Page 6 of The Physical Attraction Seminar
But lately, that seems easier said than done.
I like to believe I’ll make more time for life outside of work now that I’ve settled in as CEO and the Solus purchase is complete. But I’ve spent so many years holed up behind my desk that I’m not entirely sure I know where to begin.
I pick up bits and pieces of Harrison babbling in my ear about his last conversation with Dad, humming at all the right times so he thinks I’m listening.
“Barrett, are you listening to me?” My brother’s voice pulls me from my train of thought.
“Nope,” I reply with a deep exhale. “Tuned you out a couple of blocks ago.”
“I said that I wasn’t sure if I’ll be able to make my flight on Sunday. Looks like there’s a pretty bad storm brewing on the coast of Florida. And you know how Heath is… the guy doesn’t like to fly in inclement weather.”
“If you want to lie your way out of this, you’re going to have to try harder,” I laugh.
“I’m not?—”
“The flight path from Los Angeles to New York doesn’t go over Florida. Try again.”
“You must not have heard about the snowstorm that’s?—”
“It’s May,” I deadpan. “Look, Harrison. No one is forcing you to stay in this position forever, but now that you’re unemployed, youneedstability… something to work toward.”
“You aren’t my boss until Monday, so I’d appreciate it if you’d hold off on belittling me with your CEO talk until then.” I don’t have to see my brother to know he’s rolling his eyes right now. “You and I both know I’m not cut out for this.”
“Stop that,” I scoff, weaving between gaps of people on the sidewalk. “You were the top performer at your last company for five years in a row. You’ve had multi-page spreads in every business magazine on the market. And have some of the most influential people in the industryon speed dial. Saying you aren’t ‘cut out for this’ is a blatant lie.”
My brothers and I made the decision to separate for college, craving the opportunity to live separate lives before eventually reuniting at B.B.E. While Harrison and Reid fled to the West Coast, immersing themselves in the bustling cities of Los Angeles and Seattle, I remained in New York, immersing myself in the family business under my father’s guidance. Reid moved back three years ago after selling a start-up he founded with his buddy, Jack. Harrison, on the other hand, has been reluctant to return to New York.
He’s not the type to be tied down, but the fact that he hasn’t returned home once in the past twelve years raises suspicions that he’s hiding something.
“True, but I don’t appreciate you diminishing the three summers I spent as a golf caddy at Greenwich Hills Country Club. Where is the mention of my back-to-back Caddy of the Year awards?”
“We just turned thirty. Accolades from high school jobs no longer count.” I pull a face, appalled I even have to make that clarification.
He groans, his tone laced with irritation.
“Let’s circle back to the part where you said you don’t start work until Monday. Does that mean you’re accepting the job?”
The air is thick with anticipation as I wait for his answer. Then, out of nowhere, the breath is knocked from my lungs when a head slams directly into the centerof my sternum.
Fuck me.
A feminine voice gasps, and thick brown hair clouds my line of sight. Out of instinct, I wrap an arm around the woman’s waist and pull her toward me. I try to fight gravity and keep us upright, but the force of our collision catapults us toward the ground.
I’m not sure whether the breath gets knocked from my lungs before or after hitting the ground, but it burns all the same. Then, the woman’s head smacks against my chest in a final blow, immediately followed by a muffled “ow” that breaks through the ringing in my ears.
As I lay on the sidewalk gasping for breath, the first thought in my mind is how badly I hope to avoid dealing with a personal injury lawsuit. The second detail that stands out comes the moment I open my eyes and find a pair of stunning hazel eyes staring directly at me, mere inches from my face.
Even with brown bangs ruffled on her forehead, I’m in awe. Time stops when the brunette lying on top of me inhales a gulp of air and then drops her gaze to my lips.
I’m not sure how long the two of us stay like this, but it’s the sound of her howling laughter that pulls me from whatever trace she’s trapped me in and catapults me back to reality.
THREE
LYLA
I’m not a skeptic,but I’m starting to think that I should be because I’d never thought much of the phrase “bad things come in threes” until it was too late. Because here I am, on the gritty sidewalk, with perhaps the most handsome man in all of New York lying beneath me. The tofu pad thai I’ve been daydreaming about all afternoon is sprawled on the pavement by his head, and my basil fried rice bears the mark of a shoe print from a passerby trampling over it.
In less than twelve hours, I've experienced three separate mortifying experiences, and each one is replaying in my mind like a cringe-worthy movie. For a moment, I consider curling up into the fetal position on the street, but the single ounce of dignity I have left won’t let me go through with it.
