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“Your hair and clothes are one thing, but you also want lessons in flirting. In seduction.” He still couldn’t believe she’d asked him to teach her how to be a better lover in bed. Although, of all the things she’d listed as part of her favor, that one bothered him the least. Because he didn’t intend to follow through on it. At least not the way she expected.
He didn’t doubt for a moment he could mold Beaumont into a genuine sex goddess if he set his mind to it. She was a blank canvas, and it was tempting to accept her challenge, to create the type of woman who would drive men crazy with lust and desire. He was certain he could accomplish that without actually doing the deed. He’d just have to be creative.
“I’m socially awkward, Gage. You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”
He didn’t outwardly agree, though she’d hit the nail on the head. Russo Enterprises held an annual holiday party in December, one that Beaumont had never missed, though he wasn’t entirely sure why she bothered to attend.
For six years straight, she’d parked herself at a corner table with Toby and Rich, the three of them scarfing down food, chair dancing whenever they liked a song, staring at their phones, and basically ignoring everyone else at the party.
Last year, the three of them had left the grand ballroom and spent the better part of the evening searching forPokémonin and around the hotel.
“Your reason for wanting this still personal?” he asked, not wanting to admit how curious he was.
She nodded.
“So the wager stands?” he said at last, convinced he wouldn’t win this argument and starting to think he didn’t want to.
“It stands.”
“Then to the victor go the spoils.” He gestured to their chairs, and they started up the third and final game.
“Fuck,” Gage said half an hour later, tossing down his controller.
Beaumont stood up, looking far too fucking smug. Gage hated to lose, regardless of the fact he didn’t hate the wager. But the truth of the matter was…it was impossible for him to set his competitiveness aside, so hehadbeen playing to win.
And he hadn’t.
He grumbled another curse word.
“Don’t be a sore loser,” she said when he crossed his arms, scowling. “I beat you fair and square.”
She had, but that knowledge didn’t help.
“You’re still not leaving Russo Enterprises,” he grumbled.
Beaumont pushed her glasses up. “I never said I was. I just said I got an offer. Agoodoffer.”
“Your annual evaluation is next month. Tell me what Frost is offering and we’ll match their offer. Fuck that, we’ll beat it.”
“Okay, I’ll hear what you have to say,” she said.
Gage considered her carefully worded answer. If not this time, at some point, another company was most likely going to swoop in with the right proposal, which was why he’d really wanted to nail her down with a long contract. “Will you promise to come to me if and when the headhunters come back? Give me a chance to match their offer?”
Beaumont seemed to consider that. “Maybe,” she drawled.
“Maybe?” he asked hotly.
“You could at least attempt to sweeten the deal…by making me captain of the e-sports team.”
Gage barked out a loud laugh. She was shameless. “Seriously? That’s the part you want to negotiate about?”
“My life is very small, Gage. Work, games, cats. I love the idea of testing games from that upstart of yours and the weekend tournaments. For the first time in ages, I’m actually excited about something.”
Sounded like they had something in common. Gage hadn’t realized until that moment that Beaumont was as bored with her life as he was with his.
“So it’s just the e-sports you’re excited about? Not the whole reinventing-yourself project?” he asked.
“Oh, I’m super excited about that too. Especially the sex part.”
