Fortunately, I hadn’t had to deal with finding naked employees in my bed. Well, apart from Halle anyway. But that had been consensual. Magical.
What I wouldn’t give to have her in my bed, in my arms, again.
I didn’t care that it was reckless. I missed her.
But things had changed a lot since last summer. Back then, I’d been working in London temporarily. Now, I was the head of the company, and since she was relocating to LA, we were going to be working together for the foreseeable future.
I was going to have to see her every day, work with her every day, and pretend nothing had happened. Pretend she hadn’t turned my world upside down.
“Nor the parade of women you?—”
“Okay. Okay.” I held up my hands. “I never claimed to be a saint.”
“Well, that tracks,” Beth said, not pulling any punches.
“Tracks?” I asked.
“Oh, with a lot of the billionaire romances. Many of them are total manwhores.”
“Manwhores.” I chuckled, though it sounded hollow.
While I’d once been happy to be labeled as a playboy, it was a moniker I was finding difficult to shed. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t slept with anyone since Halle. It seemed that my past behavior—even if exaggerated—continued to follow me around.
“What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve ever done for, or on, a date?” Mary asked, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
“Outrageous how?” I asked, arching one eyebrow. They’d already asked about sex clubs. Surely they weren’t…
“Up to you,” she said, and they all leaned in a little.
I considered it a moment. I’d taken dates on private helicopter rides. Invited them to stay in some of the most luxurious hotel suites in the world. And yet, none of that was what I mentioned.
“I prepared a picnic to share at St Dunstan in the East,” I admitted.
“Oh.” Mary turned to Beth. “It’s this beautiful ruin in London. Very romantic.”
I nodded. “That’s right. I paid to rent it out so we could have it all to ourselves.”
“You…what?” Mary gaped at me. “Seriously? I didn’t even think that was possible.”
It wasn’t. Not really.
“That had to be expensive,” Becky chimed in.
“Worth every penny,” I said, and I meant it. Besides, the money had gone to a worthy cause.
“Are you sure about this?” Halle asked nervously. What she meant was, are you sure we should be seen together in public?
The driver had stopped at the curb, waiting for us to make up our minds. I had worked so hard to pull this off, to make it special for Halle. I’d never been more sure of anything in my life. But I didn’t want her to feel pressured to do something she was uncomfortable with.
She was taking a risk with this fling, with me. If anyone found out…well, she definitely had more to lose. Keeping it secret was in both our best interests, but that didn’t make it any easier. Not when I wanted to lavish her with attention. When I wanted to take her to the most amazing spots in the city—as my date, not as my colleague. And that wasn’t something I’d wanted in a long time, maybe ever.
But I respected her boundaries. Hell, I knew they were necessary. But that didn’t mean I liked them.
“Trust me,” I said to Halle. It wasn’t a question. It was more of a plea. I wanted her to know that I would take care of her and keep her safe.
She looked to the side, then down, biting back a smile.
“Is that a yes?” I asked.
