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Was this woman fucking nuts?
I knew we were here to discuss my future wife—a term I couldn’t and wouldn’t wrap my head around. The only reason I’d been able to convince the executive team to come here was because I’d told them if I had a drink, I might be more open to the idea.
But that was a lie.
I just needed a drink.
Still, I was semi-amused by her last statement and needed more clarification, so I barked, “What chemistry?”
“What chemistry,” Laura repeated. “The way you two were looking at each other, I could feel the energy pulsing. I’m sure everyone at this table could too.”
“Agreed,” Holden said.
“I second that,” Easton added.
“I third that,” Drake said.
“You have to be shitting me.” I dropped my hands on the table, unintentionally using a strength that caused a bang to echo around us. There was no way they could see the passion I had for this woman. I hid it well, I knew that. They were just filling me with bullshit so they could get me hitched to someone. “I’m not fucking marrying—”
“Before you finish that statement,” Laura said, “I need you to listen to me.” Her voice was sterner than it had been at the office. “When your partners hired me to clean up this PR disaster that you created, I made it very clear how I operate and conduct business. When I met with them and discussed my plan, everyone was on board. That’s what I need from you as well, Grayson. I can’t do my job effectively if you fight me every step of the way.” She pushed up her glasses, her eyes enlarging as she gazed at me through the thick lenses. “I need you to trust me, to know that what I’m asking of you is what’s best for your company. This is what I do, what I’m good at, and why your partners hired me.” She placed a finger on her cheek, the rest of her hand sitting under her chin. “If you want me to save Hooked, then you need to be open to what I’m suggesting.”
I turned my body toward her, my blood boiling to the point where it was ready to burst through my veins. “You need to listen to me, Laura. You think you’re the alpha of this pack, that you’re just going to come in and snap your fingers and all is going to be good in the Hooked world, but what you’re telling me to do is impossible. I can’t even stand the idea of a relationship, never mind the thought of getting married. It goes against everything I believe in.” I smiled, the words like fire as they lashed off my tongue, and they felt so good to release. “So, no, I’m not going to get married. I’m also not going to lie on my back and do what you tell me to. I’m not a goddamn dog.”
The group turned silent.
I was sure the head of HR wished she’d gone home, like our head of finance and in-house counsel had done.
But I didn’t give a shit who was here. I wasn’t going to tone down my response for anyone at this table.
“Grayson—”
“Don’t,” I warned Holden, knowing the motherfucker was going to try to smooth things out.
I didn’t want smoothing.
I wanted things rough and bumpy, just like they were.
But Holden grabbed my shoulder as he sat on the other side of me. “I get it, man. I do. I know this isn’t what you want, but I need you to think about Hooked and what we’ve sacrificed to build this company. The time you, Easton, and I have dedicated, all the long nights, the weekends.” He squeezed, making sure I was listening, that I was hearing his words. “If that means you need to play house for a little while—say, a year or so—then do it for Hooked.”
“Fuck—”
“Grayson ...” Drake’s voice was a surprise to hear, and it instantly quieted me. She hadn’t said much at the bar and had been silent during our meeting at the office. With her being so analytical, I was curious about what she was going to tell me. “Like Holden said, you’re facing an approximate one-year sentence. She’ll live in your guest room. You’ll pass each other in the morning before you leave for work and again at night before bed. You’ll be seen in public with her a few times a week. Maybe the two of you will even develop a friendship and you’ll enjoy your time together.” She glanced at Easton. “In my eyes, it’s much more difficult to keep a relationship a secret than to pretend you’re in love with someone you’re not.” As she referenced her experience with Easton, she looked back at me. “From what I can tell, you’ve been staring at her since we arrived at the bar, and I’d say you find her quite irresistible.”
Irresistible?
Was Drake somehow inside my head?
As though she heard me, her grin was small, careful, like she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of my verbal hits. “I believe you when you say you don’t want to marry her, but honestly, I wouldn’t have thought that by the way you look at her, so you’ve fooled me. If the rest of the world is like me and can be so easily convinced, then this isn’t going to be hard for you at all.”
That wasn’t what I’d anticipated Drake to say.
I wanted her to be on my side.
For her to admit this was comical and fucking absurd.
But what no one had addressed so far was the obvious roadblock.
“What if she says no?” I asked them. “Have you ever thought of that?”
