Discovering Mack

13| Thirteen

Navigating any office awkwardness was made easier by the fact Alex had an unexpected trip to Sydney for the campaign we were currently all working on. It was like a get out of jail free card that I desperately needed.

But now it was Friday, he was back, and I had been trying to avoid any and all contact all day. Successfully so far, might I add.

Tristan has been spending the last fifteen minutes searching for possible tattoos for me, and the results have been amusing and incredibly distracting for a Friday afternoon.

"Here, I've got it, this is the one!" he says, pointing to his computer screen where the words Carpe Diem are written in various fancy fonts.

"Carpe Diem? Seize the day," I raise my eyebrow at him.

"Are you going to get a matching one that says 'Oh Captain! My captain!'?" Ashley questions with a snicker.

"Now there's an idea," he grins wickedly. "Dead Poet's Society is one of my favourites and I'd love a matching tattoo with you Mack."

"You've transported me back to year 11 literature with Ms. Young," I laugh. "I can see the lipstick on her teeth as she lectures us about the meanings behind that poem."

"Ok, ok, what else have we got then, we can't have you remembering Ms Young's lipstick teeth every time you look at this tattoo," he says scrapping Carpe Diem and starting his search again as I roll my chair towards him to look over his shoulder.

"What's going on here? I can hear the laughter from my office, and that doesn't sound like a lot of work," Alex appears in front of Tristan's desk.

"Have you got fomo?" I grin at him and he rolls his eyes playfully at me, trying to hide his own smile.

"Mack is planning her first tattoo. Tristan is being less than helpful in the design stage," Ashley explains.

"Have you decided where you might get this tattoo?" Alex asks curiously and I make the mistake of glancing towards him, where his eyes are already laser focused on me.

He smirks, and I feel hot when his eyes trail my body, the both of us knowing all too well that he has seen all of me, and is probably picturing just that as he thinks about where on my body I could get a tattoo.

Beside me, Tristan stiffens, and I know he has seen the way Alex is looking at me too.

Thankfully he doesn't know the full extent of that look.

"Actually, we were deciding what the tattoo will be, not placement on her body," Tristan says coldly.

"My bad," Alex says, without any hint of it actually being his bad and I force my eyes away from him. Looking anywhere but at him.

My phone rings on my desk, breaking the awkwardness that has fallen over the small space. "I should, um, get that..." I mumble, rolling my chair back to my own desk.

"Tristan, I've sent you some files, I suggest you get to those as per your job here, rather than tattoo planning. This isn't high school," Alex says pointing to Tristan's computer. He isn't done just yet though, because he pauses at my desk before returning to his office.

"Just under your right breast," Alex winks at me, Tristan scoffs and I answer my phone, trying to find some semblance of composure and professionalism.

My call ends, and my own text tone sounds out. I quickly check it before getting up to let Scarlett know about the phone call I just took, a delay from the printers on one of her smaller campaigns last month. Glancing at my iPhone I see Mel is inviting, no, demanding that I go out with her tonight.