Modern Girl's Guide to Friends With Benefits (15 page)

"Megan?"

"I'm sorry. What?"

"I was asking about your job. Your father tells me you're a schoolteacher. I imagine working with children is very rewarding. And good practice."

Megan blinked and tried to piece together the logic of his statement.

He must have read the confusion on her face because Ethan leaned in and said in a low voice. "Giving money"—he nodded to the crowded room—"is something everyone with means should do, but giving up your time, while you're young and don't have the responsibilities of a family, is commendable. You must be fantastic with children."

She wasn't sure where to start with his comment. It was condescending and sexist. Just because she was a woman didn't mean she wanted kids. She'd be a terrible mom. Hell, she couldn't even manage a dog without pawning him off on Patrick and Connor half the time. "I'm a creative writing professor at a college. I wouldn't exactly call my students children."

"Ah, I didn't know." Ethan's megawatt smile faltered a bit.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for several seconds. She only had to make it through the meal and then she could beg off. "Have you seen the waiter? He hasn't brought the menus yet."

"Oh, I already placed our order." The smile was back.

"You already ordered?" she repeated.

"You weren't here, and I just wanted to speed things along. I thought you might like to take a private tour of the museum after the event." He paused, looking a bit unsure for the first time that afternoon. Maybe he was just nervous and not a giant douche canoe. But then he opened his mouth again and confirmed her original assessment. "I ordered you the spinach salad. The waiter assured me it was one of their more popular choices among the women. Is that alright?"

No, it wasn't alright, she wanted to scream, but Megan bit her tongue. She'd eat her stupid rabbit food and smile, but the second lunch was over…

"I realize school starts in less than a two weeks. I'm taking Thursday off and you can go over the new systems you have in place," Peter said into the phone while he rubbed his aching head. Jesse was overwhelmed, and yelling at her to stop calling every day—even though that was what he really wanted to do—wasn't going to help.

"Don't blow this off, Peter. It's important to me. You all have been able to follow your dreams. I want to do the same and I can't without your help."

"I know, sis." Griffin, his assistant, who'd been waiting at the door, tapped his watch. "I have an appointment that I need to get to. I promised I'd help out and I'll be there for you."

Peter hung up the phone and took a deep breath. What was one more thing on top of his business obligations here and in New York? And then there were the social obligations that helped connect them with high-profile clients, like the Downtown Chamber of Commerce mixer he was late for today. Not to mention finding time to figure out what the hell he was doing with Megan.

"Before you leave," Griffin said, "line two is holding for you. It's Stephanie Collins again. She insisted on waiting this time."

Goddammit.
He'd meant to call his neighbor back at lunch. New Year's Eve was just around the corner and he'd asked her to be his date to the Widows and Orphans' Gala months ago. Now, she was expecting details, like any reasonable woman who'd been asked out on a date. Peter glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and swore under his breath. He didn't have time for this shit. "Tell her I had an appointment and to stop by my apartment. I'll be home later tonight."

Peter collected his things and had almost made it to the elevator when Matt stopped him.

"I know you're on your way out, but do you have a few minutes?" Matt asked. "I need to run something past you."

"It's really not a good time. That Chamber cocktail event starts in thirty minutes, and I'm not sure I'm going to make it as is."

"I have an idea and it will lessen all our loads. But I need your thoughts on it before I mention it to Simon." Matt nodded to his open office door and waited. "It'll only take a few minutes, I swear."

"Ten minutes," Peter said as he walked past Matt. "And I mean it. I've been trying to nail down Chelsie from Bella Donne for months. I can't miss this opportunity to meet with her."

Matt closed the door behind him. "I know you've been pulled in a million directions," he said, leaning against his desk. "I think it's high time we fix that. This last year has been insane with the merger. And now I've got a baby on the way and Simon's probably going to be planning a wedding here soon. We know you've been running things pretty much by yourself and it's not fair."

"Hey, we're friends first. We do what we have to do to get things done. You guys really stepped up when my dad was in the hospital. I'm just returning the favor."

"But we can't keep running ourselves ragged. That's why I'd like to bring Jason in as the permanent manager for the New York office."

"Your brother?" Peter asked. "I thought he worked for your dad. Why would he want to join our company? And why would he want to move to New York?"

"The divorce has been final for about a month and Bridget is making it almost impossible for him to have any kind of social life. Fuck, if he isn't over at our house, he's out at some hole-in-the-wall bar just to stay off Bridget's radar."

"Listen, I like Jason. But do you think it's a good idea to toss him into the mix? We've finally found a nice balance in that office. I'm not sure we want to stir things up again," Peter said, trying hard not to sound dismissive. But Jason? To hear Matt tell it, Jason had issues. He wouldn't be Peter's first choice for the job.

