Marry Me G. Hauser (the chimp paradox .TXT) 📖

not overworked and behind on all her calls.

“Good morning, Braxton!”

He was slightly surprised at her energetic greeting. “Good

morning.” He picked up the cardboard tray to take to his office,

inspecting her grin and sly smile. Down the hall he could hear

Fabian on the phone, already immersed in his work and doing an

outstanding job.

Braxton placed the tray down, took off his suit jacket and sat

behind his desk.

Brianna stood at his doorway. “Sophia already called. Date

number three…she wants to make sure you remember.”

“How can I forget? Three days in hell.” He took the cup out

of the holder and sipped the latte. “How’s Fabian doing today?”

After a smirk she asked, “Why don’t you go see for

yourself?”

Braxton raised his eyebrow. “Why?”

“I don’t know. Just because you want to be polite and say hi.”

The slight upturn to Brianna’s smile on one side of her lips

had Braxton suspecting she was matchmaking. Something

Brianna never did.

He set his cup down and walked towards her, looking down

at her petite frame as he did. She giggled like a kid and he could

feel her eyes on him as he walked down the hall. Before he

looked in on Fabian he glanced back at her. She gave him a

wicked smile and crossed her arms, smug.

Braxton stood at Fabian’s opened door while Fabian spoke on

the phone and typed simultaneously.

The man was to die for, dressed in a tight black crew neck top

and black jacket, his chiseled jaw clean shaven and a slight scent

of aftershave or cologne in the room that made Braxton’s cock

move in his slacks. Fabian noticed him and met his gaze.

The shock of bright blue nearly made Braxton swoon. Okay,

the guy is great…gorgeous…oh Christ, shoot me.

“Hang on,” Fabian said into the phone and cupped the

receiver. “Need me?”

I think I fucking do.

“Just wanted to say good morning.”

Fabian’s smile lit up his handsome face. “Good morning.”

Braxton spotted the coffee on his desk. “Do you have

everything you desire? Urr, I mean, need for the day?”

Fabian glance down at Braxton’s crotch for just a brief

second. But that second made Braxton’s groin tingle and his

cock go stiff.

“I do.” Fabian gave him an adoring smile that set the hairs

standing on Braxton’s forearms.

“Good.” Braxton gave him a grin back and nodded, walking

away, trying to figure out what was really going on here. As he

made his way down the hall, Brianna was at her desk, sipping

her coffee. She said, “He looks fucking hot today, doesn’t he?”

“Stop instigating. You know my track record. And I can’t

lose him.”

“I have a feeling he feels the same way about you.”

Braxton opened his mouth to ask why, but reconsidered when

her phone rang. He returned to his desk and sat down, picking up

the yogurt while his computer booted up, and hearing Brianna

say, “Sophia, line one!”

Braxton put his earpiece in and connected to her call. “Hey.”

“Darling! Last date tonight. I wanted to make sure you knew

all the details.”

“Go ahead. I can’t wait.” He tried not to sound too negative.

“It is a woman this time. What do you know?” She laughed.

“Her name is Virginia Steinman and she is twenty-three! Her

parents buy you for her!”

Braxton rubbed his forehead in exhaustion.

“You will meet at the Café La Boheme. Don’t be late. It’s a

young woman with stars in her eyes.”

“Okay.” He noticed his second line light up and instant

messages appear on the computer from his clients.

“I will call you again in the afternoon so you won’t forget. I

know how busy you can be, Braxton.”

“Sure. Fine.” He began reading his instant messages.

“Ciao!”

“Bye.” He hung up and held his yogurt cup in his hand,

quickly eating since his morning workout left him starving. As

he did he thought about what Brianna has said. About Fabian

having feelings for him.

Angry at himself for even thinking about the idea of

propositioning him, Braxton knew finding Fabian to help him

out was a twist of good luck he had no intention of ruining.

Braxton threw out the empty cup and immersed himself in his

work.

~

Fabian picked up a flashing line on the phone, seeing no one

was available to answer it. “Braxton Todd PR, Fabian Rhys

speaking, can I help you?”

“I need to speak to Mr Todd.”

“He’s on another line right now, can I help you?” Fabian held

a pen over his pad.

“This is Drew Persely.”

Fabian reacted and sat up, knowing how Braxton felt about

this man and the gross out ‘date’. “Yes, Mr Persely, what can I

do for you?”

“I’d prefer speaking to Braxton. Not you.”

“I understand.” Fabian wanted to shield Braxton from this

creep and knew Braxton did not want to deal with him. “Can I at

least give Braxton the details of your call so he can be prepared

when he calls you back?”

After a grunt of annoyance, Drew said, “Tell him I want him

to help me out with PR for my firm. With the new ad campaign,

I want to get Mark Richfield doing interviews about the ads

we’re doing with him.”

Fabian tried to determine if this was truly about work, or

simply a ploy using the model’s name to get Braxton to return

his calls.

“I can let him know, Mr Persely. Of course.”

“Good.” The line disconnected.

Fabian hung up and thought about the conversation, sensing a

ruse. He knew enough about that model to know he did not do

interviews, or at least he’d never seen him sitting for any on TV

or read one in a magazine. While he had a minute, Fabian looked

online for just that—an interview with Mark Richfield. His

assumptions were correct. Alexander, Mark’s son, on the other

hand, had done several, but the young man was an actor, so it

made sense.

Fabian checked the time and stood, seeing it was getting close

to noon and he had been working since he’d sat at his desk at

eight-thirty. He buttoned his suit jacket, ran his hand over his

hair and headed down the hall. Brianna was on the phone, hands

free, tapping away at her computer.

She peeked at Fabian and gave him a sweet smile. He

returned it and used one knuckle to tap Braxton’s door.

He could hear Braxton on the phone and stood patiently,

finally getting his ‘It ain’t locked!’

Upon opening the door, Braxton appeared to be done with his

call and his expression