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“Because I have nothing left.” The words slipped out, and even though I covered my mouth with my hand, it didn’t magically bring the words back. It was too late. They’d been spoken.
“Nothing?” he said.
I looked at him and his face was pulled tight with concern. Something I hated, but there was nothing I could do.
“Tell me, Paige. What’s going on with you? The truth.”
I glanced down and realized I had nothing left to lose, other than my pride. But that was my final bargaining chip, and this was my last hand to play.
“Things have snowballed rather quickly for me. I’m out of a job and place to live come the weekend. And . . .”
“I’m your last resort?” Leo asked.
“No.” I met his eyes. “You’re my only resort.” A flash of pity crossed his face and I hated it. So much it made my pride bristle. “You wanted reality? I just told you mine. But despite my recent . . . issues, I believe I’m the best person for this job, Leo.”
Something like understanding radiated from him and he nodded. “Anything else, Miss Levine?”
I shook my head.
“Well, then I guess the last hurdle to overcome is the sexual harassment prospect.”
Hope flared through me. He was considering me. Just this last issue to move past and I’d get this job. I knew it. Clung to that hope. Time for bold moves to secure a victory.
“I’m not going to lie, there is chemistry,” I said.
“Nice chemistry?” he added, and I knew he enjoyed throwing that word back at me from the night we’d been together. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I wounded Mr. Shipping CEO’s ego.
I lifted my chin. “You’re right though. We have a past incident between us. But working together will be different. Strictly professional.”
“Forgive me if I don’t trust—”
“Me?” I cut him off, trying to tamp down that flaring ache I got whenever my word came into question. I knew what he was getting at. “I can understand your hesitation. I was the woman you met in a bar and fucked, and now I could cry sexual harassment if you hire me, right?”
All humor left his face and he stared at me. The same way everyone else did when faced with a decision whether to trust me or not. I knew he felt the latter. But no matter how much that sucked for me personally, I couldn’t blame him.
“It’s smart to be cautious,” I said, and he frowned. If there was something I was good at, it was taking emotion out of the equation. Sometimes things just were the way they were. But I couldn’t lose this chance.
“You sound so . . . reasonable,” he said.
“I’m a reasonable person, Leo.” It suited me well, especially the past few years in politics. “What if I said I could ease your mind about this sexual harassment idea?”
“How would you do that?”
“If I harassed you first.”
With that, I cupped the back of his neck and yanked him down for a searing kiss. It was only a moment, but enough to just barely bite his lower lip and taste his tongue. With my free hand, I cupped his cock—which was semi-hard—through his pants. I released him quickly, before I got caught up in how perfect his lips were or start to wonder why he was getting hard just by talking to me.
I took three steps back and looked at him. Hoping to God I didn’t overplay my hand.
“There,” I said, a little breathless. “Since I was the one to do that first, you can always fire me on the spot and I couldn’t argue.”
“Bold play, Red.”
I licked my lips and still tasted him. Wished like hell I could get a deeper taste, because whether I got this job or not, I was pretty sure it would be the last time I got to.
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the edge of his desk.
“Three months. Exceptional job performance and one letter of recommendation—a letter I am not promising unless I see that you deserve it.”
