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"You know how it is. He's sixteen."
Levi grinned. "One of the best years of my life. I got a car, and I got laid for the first time in it."
I laughed until I considered what he was saying. "I'm sure he's fine, and Taylor's probably just overreacting. Boys will be boys, right?" I felt like I was trying to talk myself into believing that. Guilt filled me that I wasn't being more involved, but after years of being pushed out, I'd finally given up.
"Do you ever miss being married?"
I shook my head vehemently. "Not to Taylor, I don't.”
“So you’re open to falling in love again.”
Again? I couldn’t say for sure I was in love with Taylor, or that I’d ever really been in love with anything but my work. “I haven't met a woman who can keep my interest very long." Strange then that two months after fucking Betts in the library at Naomi’s wedding, I was still thinking about her.
"Sort of like your businesses, eh?" Levi chimed in.
I nodded. “Right.”
"Are you sure you want to stick another year with the hockey team? I could come up with a new bet."
I shook my head. "No, I'm actually excited about this new bet."
Levi studied me like he didn’t quite believe me. “You already proved yourself, though. It’s not really a challenge.”
“As you said, my aces in the hole are gone or are on leave.” Of course, that wasn’t where the real challenge came from. The challenge would be using this bet as an opportunity to spend time with Betts. Would the pull of attraction continue?
If it wore off like all my other interests, that would be good. She’d be out of my mind and my system. If not ... well ... as I’d told Levi, no woman ever held my interest for very long. Betts struck me as a woman who wasn’t interested in love either, based on how cool and aloof she was, so there wasn't a risk she’d want more from me than I could give.
I hoped that Betts and I could have some enjoyable times while the chemistry lasted. And when it ended, she’d have her job and I’d move on to new projects. No harm, no foul. But first, I needed to get past her guard to find the fiery woman I met in the library.
4
Betts
Iwas working in the Las Vegas office today putting the final touches on the billboard I’d designed to promote the team. Last season, Max Blake and big Ed Sampson were the two stars who got most attention, except for Naomi, who was the focus of publicity.
Now that I was in charge, my goal was to move away from sensationalism and scandal and instead promote a hockey team. I wanted to spread the attention out over all the members, starting with a single team-centered billboard.
It'd been a week since the department meeting, and I hadn’t seen Todd since then except for the few times he showed up in my dreams. I really hated it when he did that. It made me wonder if I needed to get out more and try to meet somebody new. It was bad enough thinking your boss was attractive, but to have actually given into it and had sex with him, sex he didn’t remember, bruised my ego and made me feel pathetic. I didn't want to experience that again.
There was a muffled commotion, and when I looked up, Todd was walking across the marketing department toward my corner. Several of the other marketing team said their hellos or quickly looked busy.
As he approached, I tried to ignore how fabulous he looked in his expensive tailored suit. I wondered if he went to Italy for his fittings. Realizing I was ogling, I made sure my face didn’t give my attention away.
“Good morning, Ms. Adams. I need to talk with you."
My stomach had this strange flutter which I quickly told it to knock off. I managed to put on a cordial smile. "Of course." I looked around for a chair for him to sit in.
“This won’t take long.” His eyes twinkled, and his expression told me that he had something up his sleeve. His gaze drifted over to my wall where the mockup of the billboard hung. When he turned his attention back to me, he said, "This is good, but unfortunately, we're going to have to scrap it."
Immediately, my hackles went up. "What do you mean? It's on the verge of being executed." Feeling peevish, I sat in my chair, letting him know I wasn’t interested in his new idea.
He grinned like a Cheshire cat. "That's why I'm here. We need to talk about a new marketing campaign."
"All right,” I said through gritted teeth.
He came around my desk and held out his hand, which I stared at like it had cooties. "I'm not going to tell you about it. I'm going to show it to you. Come on."
For a moment, I wondered what he’d do if I told him no. But he was my boss, and I needed the job. I refused his hand as I stood up on my own.
