Page 27 of Under Control
“Sure it is.”
Why did he have to look at her like that? Like he really had an expectation that sex between them would be great?
Because it probably would, she told herself. “You’re setting the bar pretty high for yourself.”
“I work well under pressure. Very,verywell.”
She did it. She pulled out the pen—with the heavy black ink that couldn’t be erased if she changed her mind—and wrote him in.Have GREAT sex with Derek.
He made a low growling sound of pleasure that made her want to accelerate that particular appointment. “You might want to writesleep latein the Sunday block, too.”
She laughed. “Now you’re pushing it.”
“There,” he said when she closed the book. “That was easy.”
Easy? She was already making a mental to-do list. Shaving her legs, for one thing. And she couldn’t remember the last time she’d bought sex-worthy underwear. There was also thewhat to wearquestion. Was he going to take her out to dinner first, or was she just supposed to show up at his door, naked under a trench coat?
“Waiting until Saturday won’t be easy, though,” he added, and she had to agree. “And you keep coming all the way over here, so I think it’s time I come to you.”
Other than Wes for the occasional on-site staff meeting, there hadn’t been any men in Olivia’s apartment. She didn’t date often and certainly hadn’t gotten to know a guy well enough to bring him into her space. But when she thought about Derek in her apartment—in her bed—it felt right, so she nodded.
“I’ll tell them you’ll be parking in my guest spot and text you the info. And I’ll leave your name downstairs.” When he arched an eyebrow, she just shrugged. “I wouldn’t exactly call it security, but I like knowing somebody’s keeping an eye on who comes and goes in the building. And I’ll cook for you.”
“Really?”
She laughed. “Let me rephrase that. I’ll have to think about the cooking, but I promise to provide a meal for you. How’s that?”
“Sounds perfect.” He reached over with his free hand and covered hers, sandwiching it between his arm and his hand. “Did you drive yourself or take a Lyft?”
“Lyft.” She’d considered driving herself, but she talked herself out of it because it would have made things more awkward if she decided to go home with him. It had been a very strong possibility until work rained on the parade.
“Then go ahead and order a ride and then I’ll kiss you on the sidewalk until it shows up. Maybe I’ll get lucky and it’ll get a flat tire.”
* * *
Olivia, it’s your mother. Call me.
Olivia stared at the phone sitting on the counter next to her as though it were a snake about to strike. The text had come through while she was in the shower, and she hadn’t responded to it yet. It hadn’t been very long since her last call to her mom, so the message had been a surprise and when it came to Adam and Deborah McGovern, there were very fewpleasantsurprises.
It seemed to her that if it was an emergency, her mother would have said so. If it wasn’t, she could have simply referenced the topic in her text message.Call me so I can complain about your father and make you feel guilty for moving to Massachusetts.Deb didn’t text very often, so she tended toward being abrupt and to the point, but Olivia wouldn’t have minded a hint to what she was in for.
She didn’t have time to call her right now. She had to leave for her first meeting in twenty minutes and if her mother was in the mood to talk, she was impossible to shake. Drinking her customary calling-mom cocktail so soon after eating breakfast wasn’t an option, either.
Lunch, she thought. She wouldn’t have a cocktail, but maybe she’d splurge on something fattening and eat while they talked. It was one of her mother’s pet peeves, so ending the conversation early might give added value to the calories.
“I omitted one of your appointments.”
Olivia looked over as Kelsey walked out of the office with her leather notebook in hand and scowled. “Everythinggoes on the master calendar.”
“I used my discretion.” She set the open notebook in front of Olivia and rested the tip of her index finger on the page.
Have GREAT sex with Derek.
“I admire your optimism,” Kelsey said, clearly struggling to keep a straight face.
Olivia closed the book with a snap. She hadn’t even thought about it when Kelsey arrived and, as always, took the planner into the office to update any new information from the day before. “In that case, I appreciate your discretion. And yes, I’m feeling optimistic, although the wording was Derek’s idea.”
“Wait. You scheduled thistogether?” She laughed. “That is so you. I guess the date went well last night?”
