Everybody has different talents, how boring would life be if we were all the same?”

Well, shit! She had me there. “Sorry,” I tried to explain. “I wasn’t trying to demean what they do, but I couldn’t imagine relying on my looks to pay the bills and have some attractive female pick out my underwear.” Unless she was planning on taking them off, I wanted to say, but stopped myself.

She shot me an evil look that had me swallowing back my words. I was relieved to see a trace of humor jump in her eyes. “That’s because you’re very manly.”

“Thanks… I think?” I replied, feeling unsure if that was a compliment or not.

She took a sip of her coffee and smirked. “And very opinionated.”

My mouth slacked open and a smile broke across her face. “If you ever get the urge to switch things up, I could set something up for you.” I swear she was provoking me on purpose. “But don’t let this go to your head...” she said, eyeing me up and down. “You’re a little short, but you definitely have potential.”

I laughed off her comment, not liking how her gaze made me feel. I knew we were joking, but I was afraid if she stared long enough, she would start to see things I wasn’t ready for her to see. “No thanks, sweetheart. I think I’ll stick to my day job where I get to wear pants.”

“Okay,” her smile challenged me. “Suit yourself. If you ever change your mind...”

“I won’t.” I cut her off looking over my shoulder and taking in our surroundings. I lifted my chin. “Listen, as much as I’m enjoying this conversation, you need to get to work and,” I glanced at my watch, “I’m running late. I’ll text you Sawyer’s number, he’s expecting your call.”

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