Getting Down to Business. Allison B. Hanson
work.
Unfortunately, her job was not as gratifying as her evening with Grayson Hollinger III.
With her business degree from Syracuse and her ambitious drive, she should have been working her own accounts by now, but she wasn’t. For the most part, she was doing data entry.
But she would keep trying. Every time one of the family members got bored and left the company, it meant another chance for her to move up. Surely she would have her turn at some point. Until then, she would wait patiently.
Her bright outlook lasted only twenty minutes longer. Her phone lit up with a text from Sasha.
I don’t think this roommate thing is working out anymore.
“Son of a bitch.”
Chapter 2
As the meeting moved into its second hour, Grayson wondered how much force it would take to thrust his pen into his skull to end the misery. It wasn’t as if he expected a room full of accountants to be exciting in any way, but there was only so much to talk about.
Yes, two plus two still equals four. Yes, having a positive number on the bottom line is still a good thing. The world is still rotating. Back to work.
He snickered at his imaginary meeting, and Doug raised a curious brow. Gray would explain later. If they ever got out of the meeting.
It wouldn’t have been so bad, but he knew this meeting was the extent of his entertainment for the evening.
After spending the night before with Alyssa Sinclair, he knew his Thursday was going to be lacking.
While sitting at the conference table, zoning out, daydreaming about Liss in that skirt, and planning whether to order a pizza or Chinese for dinner, he realized his whole life was becoming pathetic. He could quite possibly be the only person from a suburb in Connecticut to be bored stiff with life in New York City.
He needed to do something. Something… real. His thoughts shifted to the woman he’d been with the night before.
He hadn’t expected to strike gold when Doug talked him in to going to ladies’ night. After all, Wednesday was probably the least sexy day of the week. Or maybe it was Tuesday.
After his initial crash and burn when he asked to buy her a drink, they eventually found common ground—getting both of them to point B, as she called it.
He laughed, causing Randy to look over at him before going back to the topic on hand. Grayson allowed himself to drift deeper into his memories.
Maybe it was the way they’d connected, or the fact that he was in the world’s most boring meeting, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Every touch, every moan.
He wanted to be with her again. Except Alyssa had been adamant about it being one night only. He’d have to find a way to change her mind.
“You left with that hot blonde pretty quick last night,” Doug said as he sat across from Grayson’s desk after the meeting finally let out.
“Wasn’t that the point?” After Jade’s announcement that things weren’t working, he planned to give the relationship the normal six-month mourning period. But Doug convinced him to go out and “get back in the saddle” despite Doug’s track record with romance.
“I didn’t have any luck.” Doug shrugged it off.
“What’s the matter? Weren’t they desperate enough for you?” Gray said with a chuckle.
Doug was a thirty-five year-old divorced father of a little girl he rarely got to see. Every time Grayson had to listen to Doug’s stories about the cost of daycare and fighting his ex to get visitation, it made him want to pull out his wallet and double check his condom supply.
“At least the drinks were cheap.”
“I only needed to buy one anyway.”
“Seriously? You didn’t even have to buy her a drink?”
“That’s right.” Gray couldn’t hold back the smug smile.
“You suck.” Doug flipped him off as he left Gray’s office.
Doug would really be pissed off to find out it was the best sex he ever had.
Grayson went about his day, catching himself smiling every once in a while. Alyssa’s face in the line at the coffee shop was priceless.
At lunch, he glanced around the street at the crowds of people.
“Who are you looking for?” Doug asked.
“The woman I was with last night works here.”
“Uh-oh. You want me to hide you?”
“No. Actually, I’d like to run into her again.”
“Seriously? You just got out of a relationship. Give it a rest.”
Technically it had been three months. “This coming from Mr. Family Man himself.”
“We’re not talking about me. I’m trying to spare you,” Doug said. Grayson knew Doug would do anything to go back to his family, even though his wife had treated Doug horribly and used their daughter to manipulate him.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing her again.”
“It was a Wednesday,” Doug protested. Gray laughed again and surveyed the crowd on the sidewalk looking for Alyssa’s long, golden hair.
“I know. I’m as surprised that your idea worked as you are.” With a sigh of disappointment he went back to work.
“You want to hit the gym after work?” Doug asked later that afternoon.
“Sure. We’ll have to swing by my place so I can get some clothes.”
While going to the gym with Doug wasn’t what he’d been daydreaming about most of the day, at least he wouldn’t be sitting home alone.
They took the elevator in his building up to the second floor—the metropolitan equivalent of trying to find the closest parking spot at the gym.
“You still haven’t found a roommate?” Doug asked as they stepped inside his barren living room. The TV and the sofa had been Gray’s, but the decorations had been Trent’s.
“No. You want to move in?”
“Nah. I couldn’t afford it.”
“I’d be willing to lower the price for you.”
“Thanks, but I’m saving up to get a place with two bedrooms. The caseworker says I can’t keep Lucy overnight until she has her own room at my place. The apartment also has to meet all the other criteria of their inspection. Clean and safe. Do you know how much a clean, safe two-bedroom costs in the city?”
He did. He was living in one at the moment. And the empty bedroom was just sitting there.
“Until then, I’m going to stay in Queens so I’m close and can see her more. Besides, I don’t want to move in here, and then have Trent break up with his girlfriend and want to move back.”
“Fiancée,” Gray corrected. “And no. He won’t be moving back. They’ve sent out the save-the-date magnets.”
Trent had paid his rent through the next four months, giving Gray enough time to find a new roommate, or for Trent’s fiancée to change her mind and kick him to the curb.
Gray had to admit that he was kind of hoping for the second thing. Not that he had a problem with Tiffany or wanted his friend to be heartbroken. It would just be easier than finding a new roommate.
“Do you want me to put some feelers out to find someone?” Doug offered.
“You sure you don’t want it?”
“I can’t pay what Trent was paying, and I won’t take