Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Aelix~

Shock was the only reason that I hadn’t told Cotter to go screw himself, and I still felt a bit taken aback by what had just happened. Never, not from the moment that Cotter had approached me two years ago, had I ever imagined that he might want more with me. He hadn’t ever said a word, nor had he ever deviated from our routine.

Sitting at my desk, I was smart enough to realize where this was all coming from, and while flattered that it had bothered Cotter to see me having lunch with Kent, I wasn’t exactly impressed by Cotter’s motives. He’d been jealous, and though the very idea of Cotter Moore being jealous sounded ludicrous, that’s what he’d been and that’d been the reason behind his visit.

Nonetheless, I couldn’t lie and say that my mind wasn’t going places that it’d never gone before. I was imagining what it’d be like to actually date Cotter Moore, but I was coming up with nothing since I had no point of reference. Even before I’d officially met Cotter, there’d never been anything on the internet or in the tabloids about his love life. As far as I knew, Cotter Moore’s never had a girlfriend that he’d ever gone public with.

Sure, I wouldn’t have to worry about the sex, but what about the rest of it? Would it still be a by-appointment-only relationship? Did the man even have time to take me to dinner? Could I even blame him if he forgot anniversaries? I mean, I knew his work schedule as well as his assistant did, so is that the kind of relationship that I’d want?

At any rate, those two years deserved a conversation, even if it was only to make a clean break. Though I wasn’t sure where Cotter and I were going to go from here, he’d always been good to me when we’d been together. He hadn’t ever mistreated me, and despite my references to being his toy, he hadn’t ever treated me like that, either. While he was dominating in the bedroom, everything that he’d ever done to me had been consensual.

Picking up my phone, I dialed Kent because telling him that I changed my mind was not something that should be done over texts. Unlike Cotter, that wasn’t the kind of association that I had with Kent or lots of my coworkers.

“Hey,” he answered on the third ring.

“Hey,” I greeted back.

“Good news,” he said before I could say anything more. “It looks like you’re going to get your taco truck wish after all. Horizons is packed.”

“Well, that’s the reason I’m calling,” I said, trying my best not to sound like an asshole. “Something came up.”

“Oh,” he replied quietly, sounding disappointed. “Are you calling to reschedule or…?”

I let out a heavy sigh, and it was crazy how tired I felt suddenly. “I’m not sure,” I answered honestly.

“You’re not sure?” he echoed.

While I wasn’t sure if making my arrangement with Cotter public was the smartest thing to do, Kent deserved the truth. “I’ve been…seeing Cotter Moore for a while now, and I thought that it was a casual thing,” I hedged. “However…uh, he…we spoke earlier, and Cotter was very…uh, adamant that what we were doing wasn’t casual.”

Kent was silent for a while, then he surprised me when he started laughing. Now, while I hadn’t been sure what to expect from this conversation, him cracking up had never crossed my mind. Most guys would be upset or flat out angry at their date cancelling, but Kent didn’t seem upset at all.

“So, he saw us having lunch, got jealous, and when you called him to tell him that we had a date tonight, he lost his shit,” he surmised. “Is that about right?”

I couldn’t help laughing myself. “Yeah, that’s about right.”

“Look, Aelix,” he said, still chuckling a bit. “I like you, and I really think you’re a great person. However, no offense, I don’t quite like you enough to go up against the likes of Cotter Moore.” Offensive or not, I was just so damn happy that this wasn’t turning awkward. “The last thing that I need is for that man to go after my career because I tried to step onto his territory.”

“Honestly, I’m not even sure what will come of the conversation that he has planned for this evening, but I completely understand where you’re coming from,” I told him. “The Moores aren’t a family that anyone would want to cross.”

“Especially, those twins,” he agreed. “Their reputations aren’t exaggerated.”

“Well, I appreciate your gracious attitude about all this,” I said, sighing again.

“No problem,” he replied good-naturedly. “It’s all good, Aelix.”

As soon as we hung up, I dialed Dexter. While I wasn’t sure how much help he was going to be, I still needed some advice. Luckily for me, he answered on the second ring. “What’s up?”

“Cotter saw me having lunch with Kent yesterday, then showed up at my office today like a lunatic when I informed him that I agreed to go to dinner with Kent tonight,” I answered dryly.

“Whoa…wait…what?”

Going through it a second time, I gave him more details, including my conversation with Kent and how well he’d taken it. After I was done, I asked, “So, what do you think?”

“I’m not surprised,” he replied. “Cotter Moore doesn’t seem like the type to share.”

“I was never his to not share,” I reminded him. “That wasn’t the agreement.”

“Forget all that,” he said. “How do you feel about him?”

“About Cotter?”

“No, about the Easter Bunny,” he deadpanned.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I mean…yeah, I’m attracted to him, and things are good in that department, but I don’t know, Dex…it’s like I’ve…like I’ve conditioned my mind never to think of him as anything more than a…a business arrangement.” I started rubbing my forehead. “I’m attracted to him and respect him, but I don’t know how I feel about anything else.”

“Okay, I can see that,” he replied. “So, how about this? If he had asked you out on a date, instead of proposing that ridiculous arrangement, what would you have said?”

“No,” I chuckled seriously. “I’d just found out that Thomas had been screwing his damn secretary. I was in man-hating mode when Cotter had approached me, and that was the only reason why I had agreed to his proposal.”

“Fair enough,” he laughed. “Still, let’s take away the arrangement, Thomas being a douchebag, and everything else that makes this complicated. What would you say if Cotter Moore ran into you next week at a charity event and asked you out to dinner?”

Knowing what I knew about Cotter, the answer was easy. “I’d say yes.”

“Well, there you go,” he said. “I say it’s worth giving it a try, and like last time, make sure that the expectations are lined out.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you’re not allowed to have dinner with other men, then make sure that he knows that he’s not allowed to have dinner with other women,” he explained. “I’d also make sure if that extended to business dinners since you have a lot of those.”

“I’m not sure if you’re helping or making things more complicated,” I snorted.

“I’m helping,” he semi-lied. “I’m always helpful.”

That had me smiling. “Always.”

“Look, he’s not asking you to find the cure for cancer, Aelix,” he went on. “He’s just asking for a chance to make something more of what you’d been doing so far.”

Well…when he put it like that…

“Yeah, you’re right,” I sighed. “I’m just…I think I’m still in shock over him showing up here like a goddamn psychopath.”

“Babe, if a man is capable of acting calm when another man is after his woman, then that man doesn’t really love that woman,” he retorted. “Honestly, I would have lost all kinds of respect for him had he not stormed your office.”

“You really are no help, Dex,” I informed him.

“I’m just giving you the man’s perspective, and I can guarantee you that Cotter Moore is going to be in the mood for a fight when he knocks on your door later on.”

“How do you know that?”

“Did he hunt Kent down and kick his ass?” he asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Then he’s still going to be mad,” he explained. “Unless he’s managed to take that anger out on someone else, then he’s going to be spitting mad and ready for a confrontation later.”

“Still not helping, Dex.”

“I’m plenty of help,” he lied.

He was still lying, but he was also making some very good points.