Page 10 of Trick or Tease

When they saw us, they freaked out. It had been so innocent back then. I missed him. At least, I missed the guy he had been. Over the years, Garrett had put as much distance between the farm, and ultimately us, as he could.

He was the city mouse now and we were all the country mice.

A horn honking startled me. I must have drifted off. I sat up and looked out the window.

We were driving, more like inching through traffic. Yellow cabs zoomed through gaps in traffic like physics didn’t apply to them. It seemed like everyone thought slamming their hands against their horns would part the lanes like the Red Sea.

It was so obnoxious.

I had been to New York before but it felt different this time. It was different. I was nervous about seeing Garrett. I had no idea how he would react. Would he run us all off? That would be embarrassing. I reached for my phone and turned on the camera, flipping it around so I could look at my face.

It wasn’t like he would care what I looked like. The man lived in Manhattan. He was surrounded by celebrities and supermodels. I doubted he would even look twice at my country bumpkin ass.

Another blaring horn sounded. Billy shouted and flipped off the driver of a BMW. “You have to speak to them in language they understand,” he said.

I was so ready to go home. I hated the city. There were just far too many people in one spot.

“I really hope this isn’t a waste of time,” I said. “If we can’t convince him to come home, then what?”

“Then you get to use the rope,” Billy said.

4

GARRETT

In my office, I slid two envelopes across my desk. Chris and Lee exchanged curious glances before looking at me again.

I shot them a reassuring smile. “The partners were really impressed with your work on the Westbrook deal. You guys made that deal possible. Your late nights and all the long hours you put in to get that thing closed ahead of schedule didn’t go unnoticed.”

Chris raised an eyebrow, surprise evident on his face. “They noticed? That’s a first.”

I smirked. “Hey, don’t get used to it. I argued against this whole thing, told them we spoil you two enough already, but they’re the bosses. I’m just the associate.”

Lee laughed, her eyes narrowing as she picked up the envelope. “Right, because we’re drowning in perks here.”

“Exactly,” I said, waving a hand dismissively. “But apparently, they wanted to show their appreciation. So, here you go.”

They both tore open the envelopes. I watched their faces, wanting to savor the moment. Chris’s brows shot up, and Lee’s mouth fell open.

“Wait, is this—” Lee started, her voice trailing off as she looked at the amount on the check.

Chris whistled. “This is a lot.”

I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Don’t get too excited. They’re probably just trying to butter you up before they dump more work on us. You know how they are.”

Lee shook her head, still staring at the check. “No, this is… this is huge. Did you⁠—”

I cut her off, leaning forward and folding my hands on the desk. “Look, I didn’t do anything. It’s from the partners. They wanted to show their appreciation. That’s all.”

Chris glanced at me, a knowing look in his eye. “Garrett, did you⁠—”

“Don’t,” I said, pointing a finger at him. “Don’t go making this into some big thing. You earned it. That’s it.”

They both stared at me for a moment, and I could tell they weren’t buying it. Lee opened her mouth to say something, but I held up a hand to stop her.

“Seriously,” I said, leaning back again. “Take the check, say thank you, and move on. We’ve got bigger fish to fry. I’m going to bust ass to land us another client. Bigger. More work. And I’ll expect the same level of dedication.”

Chris smirked, tucking the check into his pocket. “Alright, boss. Thanks. But don’t think this means I’m going to start liking you.”