Page 21 of The Physical Attraction Seminar
Barrett Banks: My last meeting ends at 2 p.m. I’ll check in with you after.
EIGHT
BARRETT
“I fucked my assistant.”
“You what?” Reid pins me with a glare as he eases down into one of the barrel chairs opposite my desk.
Every morning, the two of us have a meeting solely dedicated to industry talk and exchanging client stories. We make an effort to keep our office conversations mostly business-related to maintain a separation between work and family.
The suggestion came from our father, who fondly recalled how beneficial it had been for him and his brother when they were operating the business together. Yet, somehow, anytime Bruce Banks pays a visit to the office, he manages to transform a half-hour meeting focused on financial forecasts into an hour-long discourse, emphasizing the significance of regularly reevaluating our long-term financial objectives in order to adequately provide for our future families. It would be a great conversation to have, but none of us are even in relationships.
To create a sense of normalcy for Harrison on his first day, I should make this meeting just like the others so he knows what to expect moving forward. The problem is that I don’t have the mental bandwidth for any more formalities this morning. Right now, I need to have a normal conversation with my brother and confess my involvement with Lyla, or the guilt might eat me alive.
“I said I fucked my assistant.”
“Close the door,” Reid orders over his shoulder to Harrison, who’s entering my office with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders pulled back, displaying his confidence.
“Wait, you…” Harrison stops mid-stride, raising an eyebrow as he points to the door with his thumb, a puzzled expression crossing his face. “The brunette sitting right out there?”
I close my eyes, nodding as I release a ragged breath. By the time I open my eyes, Harrison is already halfway out the door. Swiftly pivoting on his heels, he directs his gaze toward us, his eyes gleaming with mischief and his shoulders lifted as he tilts his head to the side.
A rare smile tugs at one corner of Reid’s lips, and Harrison shoots him a mischievous wink before exiting my office and sauntering out of view.
“Don’t encourage this,” I scold in a whisper, but I’m only met with a grunt in response.
Trusting my brothers to keep the secret about Lyla and me was one thing, but voluntarily appointing myself as the laughingstock of their morning was another. Regardless, I’d prefer my brothers to hear the detailsdirectly from me rather than catching wind of a rumor from someone else. Although, I plan to do everything in my power to prevent any rumors from ever starting in the first place.
“Harrison Banks, lovely to meet you.” My brother’s voice carries from the hallway, charm oozing from his tone.
Leaning forward, I strain to catch their conversation, but all I hear is the soft sound of Lyla giggling. My jaw clenches tightly, and a surge of unexpected jealousy courses through me.
Perhaps it is because my brother, being the notorious flirt he is, has likely already schemed ways to charm her. Or maybe it’s because I am annoyed over the constant reminder of our professional boundaries when the last thing I want to do with Lyla is act professionally.
It’s hard to deny that the girl has become the main focus of my thoughts over the past few days. Most nights, I fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow, but the past three nights have been an entirely new experience. I toss and turn under the sheets for hours, the rustling fabric echoing my restless thoughts as I contemplate how I’m going to keep myself in check around her.
Days of suppressing this have taken their toll, and I needed to debrief with someone, or I was going to lose it. Sure, I could’ve called up one of my buddies from Cornell and got their opinion on the situation, but this conversation requires trust. Not only to safeguard Lyla’s reputation from office gossip but also to prevent any potentially damaging headlines from surfacing until we secure the Wyndemyer project.
There are only two people in this life who have my inherent trust, and those are my brothers.
“I like her,” Harrison announces as he re-enters my office, shutting the door behind him.
“If I catch you flirting at her desk again, I’ll sever your vocal cords,” I mutter, though the threat holds no weight.
“That’s a tall order. Did you see the girl when you walked in?” He turns his attention to Reid, who is too immersed in typing on his phone to spare a glance.
“No,” Reid responds drily.
“Severed. Vocal cords,” I warn before shifting my focus to the tall, lanky intern with curly blonde hair who followed Harrison into my office when he returned. “What is Wallace doing here?”
“He’s my new assistant.”
“He… Wallace is an intern. He works in the mail room.”
“Well, it must be his lucky day because he just got promoted.” Harrison nonchalantly shrugs before settling into the only other available seat while Wallace awkwardly lingers near the door.
“You can’t?—”
