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“Good.”
“I saw my mom once in a while though. It still bothers me. I don’t even know what happened to her. Sometimes I worry she might stumble into the clinic one day. I think I’d panic. I probably should’ve picked a job outside of town.” She half-smiled. “But I love my family and friends too much.”
“Yeah, I get that.”
“And the job market sucks. There’s a zillion social workers and psychology majors out there fighting for the same jobs. It’s a miracle I got as far as I did. I’m on my way to a supervisor position.” She might have been bragging
slightly, bringing it up like that.
Instead of calling her out on it, he smiled. “I’m not surprised. You’re smart and driven and responsible. They’re lucky to have you.”
“Thanks,” she replied awkwardly, now kicking herself for bragging. Humility was not one of her strong suits.
She adjusted herself on his lap. The muscles in his thighs kept moving, and it was odd having this conversation so close to someone’s face. But his size made her feel petite. And sitting on his lap made her feel more submissive than when she’d first walked in. That was probably the point. He liked throwing her off balance.
“So, what do you do for work?” she asked, trying to grasp control again.
“I took over my father’s business.”
“Which is?”
He hesitated, piquing her curiosity.
She narrowed her eyes. “Hmm. Let me guess. You’re a spy.”
“No.”
“An assassin.”
He laughed.
“A hacker?”
“Nope. I make specialty soda.”
Soda? She hadn’t expected that.
“Disappointed?”
“Why would I be?”
He smiled. “Your imagination was much more interesting than the truth.”
Looking around the opulent kitchen, she said, “I didn’t realize there was so much money in soda.”
“Have you heard of the Jennings Corporation?”
Recognition hit. “Oh! That’s where I knew your name from!” She paused and thought about the size of his house, and the suit he was currently wearing, and the car he drove, and it all made sense. It was a big business and very popular on the east coast. He must be loaded. “So why all the secrecy?”
He pursed his lips and seemed to consider his words before answering. “When some girls find out I have money, they tend to want to try to make things work longer, even though it’s obvious we aren’t a good match. Or they might pretend to have feelings for me that aren’t real.”
“Oh. I get it.” She felt a bit sad for him. It must be hard to know who to trust. “Well, I’m not like that. A rich asshole is still an asshole. You don’t have to worry about me pretending to like you to get to your wallet.”
His brow arched in a dommy way, but there was amusement in his eyes. “So what other reason would you pretend to like me?”
She lifted her chin and suppressed a smile. “’Cause you’re hot, of course.”
He laughed loudly, then stood up and threw her over his shoulder, making her yelp in surprise.