"That's kind of why I wanted to talk to you first." Matt raked a hand through his shaggy hair and let out a deep breath as if he already knew what Peter was going to say. "It would help if you backed me up. I think he'd be a good fit over there. Sure, he doesn't have advertising experience, but Kim has everyone in the art department on the same page now. All we really need is a strong person in accounts. Jason is great with customers. Almost as good as you. His job at the bank was working with business accounts and loans, so he knows a lot about project management. Plus, he could really use the change of scenery."

Peter glanced at his watch and winced. He was definitely going to be late now. "I like the idea of someone we can trust being there full time," he said, heading for the door. "But before you bring it up to Simon, just make sure this is about our company and not you bailing your little brother out of a bad situation."

Ethan leaned in for a kiss, and Megan deftly tilted her head and kissed him quickly on each cheek.

"It was really nice meeting you, Ethan," Megan said with a false brightness and shot a quick glance to her bare wrist as if checking the time. "It's getting really late, and I should—"

"Why don't you come back to my place and we can finish our conversation? Here's the valet with my car." He nodded behind her toward the driveway.

Megan bit her tongue, for what seemed like the hundredth time, to keep from pointing out what a rude ass he'd been all afternoon. Heaven forbid that she might get more than ten words in before he needed to hear the sound of his own voice. "Well," she said through a halfhearted smile, "as I was saying, I'm busy."

Ethan tipped the valet and turned around, his hundred-watt smile on display, and Megan had to fight the urge to shield her eyes. "I'm sure you can reschedule. I was really hoping to discuss a more private arrangement. Something that might benefit both of us."

Relief flooded through her at the sight of her little Austin-Healey, but then his words registered. "A private arrangement?" she asked.

"It's nothing we should discuss here," he said, looking around.

"Oh, no. I really need to hear this before I go anywhere with you." Not that she was planning to go with him, but she wanted to hear exactly what kind of arrangement he had in mind.

With an exaggerated sigh, Ethan stepped back from the crowd and urged her to follow. Once they were sufficiently out of earshot, he explained. "Your father has a lot of influence over the planning commission. That influence could help my firm."

"That's nice, but I'm not my father."

"If you hadn't noticed, your family seems to want us"—he waved between the two of them—"to happen. I'll be honest. You're not my first choice, but you do come with some nice perks." Ethan's earlier polite demeanor had slipped, and he sounded every bit the spoiled rich boy. "I've asked around. I know you aren't high on the invite list, so I think we could help each other out. You could provide access to your father, and I could help with your social standing."

How she'd managed to make it through lunch without stabbing that man with her fork was a mystery to her. It was hilarious that he thought she'd want to put herself through this type of torture on a regular basis. Well, she was done being polite. She'd smiled and looked pretty for the press. Her obligation to her father was complete and she didn't have to play society good girl any longer.

"Did you ever think I might not get a lot of invites because I don't care about what you or the other social climbers think?"

Megan stepped around him, and Ethan grabbed her arm. "There are other perks to having your name attached to mine. I've heard you don't date, either. I can only imagine that must be hard for you. A woman your age might be a bit self-conscious." Ethan took a step, getting uncomfortably close. His overly-masculine cologne burned her nose. "You're not an unattractive woman. I'd happily extend those perks to the bedroom."

Megan choked back a snort. Did he actually think she was virgin or something? She had a mind to tell him exactly how much she enjoyed sex, and her favorite position, but thought better of it. There was no use stringing this out. "I'm not self-conscious. I'm just not interested."

"We could make a good match." Ethan took a step back and gave her an assessing once-over. "Let's not be coy, Megan. You know as well as I that this is the best offer you're likely to get. You're not exactly a catch."

"As appealing as you make it sound, I'd rather have a pelvic exam from Freddy Krueger. Have a nice New Year, Ethan." Megan circled her car and yanked open the door with more force than intended, causing one of the snaps on the soft top to pop off, but she wasn't about to stop and re-secure it now. But she did pause and roll down the passenger window, just to make sure he was clear on how she felt. "I'd like to say I had a lovely time, but my mother taught me it wasn't nice to lie. Don't bother calling me."

Satisfied that he got the message, Megan pulled out before he could say anything in return. She knew the second Michelle suggested the date there wasn't a chance in hell she'd mesh with the corporate attorney, but sometimes it was easier to just go along than it was to fight them. Most of the time they just wanted her to show up and be pretty, but Michelle thought it was time for Megan to "settle down," especially now that Simon and Julia seemed to be headed that direction.

But Megan didn't want to settle down, especially if it mean settling with a guy like Ethan. Screw that. She'd rather be alone and grow old with her freedom than become some Stepford housewife. Why would she settle? She was financially secure, owned the house of her dreams in a great neighborhood, and had a fantastic vibrator that she wasn't afraid to use. And then there was her arrangement with Peter. Hopefully, they could make things work because that was exactly the kind of relationship she wanted. Uncomplicated and low maintenance.