Page 43 of Devanté
“Let’s grab breakfast afterward. My treat. Wherever you want to go just say the word. I’ll treat Noa and Molly to breakfast too.”
“No.” She blurted the word out so quickly, I almost missed it.
“Damn just like that?”
“Just like that. I don’t date my clients.”
“Right…but this won’t be a date. Unless all the mornings I came to your house and to your apartment in college were dates. Then we need to have a very different discussion, Miss Remington.” My eyes slid along the soft lines of her face then dropped to her collarbones. They glowed and pulled my hungry gaze to her throat. I wanted to press my lips to her sun-soaked umber skin and kiss her until she turned into rain.
I let my eyes wander further down to the generous swell of her breasts. Jesus, this woman was going to ruin me before I even got to explain the incident in college.
How did she keep getting more beautiful?
“You know what I meant.” She shifted in her spot and let her arms fall to the side. I watched the rhythmic motion of each breath wondering how deep my dick could sink into her before I changed her breathing pattern. Would she go from lullaby breaths to staccato jazz?
Even in my pockets, I had to curl my fingers into my palm to keep from touching her. They were thirsty. They were dying from dehydration and Blake was a still lake, glowing in the moonlight.
I needed to drink from her.
“Come on, Blake. You can’t stay mad at me forever. Especially when…”
“Miss Remington, the Shaw creative design team has arrived for your meeting.” Noa cleared her throat from the office door and I took a step back. I didn’t care what she thought was going on or what she thought I was saying to Blake. She was probably right on all accounts.
“Thank you, Noa. I’ll be right out. Show them to conference room B, please.” Her smile was polite and her voice was quiet but I saw the way her and Noa exchanged glances swathed in secrets. I used to share looks with Blake too. Back when we had our own language and when things weren’t so complicated.
Noa tossed her expressive brown eyes at me and smirked before swaying out of the awkwardly silent office. “You ready for the meeting, Devanté?”
“I stay ready,” I told her, holding the door so she could walk past me swaying all that ass.
Damn.
Did Blake always have an ass like that? When we were younger, she always hid her body under sweatshirts and jeans or leggings but now? Now she was showing off and showing out and I was here for every damn drop she could squeeze on my thirsty ass.
“You know, I offered to treat you, Miss Remington, and Molly to breakfast after this meeting but your boss declined,” I told Noa just as Blake walked down the hall. She stopped in her stride and I let my grin spread fast and wide across my face.
“You neglected to tell Noa and Molly that the stipulation was that I go to breakfast with you.” Noa and Blake shared another look.
“I mean…I’m not mad at that. I like Molly.” Noa shrugged and hugged her iPad to her chest. Molly’s smooth cheeks turned scarlet.
“Yeah, I like you too, Noa. It’s been a while since I clicked with a friend so quickly.”
I turned my head toward Blake and smiled. When she rolled her eyes at me, I let out a short laugh. “See, Miss Remington? Molly and Noa agree we should go to breakfast after this meeting.”
“No. I’m not letting y’all bully me into breakfast. We have work to do so let’s get it done.” She snapped her fingers and walked down the hallway to conference room B. I looked at Noa and Molly and groaned.
“How far off am I from a yes?” I asked Noa.
“Keep pushing, Devanté.” She said, shaking her head. Molly pointed a look at me that screamedI knew you liked Miss Remington. I pretended not to see.
Before I walked into the conference room, I put my phone on silent and noticed more pictures from Renee. One of her son, and a few of her nearly naked, then all the way naked. I shut my eyes for a brief moment against the impending headache. Not even naked pictures of her swayed me. I didn’t give a solitary fuck about her.
When I walked into the conference room, Blake’s topaz eyes lifted and I saw a sparkle. She didn’t have that sparkle last time I saw her. Maybe I was closer to a yes than I realized.
I was mostly quiet during the meeting except for when I had to speak about my brand and the ideology behind it. I caught Blake’s eyes a few times and every time it felt like the seconds stopped ticking and the other people in the room vanished. I had to get her alone.
I counted the time as the meeting went on and I soaked up every minute of Blake’s ideas and words. She’d grown so much. It was hypnotizing to watch her. She was a bright star and her light was inspiring. The way she took control of the room when she spoke. The way everyone listened and took notes. The way ideas fired from her mouth left and right…
She ended the meeting on a positive note, inspiring the Shaw design team and reassuring me that she would oversee the entire campaign from phase one to phase four to make sure my vision was brought to life and maintained. By the time everyone packed up their electronics and bags, I was in total and complete awe of Blake.
