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When she narrows her gaze, I lower my hand to my side.
She steps back then surveys my features closely. "Youdidsleep with him.”
"What? Of course, not."Not yet, that is.Not ever, if I have my way, which doesn’t mean anything. When it comes to Knight, my ability to say no is non-existent.
"Penny!" Mira warns.
"What? It’s the truth." I bring more spaghetti to my mouth, then begin to chew.
“You told me when you met him at the club, nothing happened.”
“Nothing happened then,” I insist.
"But something did happen, since?”
I widen my gaze. “I’m not lying, I didn’t sleep with him.”
“But you kissed him."
I choke, then cough. Mira slaps my back, and I reach for the water and swallow down the piece stuck in my throat.
"Not exactly… I might have, uh, crossed the boundary of what’s professional, but he's the one who initiated it."
"Hmm." She has a speculative look on her face.
I wipe the tears that have rolled down my cheeks due to my coughing fit. "No, seriously, the man’s an animal."
"I see." Her lips quirk slightly. "I mean, I’m all for you riding that grumpy, gloomy, wounded warrior of a stallion. The sex will, surely, be an experience."
"He’s my boss. That would make things very uncomfortable."
"It's not like you’re sleeping your way into a job or anything."
I blush harder.
"Oh, my god! Did he offer you a job because you and he—" She pinches the fingers of her hands then brings them together. "Is that why he paid for your ma to stay on in the care home?"
"First, when it comes to Knight, it’s not like I have a choice. He, uh, made a move on me, and I couldn’t resist him. And he paid my mother’s bills because he likes to have a hold on me. He likes to manipulate people. That’s what he does. Also, this conversation is now giving me a headache, so can we change it?"
A line forms between her eyebrows. "But, Penny, you—"
My phone rings, thank god. I scramble off the barstool and walk toward the coffee table where I left it. "It’s Abby."
I bring her up on FaceTime.
"I’m so happy you’re taking the job." Abby’s features are wreathed in a smile. "This is going to be great! I know it."
Not sure she’d feel that way if I told her about all that transpired between her brother and me. Not that I’m going to… yet.
"Uh, yeah, I’m excited." I flash her a smile.
"You’re going to be good for him, Penny, I just know it."
"Um—" I clear my throat. "It’s not like I’ve been an assistant before or anything."
"But you’ve held down so many jobs, you have the experience to roll with the punches, you know?"
I wince.
