Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
I can feel a blush heating my cheeks. “He came by my desk this morning to check in. Make sure I was getting settled, you know.”
Ami takes a sip of her mojito, smiling around the straw. “Of course he did.”
I should give what I’m about to say next a little build-up, a bit of warning, but I don’t. “And he dropped a million dollars in my lap for me to trade with,” I say, acting like it’s no big deal.
Maggie, who’s taking a sip of wine, chokes slightly. “He what?”
“For me to invest. To make money with,” I clarify. “It’s not like I could go to Tiffany’s with it or something.”
“And did you make money?” Ami asks.
“Well, yeah,” I say with a touch of pride. “I mean, it takes time and all, but yeah.. And then… he called me to his office to go over my numbers and…”
Maggie and Ami both look at me eagerly, their eyebrows climbing as they see me squirm some at the comment. “He called you in his office?” Maggie’s tone is comical. “Is this going where I think it’s going?”
“Sort of?” I reply before attempting to hold back a grin and failing. Maybe it’s the wine, or maybe I’m just still flushed with post-sex hormones. I don’t know, but I know Ami and Mags won’t blab about things. “At the end of the day, I went to his office to talk about my trade performance. He said I did a great job.” I slowly recall everything and how it all happened. “Then he had me look at a deal he’s working on.”
Maggie looks at Ami and throws up quotation marks like ‘deal’ as she nods knowingly.
I shift as memories of what Dylan and I did in his office come to the forefront of my mind. I can still feel the ache between my thighs, and my heart does that flip thing I wish it would stop doing. “I guess the important part was that one thing led to another and…”
“In his office?” Maggie balks. She’s giving me that judgy look I was worried about.
Ami kicks out at Maggie. “Quit ruining it for her. This is amazing. Like a fairy tale.”
Maggie tilts her head, looking at Ami. “What fairytales are you reading? I think you mean porn. She’s fucking her boss in his office, after hours. Not exactly Cinderella.”
Ouch. That hurts.
The jolt must show on my face because Maggie changes her expression really quickly and seems to understand where I’m coming from. “Sorry, girl. I didn’t mean it like that,” she says quickly, attempting to backtrack. “Look, I know I told you it was no big deal, but that was when it was a one-off and you weren’t working there. Just… be careful, okay?”
I feel like everyone keeps telling me that. Like I don’t see the red flags myself even though they’re nearly on fire and waving around like a pyrotechnic show.
But I also feel what I feel, and I know what Dylan said.
I meet Maggie’s eyes, understanding that she’s doing her best to look out for me and be a good friend. “I hear you. Really, I do. But we talked.”
“Before or after?” Ami asks with a grin. At least she’s on my side, wanting sordid details more than conversational ones.
“Both,” I say, fighting back a grin to match Ami’s. “He told me that it had nothing to do with my work. That we can keep them separate. And he said that no one has to know unless I want them to. He’s not hiding me, like Evan was.” That causes a little unexpected twinge in my gut because that’s exactly what Evan did. Shaking my head, I add, “He’s not sleeping with anyone else or seeing anyone else. Just me.”
That means more to me than he realizes. It should be an automatic, but as I’ve recently learned, it’s most definitely not.
Maggie and Ami have been listening closely as I tell them everything, so now I hold my hands out. “Okay, hit me with it. Have I completely fucked my life up? Am I a disaster waiting to happen?”
They silently meet eyes, making me wait for what feels like an eternity but is probably less than two seconds.
Maggie sighs. “I don’t think so, but I will not be held responsible if it all blows up. I’m hereby releasing you to the wilds of your own decisions.”
Ami laughs, ticking off on her fingers. “All I’m hearing is Hottie McMoneybags has it bad for you. You love your new job. And your boss said you’re great at it. So, congratulations!”
As if dinner is agreement with her, the buzzer goes off. “I’ve got it,” Ami shouts, hopping up to let the delivery person in the door downstairs and then the apartment door.
She comes back a moment later and passes out cardboard containers of something that smells delicious. “You know what you’ve gotta do now, right?”