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“And you’re stupid, period, if you think you can just dismiss what was between us out of pride.”
“It’s not pride.” Not only pride. “We were together a lifetime ago. Do you really think any of this is even relevant anymore?”
“Yes, I do.” She reached across the table to grip his wrist, the soft skin of her palm disarmingly warm and somehow so familiar. “Give me one night, Spencer. I just need to know if there’s anything still there.”
A year ago, he wouldn’t even have questioned what he had to do. Walking away from the store wasn’t an option. He’d made some stupid choices, granted, but he still had this hand to play out and he wasn’t ready to fold. Pride didn’t have a place in business, not when you were bargaining for everything that mattered.
Not everything. Not anymore.
“So you’re blackmailing me,” he said flatly.
“I prefer to see it as encouraging you to listen to reason about what’s best for both of us.” As if she sensed a change in him, her voice became more entreating. “If we’re not what we were before, then all agreements stand. You’ll be the RM of the Virginia stores as planned and I’ll work under you. One night. That’s all.”
Turning his head away, he forced the images out of his mind. Of kissing Kelly, of holding her.No. He wouldn’t think of her or his betrayal. Promises had never been made, but it didn’t matter. Doing this might cost him the brightest part of his life but this was the most expeditious solution to his problem. Most sensible. And hell, Kelly would be better off without him.
It wasn’t just about his role in the store. Actually, for once his position wasn’t first on his agenda. No, right now he cared a hell of a lot more about Kelly—and finding a way to keep her in his life—than he did about fighting for something he’d clearly never really had.
But there were no guarantees. If he threw away this chance to hold on to the store, he might not be able to keep her in his life anyway. He wasn’t long-term relationship material and they both knew it. And if he walked, Diana would disregard his hiring decisions and the people he cared about would lose. Marcia wouldn’t move into his job. Kelly wouldn’t move into Marcia’s position. Regardless of their importance in his life, they’d earned those advancements.
He had to see this through. All the way. If he suffered, too bad. He’d made his bed. He’d fucking sleep in it.
“It’s never all, not with you,” he said, his internal war making his tone brittle.
“I’m telling you it will be, Spencer. You have my word.”
This didn’t mean anything. It was just business. Maybe he could work things so he could keep both Kelly and his job. If he played his cards right, this would never have to touch her. Or them.
And maybe delusions were all he had left.
“You’ll sign papers this time.” He might as well write a pact in blood with the devil, with his body as the price. “There will be no wiggle room. No do-overs.”
Diana nodded, her features glowing in the flickering votive candle that sat between them on the table. “Whatever you wish. Just give me tonight.”
* * * * *
“First time you’ve called in sick in three years. Guess my brother wore you out last night. Nice perk fucking the boss, huh?”
“God.”
Even twelve hours later, remembering Marcia’s taunt made Kelly’s hackles rise. She glanced around the romance section, wondering how she’d managed to work with that stupid comment whirling around in her head.
And if there was another reason besides the nearly finished reorganization she’d come back to work this late—such as waiting for Spencer to return from his business dinner—well, that was only because she needed to talk to him about Marcia’s very valid observation.
She glanced down at her outfit and fought a smile.After.
He’d dropped her off at home on his way to his late dinner. Since she’d already put in a full eight hours, he’d assumed she was done for the
day.
Assumptions rarely worked out the way people thought.
Putting together tonight’s outfit had taken some work. She’d had to borrow Alana’s skirt. As her friend was a bit shorter and curvier than Kelly, creative cinching of the waist had been required. Their height difference had actually turned out to be a good thing, because the hem barely skimmed midthigh. Combined with her tight white blouse and red lace see-through bra—and pigtails, of course, because she knew he liked those too—she looked like a Catholic schoolgirl gone very wrong. All part of her plan to send her boss off on his trip in a way he wouldn’t forget.
After she’d gotten ready, she’d stopped by the comedy club to hang out with Nicky and Alana for a while. Poor Nicky had ended up as the de facto bouncer when one too many guys tried to touch her ass. But Kelly had loved every minute.
She’d spent a lot of years as the girl no one noticed. Even better? She now knew Spencer would probably go cardiac the minute he saw her. Or so she hoped.
Luckily she had the last few tweaks to the romance redesign to play around with while she waited for him. She still wasn’t happy with the arrangement of the endcaps and she had new books to shelve. Mindless duties were just what she needed tonight.
