Choosing Happy (Madison Square #2) (19 page)

“Embarrassing? Are you even hearing yourself?” I asked. I was completely disgusted.

“I told you, Maddie bear. It was a mistake. Do you really want to throw away what we have?” he asked, taking a step closer. I took a step back, my head spinning with the absurdity of the situation.

“You threw it away. Not me.” I was done. We’d had the same argument, over and over again. I was tired of fighting with him. I honestly thought that when I signed the divorce papers, all the bullshit would be behind me. Leave it to Michael to find a way to drag it all back to the surface.

“I made a mistake.”

“No, Michael. A mistake is forgetting the dry cleaning. A mistake is leaving the milk out on the counter all night. You destroyed our marriage! You followed your dick to younger pastures and now that you’ve come to your senses, you think you can just apologize and everything will be fine?”

The elevator doors opened and I stepped inside, leaving him gawking at me in the hall. “Fuck you, Michael,” I said as the doors closed in his face.

When the elevator began to ascend, I sagged with relief. I couldn’t believe I’d just done that. God, it felt good!

***

“Someone looks happy,” Margot pointed out over our usual Tuesday lunch.

I couldn’t keep the smile from my face as I looked down into my salad.

“So, how goes it with lover boy?” Jeremy asked, popping a cherry tomato into his mouth.

“Good. Things are good,” I said, the smile holding firm on my lips.

“Which, of course, means the sex is good,” he said, adding his two cents. “How could it not be? It’s always the tall, thin ones that are packing some heat.” He sighed.

“What?” I asked. Sometimes the things that came out of his mouth truly amazed me.

“He’s talking about the size of Sean’s penis, honey,” Margot said, leaning across the table and patting the top of my hand.

“I got that, thank you,” I said, shooting her a sarcastic glare.

“Well, you have been out of the game for a while.” She shrugged.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Jeremy asked. He leaned forward, looking at me expectantly.

“I’m not discussing this with you two,” I said as I gestured between them with my fork.

“Your lack of an answer can only mean one thing.” Margot sighed and locked eyes with Jeremy.

“Tiny,” they said in unison.

I was offended on Sean’s behalf. “He’s not tiny.”

“So, I
was
right,” Jeremy said, the victory clear in his voice. “How big are we talking?”

“Here.” Margot pushed a pen and a legal pad toward me. “Draw us a picture.”

“You two are ridiculous,” I said. I ignored the suggestion and tucked back into my salad.

“We’re happy for you,” Margot said. “You get to have mind blowing sex and we get to tease you mercilessly out of pure jealousy.”

“Speak for yourself,” Jeremy said.

“I didn’t say it was mind blowing,” I said.

“You didn’t have to,” Jeremy scoffed. “It’s written all over your face.”

I felt the blush flooding my cheeks, which of course only proved their point.

“So, does this mean you’ll be cancelling your date with Bryan?” Margot asked.

Shit, Bryan! I’d completely forgotten. I was supposed to go out with him Friday night.

“I have to go. It’s too late to cancel. Besides, I can’t do anything to jeopardize this development deal.” I flicked my fork at a piece of lettuce, having suddenly lost my appetite. “I will go and have one drink. It is no big deal”

“Since it’s no big deal, do you plan to tell Sean?” Jeremy asked, arching an eyebrow.

I flinched. I wasn’t planning on telling Sean because there was nothing to tell.

“Don’t listen to him,” Margot said, waving her hand at Jeremy. “You said it yourself. One drink, that’s it. No reason to upset him.”

“You really think it will upset him?” I asked.

“It could.”

I looked at Jeremy, who nodded his head. Damn it! I’d started today on such a high. Now my chest hurt.

Chapter 16

Sean

Walking into Madison’s office was a little intimidating. It reeked of money and power. The walls were lined with dark wood paneling, plush dark green carpet lined the hallway, and the company logo hung in thick gold letters behind a massive reception desk.

