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Not to do what she was implying, though God knew I wanted that so much I could taste it. “I don’t want you on the Blake Morten account,” I said abruptly, deciding there was no good way to ease into that conversation. “I know Maureen wants this to be your trial run, but I think it’s a bad idea.”
“My trial run?” Annoyance threaded Layla’s voice. She pushed her auburn hair back over her shoulder and frowned. “You do remember that I’ve already done this for two years in LA.”
“I remember, but PR and Brand Development aren’t synonymous.”
“Yeah, but it’s not about the work is it?” Now Layla sat down. She crossed her long legs. “It’s about Blake himself.”
Following her lead, I lowered myself into my own chair. “Yeah, it is,” I said frankly. “I can tell by the way he acted with you in the meeting that he’s going to be a problem.”
“And you think that in my two years in PR in LA, I didn’t learn to handle guys like Blake?” Layla’s voice was silky with confidence. She smiled privately, as if remembering the numerous ways she’d learned to put such men in their place. That look got in my veins and burned like whiskey. I wanted to reach across this desk and drag her across it. Not because I was anything like those men, but because shehadn’tput me in my place. She’d kissed me back, and I’d sensed that she was offering more.
“I’m sure you did,” I managed to say, my tightening throat strangling the words. “But we’re not that kind of workplace.Youdon’t have to handle those men. The company makes sure of it.”
“You mean you make sure of it.” Layla considered me. She didn’t look angry exactly. More stubborn. “You’re the company, Aiden.”
“Fine, yeah,Itake care of it.” I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. I didn’t like the way she was looking at me. Like she was seeing something underneath my skin.
“Is this because–”
“It has nothing to do with Friday,” I cut her off.
Layla’s blue eyes widened and the corners of her mouth curved in a smirk. “I was going to say, is this because of my dad.”
Fuck. Of course she’d meant Jack. It took Herculean effort to control my face, to keep my breathing steady and even. “Layla,” I said warningly.
“I know, I know.” She held up her hands as if to prove she wasn’t holding a weapon. Like she needed one. This womanwasa weapon. Her eyes, her smile, her body. All were lethal, and I was collateral damage. Then she knocked all thoughts of sex out of my head by saying, “But I’m not stepping back from Blake’s account.”
“Yes you fucking are,” I said automatically. “I wasn’t asking how you felt about it, Layla. I was telling you, as your boss.”
Again, that quick grin. “I like it when you pull rank, Aiden. But it’s not going to work. If you pull me off, it’s going to look strange.”
“No, it won’t. Everyone saw how he acted toward you during the meeting.”
Layla raised her eyebrows. “Didthey? Or were you maybe watching me a little closer than all the others? Because Blake was sprinkling creep vibes over Gloria, too.”
I frowned, trying to remember. Had he really? That was something I generally would have noticed, but then, I generally didn’t have Layla in the room with me, dragging my focus away from the task at hand.
Layla uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, dropping her voice to a whisper. “You can’t pull me off, Aiden, or you might as well tell everyone we kissed.” Her eyes were glinting with mischief. She knew she had me in a corner.
“Then tell Maureen he made you uncomfortable,” I ordered.
Layla shook her head slowly.
Lust and fury twined around each other and filled my chest. She was putting me in a fucking impossible situation and she knew it. Hell, she was reveling in it. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Layla,” I said, my voice darkening.
“Maybe. But it’s better than sitting on the sidelines.” She looked pointedly at the desk I’d put between us. Her voice dipped into a whisper again. “You want me, Aiden. I want you. Let’s stop pretending this is about Blake.”
I liked the way she threw his name away like it was garbage. A small part of me had wondered what the fuck I was going to do if Layla was actually flattered by his attention. I’d have had to drop the bastard as a client and take the loss. I wouldn’t have been able to explain it to Maureen, but hell, that was becoming a running theme in my life anyway.
“I want you,” I agreed, keeping my words short. A tight leash was necessary for this conversation. If I said too much… God only knew what would happen. “But it can’t happen.”
Layla only smiled.
CHAPTER17
LAYLA
Ididn’t have a plan exactly. More of an idea of a plan. An outline of an idea, anyway. Basically it was to put myself in Aiden’s way as often as possible until he gave in. Ironically, Blake made it easier for me. Aiden never followed through on his threat to take me off the account, and Blake never got the hint that we didn’t need to meet with him every other day, so I saw a lot of both of them.
