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“Come again?”
Turner rubbed his chin and laughed. “Oh, no… you think I don’t know, do you?”
My heart thumped but I cocked my head to play it off.
“Know what?”
“Why you were hired,” he said, stepping close to me. I was sure his chest was entirely too close to mine, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of looking down to confirm. I kept my stare pinned right back on his, refusing to look anything but undaunted.
“And why do you think I was hired, Turner?”
“Come on, Sara,” he whispered mischievously. “Girls like you get jobs like these because they’re pretty. Because their asses look good in little skirts. You’re hired strictly to make deals go more smoothly for guys like Julian. It’s why he hired you to oversee the changes at this resort,” he said, letting me know that he didn’t actually have the information I thought he did. I let out an inaudible breath of relief as Turner smirked. “Julian put you out here because people are more inclined to do what you say, Sara. You’re sweet, and friendly, and pretty, and they subconsciously want to please you. Hell, I know I want to please you.”
“Turner, from what I observed before you joined me in the elevator, you have your choice of women here,” I said calmly.
“Well, they don’t do it for me. I tried using them to scratch the itch – it didn’t work.”
I was quickly reaching my limit of being able to even fake laugh this off, so with the same polite smile I’d been giving him, I said, “Turner, I do have to get ready. I’ll see you at dinner.”
His voice was smug as I turned to open the door.
“That ass of yours is telling me to come in.”
“I assure you it’s not,” I fired back without glancing behind.
“Christ. So why even dress like that if you don’t want me to react?” he asked. I was halfway in my room when I froze in utter disgust. “You’re asking me to fuck you and then telling me you don’t want it. Is that not what’s going on?”
Lord, Turner. Seriously?
His questions were appalling. Undeniably so. Still, I waited for myself to feel that rush of shame or guilt. I waited to feel the need to cover up and tell myself I’d asked for it, but the feeling didn’t come.
Firmly blocking my open door, I turned to face him.
“Mr. Roth, as it turns out, women sometimes do things for their own pleasure and happiness. I wear my clothes because I like them, and because I feel good in them. I enjoy feeling attractive, and if that catches your attention, then you are welcome to look. But unless I invite you, do not ever touch or assume you’re entitled to. Using the way I dress as an excuse for your lack of respect or self-control is not justified or sufficient.” I tilted my head. “Okay?” I asked with a deliberate brightness that could only be interpreted as friendly.
Turner gazed at me for several seconds, his eyes glimmering.
“You know, you’re different than all the other girls.”
“I’m not. I’m just different from the ones you pursue. Cast a wider net and you’ll meet plenty of women willing to speak their minds.”
The shit-eating grin was back. “Why look for them when I’ve already got you?” Turner asked, looking me up and down. “Come on, sweetheart. Just let me in for a second,” he persisted. “I’ll keep it strictly business – pinky swear.”
I stared at him. “We can discuss anything you want right in this hall.”
“I don’t want to discuss it in the hall, Sara, and considering I’m the one making all the final decisions on this trip, you should probably think twice about being so difficult to work with,” he asked, his teasing tone tinged with an iciness now. He smiled at the slight falter in my expression. “You know Hoult needs this deal. I’m by far his highest bidder for this resort, and Roth Entertainment is the only, and I mean only company that can launch Empire Stadium into becoming the most lucrative stadium in New York. Considering the competition, that’s a big fucking deal in that town. And it’s a big deal to his family – I’m sure you know how important his family is to him. Right?”
“I do,” I muttered, my heart racing.
I swallowed hard as I thought about this deal coming down to a chance run-in with Turner, and his stupid, egotistical need to get his way and come in my room. I couldn’t stand the thought of Julian failing this venture solely because of me, or the thought of becoming another woman who came between him and his family. I considered that letting Turner into my room could be quick – that I could text Julian the moment I got in and let him know to swing by ASAP. If Turner’s intentions were in fact as lewd as I imagined, then I’d just have to stall for ten, fifteen minutes before Julian arrived.
For the sake of this entire deal, those fifteen minutes seemed potentially worth it.
At the same time, while I took more risks these days, I’d decidedly stopped taking ones like these.
I respected myself far too much for it.
“I’m sorry, Turner. But you’re not coming in my room,” I said, heading inside and nearly shutting the door in his face. My heart pounded when Turner pushed his hand against it, but to my slight relief, he only held it open enough to say one last thing.
