Ethan Hawke Spanking My Girl (pdf)(1)

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scary in a stalker sort of way. But after I sold the
little dot com that had supported me modestly
through the dot com boom, an old college buddy
offered me partnership in an internet caf� venture
in New York. We wanted to build a national
presence akin to Starbucks doesn't everyone? Our
dream started with five caf�s that we bought out,
and it was no coincidence that we contacted
Cassie's firm to handle our advertising. And
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definitely no twist of fate that Cassie was given the
lead.
When we met to hear their presentation, Cassie
was brilliant. If she'd never thrown up on my
shoes, I probably would have been tongue-tied or
intimidated in her presence. My partner, Eddie, was
even impressed, which was a good thing, because
he'd insisted on meeting with two firms. She looked
gorgeous, in control, and happy. Best of all, there
was a fire in her eyes and an obvious passion for
her job.
We weren't a huge account, yet, so I was
surprised when they courted us with dinner
afterwards. And I could have cried when she
brought a boyfriend.
Dinner ended and the wine started flowing, and
we moved past the polite catching up that we'd
been doing. I topped off her wine glass before I
filled my empty one, and grinned at her.
"Are you going to throw up on my shoes again?"
I teased.
Her boyfriend Daniel looked between us
nervously, like he'd just realized that there might be
more to me and Cassie's relationship than older
brother of her best friend's husband. I felt a stab of
my conscience, but I tossed it away. I don't, as a
rule, encroach on another man's territory. But
Cassie was different. Look, she just was. Maybe,
probably, she was my one.
She averted her eyes and didn't take the bait.
We kept the conversation on business and polite
topics for the rest of the dinner. Giving me tips on
where to go in New York being a favorite topic.
After dinner ended, we went to get our coats.
Daniel excused himself to go to the men's room.
"He's safe," I said, although it came out as an
accusation.
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She buttoned up her coat and glanced towards
the men's bathroom. "I'd think you'd understand
that, Greg."
"I'm still waiting " I corrected myself " hoping
for dinner."
She shook her head at me. "I don't know what
you're waiting for. We've spoken, what? A dozen
times? You hardly know me, and you're no more
than an acquaintance to me."
It hurt, because I believed her. I wanted to
point out that the few times we'd spoken, we'd
shared & shared something.
To add insult to injury, she called me days later
to fix me up with one of her friends on a blind date.
I accepted, only out of spite. I'm not sure what I
was trying to prove, or if I was just trying to mend
my dignity.
Hell, I wasn t sure what she was trying to
approve.
She sounded surprised when I accepted. So
when she called me three weeks later to hook me
up with another friend, I accepted again. It became
a sort of challenge, some sort of weird-ass game. I
must have gone on fifteen blind dates before I took
the initiative and called her.
"I need a date for a dinner party next weekend
at Eddie's house." My partner had married a social
woman about six months after I'd moved to New
York. "Do you have any friends?"
I think I heard her purse her lips. "I have this
fabulous new assistant," she said. "You'll love her."
I didn't love her, but I liked her a lot. I
imagined that Cassie had hoped that I would hate
her. She was more than a little overweight, but
sweet. Quite a bit on the mousy side, but smart as
a whip. I had no doubt that she wouldn't be an
assistant for long.
When I picked her up, she went straight to the
point. "Let's keep this light. I accepted Cassie's
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offer because she's my boss, and because she's
been a really nice one. She treats me like a friend,
but I'm not interested."
I laughed. "I'm that bad-looking?"
She frowned at me, but quickly recovered into a
smile. "I think you know exactly how attractive you
are. You play that strong and silent type to the
hilt."
"It's not an act, Missy."
She practically bared her teeth. "It's Melissa."
"Melissa, Cassie and I& " How could I put it?
"I'm pretty fond of your boss." She rolled her eyes.
I wasn't sure what that meant, so I went on. "Want
to go out next weekend, too?"
She glared at me. "You want to use me."
I shook my head. "If I wanted to use you, I'd
sweet talk you into going out with me again. I'm
proposing a win-win situation. We go out, you get
to seem to please your boss, and I get to see if I
can make her jealous. Maybe we can double with
her and Daniel?"
She didn't answer, but by the end of the night,
she seemed to like me enough to take me up on the
offer. Melissa called me Tuesday morning, and set [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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