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I glare at him. He’s so cocky. And downright rude. A grouchy prick, just like Lacey described him.
I absolutely don’t want it to and I’m making a point of not letting it, but his damn aggression is setting little fires along my bloodstream.
Can’t fight biology, girlfriend. You love him cocky and rude. You’re dying for him to dominate you right over the edge, just like he did in Waikiki.
No.
That can’t happen.
I stand up, ready to leave, standing close to the windows.
His smoldering blue eyes pin me in place. “Rylee and I lasted a few weeks, if that. It was hell then and it’s hell now. I’m working on getting her fired but I need a reason or she’ll sue for wrongful dismissal.”
I look out at the floor-to-ceiling view, not convinced. “She seems like your type. Rich. Beautiful?—”
“She’s not my fucking type, Tex,” he seethes. “You’re my type.”
I can’t look at him. I stare out at the Empire State Building, ignoring that last line of his little rant. It’s too much to absorb, here in this wonderland of beauty and success. So I focus on the first half. I mean, what do I expect? He’s a hot billionaire. Of course he has a past. It shouldn’t shock me that he’s slept with at least one of his employees. “Anyway, you were smart to end it. Mixing business and pleasure is never a good idea.”
“There was nothing pleasurable about it. The whole thing made me feel like jumping off the nearest skyscraper. I thought I’d never find what I was looking for.”
At this, I do glance at him. His fists are clenched and he looks…just…unfairly handsome. He’s weakening my resolve with his honesty and all those big muscles that are threatening to bust out of his Hugo Boss. And there’s a hanging insinuation on the end of that sentence.
But there’s no point in wishing that his insinuation will somehow overlap with the dreams I’ve had of him every single night. He’s my boss now. It can’t—and won’t—happen again.
He walks closer to me and, just as I’m about to take a step back, he stops walking. “As for the insider trading accusation, someone leaked incriminating information from one of our internal servers. We don’t know who it was but we’re working on it. Noah and Colton were as shocked by it as I was and we’re working around the clock to resolve the situation. I’m not guilty of a crime.” He pauses, his gaze intense. “I wanted you to hear that from me.”
I guess it’s nice of him to clarify that. “Okay.”
He’s frowning at me like he’s waiting for me to doubt him.
“I believe you. Was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?” I brace myself before I ask the question, but I need to know. “Are you going to fire me?”
His eyebrows furrow, making him look even sexier, if that’s possible. “Of course I’m not going to fire you.”
“I really want to work here. This is my dream job. It’s why I moved to New York and it’s what I’ve been working toward my whole life. I’ll make sure that…what happened between us won’t affect my work.”
He’s quiet for a few seconds but his expression is stormy. “Under usual circumstances I’d agree with you. Unfortunately things are different this time.”
What the hell does that mean? “They are?”
“Yes. They are.”
“How?”
“Let me take you out to dinner tonight. We can talk about it then.”
It’s not a good idea. “No.”
He eyes me, almost curiously. Like he’s never been rejected before. “Why not?”
“Because you’re my boss, Ace—uh, Mr. Maddox.”
“I don’t give a fuck about that.”
“Well, I do. I can’t risk my job.”
“You don’t have to risk your job. It’s just dinner.”
