AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Tilly? Can you have the Aston Martin brought around?”
* * *
The drive uptown to Mercer Enterprises’ headquarters is smooth. They even have a guest garage where I can park. And a smiling receptionist welcomes me as I request to speak with the CEO, her eyes only slightly widening at my aggressive tone. I try to apologize for it with a friendly smile, but, given how her lips curl over her teeth in response, it must have been more of a scary grimace.
I have to wait a few minutes before someone gets back to her. She nods into the phone, throwing me even more surreptitious glances until she finally stands up. “Please follow me.”
I expect her to bring me to the top floor. Instead, we climb only a couple of floors in the elevator before she gets out, asking me to follow her.
She guides me along a corridor of black walls and swipes her security badge over a security pod at the end of the hall, unlocking an equally dark door.
“Mr. Mercer is waiting for you inside.”
I thank her and enter the room, discovering Gabriel seated on a gym bench in the middle of a weight-training workout. He’s wearing a black tank top that leaves his muscular shoulders and arms bare. But even more annoying is the grin he’s sporting. Couldn’t keep away? it seems to be asking me.
He greets me with a simple, “Hello, what can I do for you?”, not even bothering to stop his workout.
Before I speak, I have to recover from the sight of his sweaty biceps, but then I remember why I came here and that I’m on the warpath.
“Did you know?” I accuse.
Gabriel tilts his head and keeps flexing all those stupid muscles. “Know what?”
I point at his general chest area. “Can you stop lifting for a second?”
His grin widens. “I thought muscles were your bread and butter; you should be used to the sight.”
Not when it’s him. Not when my body is practically begging me to take those stupid dumbbells out of his hands and have my wicked way with him on that bench. Not when he’s the last person I should have these kinds of thoughts about.
I drag my eyes away from his muscular arms and settle on his eyes, not that it helps. “Apex, did you know we were the last two companies in the run to win the bid?”
That finally gets his attention. He drops the weights to the mat and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“Did you?”
I shake my head.
“Competing bidders were kept confidential; I had no more way of knowing it was you than you had of knowing it was me.”
I glare at him.
His features soften. “It wasn’t a personal slight, just business. They wanted physical locations and that’s why they went with me.” He waves at me. “You’re too new and shiny for them. And the CEO still can’t be bothered to grow their online sales.”
I believe him—his appraisal is spot on. And Gabriel doesn’t strike me as petty; he wouldn’t steal a deal from me on purpose. But I don’t know how to respond. I’m not even sure why I drove here.
Gabriel has the same curiosity.
“Did you come all the way up here just to congratulate me?” The smirk is back, as is the flirty tone, and coming here was a mistake because all I want to do now is push him back on that bench and kiss the smugness out of him.
“I just came to reiterate why we cannot date. The Apex deal is a perfect example of why our lives would clash. You have to agree.” I sound desperate.
He shrugs. “Sorry, I don’t.”
“How can you not?”
“For the way you’re looking at me right now. No deal is worth missing out on that.”
It’s not just my cheeks that flare up. My entire body becomes engulfed by flames.