An older lady sat behind the ominous looking desk. I was beginning to regret the decision to surprise Madison for lunch. I approached with a bright smile on my face, hoping to charm my way past the gate keeper. The receptionist looked up at me, returning my smile, and I instantly relaxed.

“I’m here to see Madison Buchanan.”

“Is she expecting you?” she asked.

“That’s what I was hoping you could help me with. See, I wanted to surprise her and take her to lunch.”

The little old lady’s eyes softened. “How sweet.” She sighed. “Go right ahead.” She directed me through the maze of cubicles to Madison’s office.

The assistant’s desk was empty when I got there, so I headed toward her open office door. I stopped when I heard voices.

“Interesting,” said a voice that I assumed belonged to Jeremy. “What happened to Mr. Too Young For You?”

I stopped just outside of the door. I should have knocked and interrupted their conversation that was obviously about me, but my curiosity won out.

“Sean,” Madison replied. “He’s still in the picture.”

“Well, well. Looks like boss lady’s playing the field.”

Playing the field?

“It’s drinks with a colleague,” Madison said. She sounded irritated. A colleague? Drinks with a colleague was no big deal.

“Sure you are,” Jeremy said.

“Don’t you have some work to do?” she asked.

“Okay. I can take a hint.”

Their conversation seemed to be wrapping up. I stepped forward and rapped my knuckles against the door frame to announce myself. Madison was sitting behind her desk. Her eyes went wide when she saw me, then darted to the large vase of flowers on her desk.

“Hey,” I said.

“Sean, what are you…?”

I took a step into her office and pushed my hands into my pockets. “I stopped by to see if you were free for lunch, but if you’re busy…”

“Oh, well…” She looked at Jeremy, whose eyes seemed to be locked on me. His expression was a mix of shock and admiration. Madison cleared her throat to get his attention, and I dropped my head to hide my laugh.

When I looked up at them, they seemed to be having a silent conversation with their eyes. Eventually Jeremy looked back at me and smiled. “Hi,” he said, offering me his hand.

“Oh, right! Sorry. Sean, this is my assistant, Jeremy,” Madison said.

“We talked the other day,” I said, shaking his hand. “Good to put a face with the name.”

Jeremy’s eyes roamed my body from head to toe. He made no attempt to be subtle as he looked me over. “It sure is,” he said, continuing to shake my hand for far longer than was necessary.

Madison cleared her throat, and Jeremy snapped to attention and dropped my hand. I laughed and he stood up straight, a smile lighting up his face.

“Right,” he said. “Well, I will leave you two to talk. It was nice meeting you, Sean.”

“You too.” He smiled and headed for the door.

My focus returned to Madison. She looked hot in a tight pencil skirt and thin white shirt. I made my way toward her, wrapped my arms tight around her waist, and buried my face in her neck.

“I missed you, beautiful,” I said, losing myself in her rich floral scent. I pulled away and looked down at her. “So, lunch?”

“I would love to, but I have a meeting in a half an hour,” she said.

I stuck my bottom lip out in a pout, and she laughed.

“Okay, what about dinner tomorrow night? My place?”

She smiled. “Sounds great.”

The phone on her desk started ringing, and she pulled away, holding a finger up at me. She walked around her desk and picked up the phone by the third ring. “Madison Buchanan.”

As I waited, I walked around her office, taking in the small but comfortable space. A bookshelf lined the wall behind her filled with binders, books, and reference materials. A small fern stood in the corner near the window behind a small round conference table that was stacked high with file folders and various papers held together with binder clips. There was a modular gray sofa along the wall by the door and a large black and white photograph of a calm river running through a remote forest.

It was oddly generic. No pictures of friends or family, no knick knacks or art. Nothing about this space said it was hers. There was nothing remotely personal. I continued looking, trying to find something that reminded me of her, but I came up empty.

She watched me as I looked around her office, nervously biting her lips. She was afraid I was judging her. I guess, in a way, I was, but the more time I spent with Madison, the more I wanted to know about her.

