Page 12 of Flawless Foundations

"Bex. What... what did we just witness?" Kevin tilts his head, then points from the mailroom to the tree.

"Uh, yeah, well..." I hesitate.

"Were you hiding from someone?" Jake asks. Shit, he's on to me. He probably even stopped to talk to Levi since he was such a chatty Cathy this morning.

"Oh, that? Nah, I um... okay, yeah. I was hiding. But the coast is clear, and I'm not late for a date with my mom." I wave my hand toward the door and start walking. "By boys, check ya later."

I force myself not to run away, act cool. I hear Jake chuckle behind me.

Kevin says, "Dude, did you see how fast she moved? It was impressive."

I smirk. Damn straight. I'm wearing heels today too. Then I remember that I literally was hiding from Levi because of a kiss. Okay, so maybe I'm just a tiny bit of a coward.

Chapter 8

Levi

Ipush through the glass doors of the twentieth-floor King Cosmetics offices. Our headquarters takes up four full stories, with the executive offices on the twentieth floor. I ran home because I'd forgotten my phone this morning. I can't remember the last time I forgot my fucking phone, but apparently I did. I can't be surprised. I didn't sleep well, woke up late; clearly, I wasn't on my A-game this morning. My head was still spinning from that kiss with Becca last night. Best damn kiss I've had in a while. My night was filled with one fucking wet dream after another about all the other places I'd like her mouth.

I thought about stopping by her apartment to talk to her about it, but I didn't have a lot of time, and I want to have more time when we discuss what happened in the elevator.

"Hey, man. Where did you run off to?" My friend Charlie asks as he steps in line with me on my way back to my office.

"Ran home. Left my phone there this morning." His face scrunches. "Yeah, I know, don't ask."

He chuckles. "So, what do you think this exec meeting is about this afternoon? Do you have news? Want to share, or are you going to make me wait until three?"

He's talking about how everyone is expecting me to be named the new CEO of King, but I just can't see that happening today. But I don't let him see my frustration. No one knows about the ridiculous stipulations my father has put on me becoming CEO.

I force a laugh. "Ha, I'll let you know when I know," I tell him truthfully.

"Fair enough." He shrugs. "You still game for poker Friday night?"

"You bet. I can't wait to wipe the floor with you again this month." Charlie and I are only a few years apart and were both at Harvard at the same time. So, we meet up with a few buddies once a month for a poker night. Besides hanging out with Em and Jake, it’s the only non-work socializing I have time for. I covet that night each month.

He discreetly flips me off, leaving me laughing as he turns into the break room.

I make my way to my office. Thankfully, Heather isn't where she's supposed to be, so I don't have to deal with her right now. I should be annoyed that my assistant isn't at her desk, but I'm not. The break from her constant flirting reminds me of the first thing I wanted to look into today... checking with HR to have her moved to another position. Preferably one far away from me.

I take a look at my email and sigh in relief that my inbox didn't explode while I was away. I do see an email from Margaret in HR replying to my inquiry about job openings. Looks like they've got a few job openings in both finance, research and development, as well as marketing. She links me to the pages outlining the jobs when I realize that I don't have Becca's email.

I drum my fingers on my desk and consider how I can go about getting this information. Normally, I'd probably just text Em, but I am craving interaction with Becca, so I decide to give her a call.

"Hello?" Her voice laced in concern.

"It's Levi," I say, confused by her tone.

"Yeah, I know." Okay, this is off to a good start.

I clear my throat, "We have a couple job openings, I want to forward you the links. I'll need your email."

"Oh, okay, yeah. That's great." She rattles off her email, and before I can reply she says, "Alright, see ya around."

"Wait! Hold on a sec." I relax a beat when I hear her, "Hmm?"

"About last night..." I lead in, but she cuts me off.

"Levi? You there? Hello? I can't hear you!"

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