Page 21 of Ambiguous
He nods and does so. Now I’m well aware that I’m once again in a room with this man for whom I have an overwhelming attraction.
Only this time we’re alone.
Making a quick decision, I take the chair next to him instead of sitting behind my desk. His eyes widen, and I say, “This is a chat, right? We don’t need to be so formal.”
“Right. Thanks.”
Sitting this close was a tactical error, though, because our knees practically touch and it feels so, so intimate. I have to say something before things get awkward. “How’s the writing going?”
“I’ve finally got a few songs—”
There’s a knock on the door, and it flies open before I can respond. Terrill stands there, ready to say something. But then he sees Jules and stops short.
“Can I help you?” I ask. “We’re discussing the Lighthouse Records matter.”
“Uh, right. Yes. Fine. When you’re done, come see me.”
I’m 99 percent sure he simply didn’t like my door being closed. He’s made it pretty clear he disagrees with my pro bono projects, and because my desk isn’t piled high the way his is, he thinks I don’t take my job seriously enough.
If only he knew how much I stress about it all.
Still, I’m pleased that he caught me working… if “working” is the right term for talking with Jules. It hardly feels like it, since he’s so yummy. Billable. But yummy.
Terrill does an about-face and closes the door behind him. Jules looks at me with amusement. “What would happen if you were doing something compromising?”
My eyes bug out. “I’m never doing something compromising, so that’s not a relevant question.”
“I don’t know,” he says slowly. “I think there might be some fire underneath that bow tie.”
“Perhaps.” I grin. “You really can keep the pocket square.” Then I start stammering because I remember that he has the clothing budget of a large corporation. “Not that you need it. It’s hardly your style. And besides, I’m sure you can get whatever clothes you want.”
He shrugs. “True, although I don’t want to take anything that doesn’t belong to me. It’s a talisman, though.”
“It is?”
“After meeting you, I started writing songs.” He looks me right in the eyes, and I can’t look away. “The album’s got a good start. Because of you.”
“Then you definitely should keep it.”
A moment passes where neither of us says anything, but it’s not uncomfortable.
“Two songs down, then?” I finally ask.
“Going on more.”
“I’d like to hear them sometime. It seems like the music is flowing.”
Julian smiles. “Music is my favorite thing in the universe, and when it’s just me and the guitar, it’s the easiest, too. But when we start talking about money and sales and merch and all that, I go cross-eyed. I have to put all that out of my head and just focus on the songs.” He chuckles. “Seeing you, funnily enough, doesn’t remind me of sales and contracts. It reminds me of music and things I actually like doing.”
Somehow, I hear that as meaning I’m something Jules wants to do, and I like that idea so much I can feel my ears go red. I cough, trying to get my brain back into reality mode. “Uh, I’m glad to hear that.” Tilting my head to the side, I reach out and touch his hand. His skin is warm and soft, and he doesn’t draw back, which makes me think my guesses about his sexuality are on point. “That things are going well, I mean. But if you’d like some help with this album, I imagine Lighthouse would be willing to provide someone for you to work with. Like, a collaborator?”
“I know the label has resources, and there are so many songwriters just waiting for a chance. But I want to be able to do this on my own. If I’m going to sing the songs, I want them to be ones I wrote.”
“That makes perfect sense.”
“Thanks.” His dark eyes catch mine. “You’re easy to talk to.” He stands. “I’m sure you need to get back to work. I’ll leave you to it.”
“I’ll walk you down,” I say. “I was going to get some lunch in the basement.”
