He does casual hookups. His current one being with actress Sadie Stevens.
No, dating would imply that Nathan was capable of having feelings for someone outside of the bedroom, which everyone knew was impossible.
Who knows, maybe he actually thought spending the night in the office with cold takeout was better than coming home to someone and cooking dinner together. He’d be wrong, but I didn’t get paid enough to meddle in his love life or lack thereof.
I could almost taste the champagne Kelsey and I would drink on Kelsey’s private jet and feel the warm St. Martin sand under my feet as I waited for the elevator doors to open.
This week had been pretty rough between Nathan’s foul behavior and the constant calls from my ex. Birthdays were a big deal to me, so I couldn’t wait to celebrate Kelsey, but secretly this trip was also an opportunity for me to reset. Hopefully it would also be enough time for whatever crawled up Nathan’s ass to crawl back out.
The elevator door pinged open and I took a step forward only to be forced to a halt when I saw the person coming out.
Piercing blue eyes.
Dark suit.
Jaw the stuff of arts.
“You’re still here. Good.” Nathan said as he stepped off.
“Yes, but I’m on my way out. My friend is waiting for me downstairs to go to the airport. We’re going to Saint Martin for her birthday this weekend.” I declared quickly.
His gaze flicked down to the barely-there strap of my bikini peeking from beneath the neckline of my top. His jaw ticked.
“Cancel it.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” His voice was cool, firm, and without even a hint of apology. “We need to regroup. The team is meeting first thing tomorrow to finalize our response to Dauntless poaching Bryce. And I want you there.”
I straightened, mouth falling open in disbelief. “You’re asking me to cancel my best friend’s birthday trip because you want to rehash a meeting that could happen Monday?”
“I’m not asking,” he replied smoothly. “And considering your role in missing the Dauntless news to begin with, I’d think you’d want to get ahead of it. Or has three years made you comfortable enough to start slacking off?”
My chest tightened. My fists clenched around the strap of my tote. “I’m not slacking off, I’m off the clock” I said, holding his gaze.
“No?” His eyes raked down again, lingering just a second too long at the curve of my hip where my top had shifted slightly. The unmistakable shimmer of my glittery bikini bottom string caught the hallway light. “Because from where I’m standing, you look like someone ready to party, not work.”
My face burned. “I’ve worked my ass off for three years, including nights and weekends, and you know it.”
He didn’t respond. Just stared. The silence between us thickened as he clenched his jaw tight and something unreadable flashed in his eyes.
“Is this really about Bryce Decker,” I continued, my voice quieter now, “or is this about you not having a life outside of work, so you want to make sure no one else here has one either?”
Nathan stepped closer. Not touching, but near enough that the air around us changed. “It’s about expectations. And whether or not you can still meet them.”
I felt like I’d been slapped.
“I’m not missing my best friend’s birthday,” I said evenly, trying to keep my voice from cracking. “Whatever meeting you want to have can happen Monday.”
“Unless you want me to fire you, I suggest you call up your friends and tell them you can’t make it because you need to work.”
I don’t know if it was the stress of a long week or the authoritative tone that reminded me so much of my father, but I snapped.
“You don’t have to fire me. Because I quit.”
Once the words were out my mouth I couldn’t take them back. I couldn’t tell who was more surprised by my declaration—me or Nathan. But all I knew was I instantly felt a wave of relief.
“You quit? I didn’t realize you were capable of being so dramatic.” Nathan replied.
