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.I glanced over at Mark, who was chewing noisily and staring down at his plate.I doubted he’d be asking for a second date, so I reached into my purse and pulled out a business card.I’d just had them printed up with my new title, "publicity manager," the week before."You’re a publicist at BB&L?" Blake said as I handed it to him."Yes," I said smugly.I wanted him to know that I was doing well too."That’s great," he replied, seeming genuinely pleased."We should get together some time and catch up."I didn’t think he’d actually call, although part of me was hoping he would."The stupid part of you," Nicole said, after I’d filled her in on my plans to meet Blake for drinks the following week."How am I being stupid?" I lowered my voice so not every one of my cubicle mates could hear our conversation."He’s an up and coming actor and I’m a publicist in need of clients.It makes perfect sense.""You just keep telling yourself that." I could hear her fingernails clicking across her keyboard even while she dispensed crucial best friend advice."C’mon, don’t you think I know better than to get involved with an actor?" Nicole had reminded me many times that the number one rule at Zenith Management, where she worked as a business manager, was "Don’t date the clients, and never date the actors." We didn’t have that rule at BB&L, but I acknowledged it was probably good advice."And the number two rule?" Nicole asked, but didn’t wait for my reply."Never mistake a client for a friend."That one I had a bit more trouble with, at least where Blake was concerned.Chapter 13Four years later I was still ignoring rule number two, although I’d never violated rule number one.Not that I hadn’t been tempted sometimes.Like the night Blake took me out bar hopping to cheer me up after my boyfriend of eight months broke up with me.Or when he was between girlfriends and he’d come over to my place and we’d order takeout Chinese food and watch DVDs.Although we might’ve exchanged a few longing looks (on my part) or lascivious glances (on his), we never ever exchanged a kiss.A fact I routinely reminded Nicole of whenever she admonished me for my "unhealthy relationship" with Blake.So I didn’t see anything unusual in Blake’s request that I stay for dinner and to help him pack after we’d spent the afternoon going over plans for the walrus documentary.Blake was leaving for Australia the next morning.Of course I’d stay.Nor did I find it unusual when he came up behind me while I was loading dirty plates into his dishwasher."I have a maid for that," he said."Which you should know since you hired her.""Yeah, I’m sure she really appreciates it when you leave her a week’s worth of crusty dishes under the bed." I only hired her after I found mold growing on his coffee table where he’d left a half-eaten pizza sitting out for two weeks.In his defense, he had been out of town for ten of the fourteen days."Never under the bed." Blake smiled."I always leave them out where she can find them.""My mistake.You’re a true gentleman.""I am," he said with what I thought was mock sincerity.So I laughed in his face."You don’t think I’m a gentleman?" he asked, staring at me with his wounded puppy expression, the one that made every female over the age of twelve swoon.I laughed again."Seriously, Syd, you really don’t think so?""Seriously, Blake, I don’t think this is a conversation you want to have with me."I expected him to start laughing too, or at least crack a smile, but he sported his wounded puppy expression again and I finally realized he wasn’t kidding."I’m not saying you’re a himbo or anything." Every time the paparazzi caught him with a new woman, he swore he’d broken up with the previous girlfriend first, and I hadn’t heard him utter the phrase "open relationship" in years."But a gentleman might be pushing it.""How come?" he demanded.I made a split second decision to answer as his publicist instead of his friend."Women don’t pay twelve bucks a pop to see perfect gentlemen.They pay to see bad boys behaving badly." At least that’s why they paid to see Blake."C’mon, Sydney, we both know that’s not the real me."We did?"Although you do an excellent job of portraying me that way," he added."Thanks," I said, hoping that would be the end of it.But he took a step closer and gave me an uncharacteristically shy smile."I think we make a pretty good team."As I inhaled his intoxicating scent— Paco Rabanne mixed with Eau de Blake—I felt one of those moments coming on.So I told myself what I always tell myself: You’re friends, Sydney, nothing more.He doesn’t love you, he never loved you, the rest is all in your head.Then I looked up at him and smiled back."I agree.""Good," he said, then he bent down and kissed me.I wish I could say I slapped his face and walked out of the room.Or at least that I didn’t kiss him back.But I did, as ten-year-old memories washed over me.It wasn’t until his hand started creeping up the front of my shirt, that I came to my senses."This is a bad idea," I said, pulling away from him, narrowly missing landing butt first in the still open dishwasher."You just said we were a good team.""Professionally," I said, as I bent down and slammed the door shut."Personally, we’re a disaster.""I beg to differ," he said, oozing wounded pride."I’ve always considered you a good friend and I thought you considered me one too.""I do," I said, immediately backtracking."But I don’t do friends with benefits.At least not with you." Actually, not with anyone.Although I could see the advantages of it, especially during those dating dry spells.I’ve just never been able to sleep with a friend without getting emotionally involved."I’m not asking you to."I would’ve thought I’d imagined this whole episode if I hadn’t caught a glimpse of my lipstick on his chin."Then what was that kiss all about?""A date.""A date?" I practically spat."Yeah, a date.You know, dinner and a movie.Like we do all the time, but with the sex part too.""Blake, you don’t need sex from me.You’ve got women practically lining up at your door." Literally.Although the restraining order seemed to be working."So that’s a no then?" he said, turning away from me."No! I mean, yes.I mean, what the hell are you talking about?""Geez, Syd, do I have to spell it out for you? I’m asking you on a date.But if you’re not interested."Not interested! "Blake, have you forgotten that we tried this already.It didn’t end so well." At least not for me."That was ten years ago.I think we’ve both matured a little since then, don’t you?"A cheap shot.He knew I couldn’t disagree
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