Professor Feelgood (Page 49)

“Oh, they’re not. I promised Sarah Jessica I’d be her plus-one.”

“Sarah Jessica? As in Parker?”

“Oh, yeah, you didn’t know? She’s my Godmother. She has a bunch of single girlfriends, so she’s hoping this new matchmaking app might turn around their tragic dating lives. I forgot to ask, did you learn anything more about Jake’s woman today?”

“A little. They met somewhere called The Zen Farm in Bali.”

“Holy crap! I’ve been there. Amazing place. I’ll take you one day.”

I could use a trip there now if it helps me find even a little inner peace.

I hear Gerald say, “We’re here, Miss.”

“Sorry,” Jo says. “About to go into my life drawing class.”

“What? I didn’t know you could draw.”

“I can’t. I’m the nude model. Time to get my naked on. Later!”

I shake my head and drop my phone back into my purse. If only I could live her life for just one day.

She’s right, of course. I need to find a way to deal with Jake, so we can have a more productive working relationship. But apart from full personality transplants, I just don’t see how that would happen.

_______________

Ten minutes later, I head up the stairs to my sister’s office, inside the bustling hub of Pulse magazine.

When I open the door, I’m not surprised to see the usual flurry of activity. The online news and entertainment site employs a few dozen people, and since my sister was promoted out of the clickbait department to take over as head of features, they’ve increased their readership by more than twenty percent.

You’d think that would be a good reason for her hardass boss to be grateful and go easy on her, but as I nod to the receptionist and head into the main area, it’s clear that’s not the case.

I can see Eden in Derek Fife’s office, hands on her hips in what I recognize as her stubborn stance. Derek is matching her, both hands flat on his desk as he chews her out about something or other.

As I get closer, their voices come into focus.

Derek levels his finger at my sister. “I told you to drop the goddamn story, Eden, because it would cost us advertisers, and it did!”

“And I told you that I wasn’t pulling it! Some stories are more important than money!”

“And some aren’t! Good luck publishing your passion pieces when we go out of business!”

Derek spots me and straightens up. Obviously, he doesn’t care if his staff witnesses their regular spats, but an outsider is another thing.

“Your sister’s here. We’ll finish this later.”

Eden’s face lights up when she sees me lingering awkwardly in Derek’s doorway. “Ash! Hey.” She gestures to me to come in then gives me a quick hug. “I’m running a little late.” Wow, she’s able to go from being mega-pissed to smiley in just a few short seconds. I’ll have to ask her how she does that. “I just have a couple of things to wrap up, and then I’m all yours.”

“No problem.” I notice Derek is watching us. He still looks irritated. I give him an apologetic wave. “Sorry for the intrusion.”

Eden laughs. “Thank God you interrupted us. I have no time to get busted for murdering my boss today.” Derek shoots her a dirty look then takes a seat behind his desk. I guess the verbal sparring match is done for now.

Eden grabs a file off his desk and turns to me. “So, do you want to wait for me in the break room, or …”

“She can wait here,” Derek says as he grabs his tablet and taps the screen. “I doubt she can be any more annoying than you.”

Eden makes a scoffing sound. “Clearly, you don’t know her very well.”

I swat her arm. “Hey! And just for that, I will prove I’m not as annoying as you by staying here with Derek and not yelling at him.”

Eden looks at me dubiously. “Are you sure? There aren’t any bears with anger issues you can spend time with? No rabid dogs? Sociopathic mountain lions?”

Derek glares at her. “Get out.”

She gives him a warning glance. “Okay, but you’d better be nice and pretend you have manners. I’ll be back in ten.”

She hurries down the hallway toward her office. I look over at Derek. He glances up from his screen and frowns. “Are you going to sit down?”

I check out the leather chair in front of his desk. “No, thanks. I’m good.”

“Suit yourself.” He clicks a button on his desk, and the glass walls of the office instantly go opaque.

“Neat trick.”

“Close the door. We don’t want all the animals who work here gaping at you.”

I do as he asks. When I turn around, he’s staring at me.

“How was your day?”

“Hellish. Yours?”

“About the same.”

He places his tablet on his desk then comes and stands in front of me. He’s so close, the hairs on my arms stand on end. Despite Eden’s endless vendetta against Derek, I’ve always found him attractive. Sure, he’s older than most of the men I’ve gone out with, but he has an air of power that’s undeniably hot.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you for years.” He moves forward, and I instinctively push my back against the door. He places his hand next to my head and gives me a thorough once over, from head to toe.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you in person, I’d almost forgotten how beautiful you are,” he says, his voice dropping. “I’ve been thinking about kissing you all day.”

He leans forward to brush his lips against mine. A rush of warmth hits me as I put my hand on his chest. “We can’t. She’ll be back soon.”

“I don’t care.” He pushes his head into my neck, and his warm breath tickles my skin. “We need to tell Eden the truth about us. She’ll understand.”

When he slides his hand into my hair and tightens his fingers, I make a noise and pull him down to kiss me. It’s a cautious we-could-be-caught-at-any-moment kiss, but it still leaves me breathless.

“You’ve met my sister. I’m sure she’ll have no problem with me lying to her for months about the identity of my French lover. Who’d run Pulse if she bludgeons you to death with her fake Pulitzer?”

“She’ll get over it. I’m tired of being Phillipe.” He presses against me, and I revel in the weight of him. Why can’t I tear his clothes off and have my way with him like a normal woman? Why is my body already manufacturing tension at the thought of having sex?

When I’d run into Derek at the Paris Book Fair, I knew how much Eden disliked him as a boss, but in a foreign setting, I’d found him charming, attentive, and way hotter than I’d remembered. Dinner together on the first night of the fair turned into the sort of connection I haven’t felt for a long time, and it was clear he felt the same. We ended up spending every spare moment together. When I realized I was falling for him, I’d prayed to any deity that would listen to allow us to be intimate without my brain interfering.

If only.

Despite him being an amazing, patient lover, my body failed to cooperate. Too ashamed to admit my problem, I pretended to enjoy myself. And now, here I am, stubbornly clinging to the hope that my feelings for him will override my stupid cockblocking anxiety issues.

“I want you,” he whispers. “I miss you.”