My eyes locked on the bright colored flowers that sat in the corner of her desk. They were obviously fresh. It looked like they had just been delivered. She and Jeremy were talking about her having drinks with a colleague when I walked in, but the flowers seemed to tell a different story. Hell, Jeremy had accused her of playing the field. What the hell did that mean?

She’s said before that she didn’t want to be exclusive, but after that night in the tub and the trapeze, I thought things were changing between us. I mean, they were for me, but what about her?

She finished her call and hung up the phone. I nodded toward the flowers. “Another admirer?” I teased.

“They’re from a colleague,” she said as she fidgeted nervously.

“Colleague?” I asked. She nodded. Colleague my ass. Her nervous body language said that whoever sent her those flowers was more than just a colleague.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to work,” I said.

She came around her desk, and I pulled her tight against my chest. My lips crashed to hers, and I kissed her with all that I had. I wanted her to myself, and that kiss was a reminder of just how good we were together.

I smiled against her lips and pulled away. “Later, beautiful.” Then I turned and headed out the door, leaving her with something better than a generic vase of flowers to remember me.

***

I dropped into my usual seat at the end of the table and plucked a fry from Alex’s basket. She swatted at me, and I smiled and raised a hand to Liam for a beer.

“What did I miss?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Millie said. “We were talking about the ceremony.”

“Of course you were,” I said, rolling my eyes. This wedding had taken over not just Alex and Drew’s entire life, but the rest of ours as well.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alex asked, looking severely offended.

“It’s all we ever talk about anymore,” I said. David shot me look that told me to shut up, but I ignored him. “What? I’m just saying what everybody else is thinking.”

Drew landed a swift kick to my shin, and I winced. “Ow, fucker.”

“Is that really how you guys feel?” Alex asked, looking around the table as everyone tried to avoid eye contact with her.

“Fine,” she said, turning to me in a huff. “We can talk about something else. How are things going with Madison?”

I sighed, looking back at the bar to see where Liam was with my beer. He was still mixing drinks, so I guess I was going to have to face Alex’s inquisition without the comfort of alcohol.

“So,” she prompted.

“So what? She’s fine,” I said.

“Are you sure?” Millie asked. “She seemed really upset when she left Gran’s.”

“Yeah,” Drew said. “Plus, you’ve been alternating between pissed off and almost giddy. If I didn’t know any better, I would swear you were on your period.”

“Real funny, asshole.”

“We’re just worried about you, man,” David said.

I looked around the table. They were all staring at me, watching me, with matching concerned looks.

I sighed. “I don’t really know what’s up with us,” I said. “She freaked out at Grans party. Started telling me we were getting too close and that she wasn’t ready for anything serious.”

“Serious? You’ve only been seeing each other a few weeks,” Alex asked.

“I don’t know what to think anymore. One minute we can’t keep our hand off each other, the next she’s pushing me away. We just can’t seem to get on the same page.” I exhaled a long breath. “Now I think she may be seeing someone else.”

“What?” Alex asked. She sat forward in her chair, her eyes wide in shock. “How do you know?”

“I went to surprise her for lunch today and overheard her talking to her assistant about having drinks with a colleague.”

“So? Those finance types are always making decisions over drinks or golf,” Drew said.

“Yeah, but her assistant didn’t seem to think it was a work thing, and the giant vase of flowers didn’t strike me as a professional curtesy.”

“Ouch,” Drew said. I nodded. I really didn’t want to be right. Things between us were finally on track, and now I was back to wondering where the hell we stood. For the first time in a long time, I wanted more than just a quick fuck to take the edge off. I wanted Madison.

“I’m just…fuck, I don’t know what to do anymore.” I dropped my head in my hands and raked my fingers through my hair. I was beyond frustrated.

Liam set my beer down in front of me, but I didn’t raise my head.

“What’s his problem?” Liam asked.

“Your sister’s got him tied in knots,” Drew said. Alex scoffed and slapped him on the back of the head. “What? Look at the guy,” he said. “He’s a mess.”

I lifted my head to glare at Drew. “Thanks, man.”