Page 34 of Reconciling With the Rival

“I am,” Leo and I say at the same time. I’m glaring at him, but he’s only smiling at me, that same rich-boy smile he has always had.

“Well, you can both prepare separate proposals, and Brody and I will see which one suits us best,” Imogen says. “The contract begins in November, so you have until then. One month to put your best foot forward.”

“Got it,” I say before I sit back. For some reason, that conversation had me on the edge of my seat.

I look over at Leo, his eyes pinned straight onto me, and return his stare. He should know I’m not going down easily. If he wants to compete for this contract, a competition is what he’ll get. I don't think I have anything to worry about. This is Leo’s first contract. I’ve done this a million times. I could manage this project in my fucking sleep.

I can tell he wants this; maybe he even needs this.

Too fucking bad I want it more. This contract is mine.

12

Smells Like Sex

As I walk intothe office this morning, I can already tell something is off.

Maybe it’s not the office; maybe it’s me. My workout this morning was mediocre at best, and thanks to Holt failing his promise on my birthday, I still haven't gotten laid. Now, it has been a few months since I’ve had sex, and that needs to change soon, or else my dick is going to fall off from how much I’ve been wanking.

I feel like a stupid fucking teenager again, and I hate it. I’m an attractive man; I should be able to go out and pick somebody up with no problem.

I’m off my game lately, and if I’m not careful, I’m going to start smoking again. I quit when I found out about my dad’s heart issues, but every now and again, when I’m stressed, I crawl right back to cigarettes.

I greet a few people as I head back to my office. I don’t stop in Ella’s office to say good morning—the last thing I want to do is make this already weird day worse.

But when I flick the light on in my office, I notice an array of colors around the room.

My entire office is covered in sticky notes.

What the fuck?

I hear a click form behind me, and when I spin around, Ella is taking a picture of me standing in my office.

“Do you like it? I thought it could use a pop of color, so I redecorated for you.”

I sigh heavily. Of course, this was her doing. “Is this amusing to you?”

She nods her head at me. “Yeah, actually, it is. Have you seen your face?” She tries to turn her phone around to show me, but I grab her wrist and shove her against my wall, pissed off and annoyed she took the time to do this.

“What happened to being civil in the workplace?” I ask her, noting what she said the first time we worked together here.

“What is with you and shoving me against things? First your door, and now a wall.” She tries to shake out of my hold, but I have a decent grip on her.

“Answer the fucking question, Ella.”

“It’s just a stupid prank. I’ll even help you take them all down if you're going to be a little bitch about it.” Her words come out breathless, as if there's not enough air in my tiny office for her.

“I don't need your help. I need you to leave me the fuck alone so I can work.”

Her eyes drill into mine, almost murderous. I’d think she’d be able to kill me if I didn't have her caged against my wall. “Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? What’s wrong with you? I thought you’d get a kick out of this because of how competitive we are.”

“My problem is you.”You’re always around, always pushing me to my limits. Today started out terribly, and you’re making it fucking worse.And as the cherry on top, Ella smells like sex. She smells like she has been fucked recently, and it’s invading my senses and driving me crazy.

Only because I’m not having any.

An image flashes through my mind of her coming undone beneath me all those years ago, and I feel an urge to smear her maroon lipstick all over her face while she chokes on my cock.

I can feel my dick jerk in my pants.Jesus, I need to calm the fuck down.But I can’t do that around her. She makes every molecule of my body pissed off with her cold stares, snide comments, and now, her stupid fucking pranks.

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