Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
“Were you together when you were his assistant?”
“God, no,” I reply reflexively. “I kinda hated him when I worked for him.”
“I hated Bennett too!” She seems enthusiastic that we have this in common. “Well, I fucked him first, then I hated him.” She laughs to herself. “Is Leo an arsehole to work for? He’s always so upbeat and charming. I imagine he’s a pushover as a boss.”
“He’s not a pushover. But he’s not an asshole. He lets everyone thinks he’s relaxed and a bit of an airhead, but nothing could be further from the truth. He knows what he wants and how he wants it. But he’s charming about it.”
“He sounds like a great boss—kinda how he is outside of work. So why did you hate him?”
I pull in a breath. Efa wants to know everything. “I guess because he’s charming and flirty and good-looking and… I imagine not the most faithful guy in the world. Like, he’d be unreliable as a boyfriend. I’ve been burned by that kind of guy.”
Efa hums as she thinks. “And you’ve found out he’s not like that?” She pauses. “I mean, he is charming and flirty and good-looking. There’s no doubt about that. But he’s not unreliable. And I’ve never known him to be unfaithful. He’s been burned too. Maybe that’s made him a little afraid to commit.”
My stomach squeezes and twists. “Yeah, he’s told me bits and pieces,” I say.
“He’s such a good man,” she adds quickly. “He just hasn’t met the right woman yet. Maybe you’re who he needs.”
I force a small laugh. I don’t want her to think I’m some girl who thinks she’s the exception—that this time will be different. “We’re not actually getting married, so it’s completely fine. I’m living in the now.” I take a chip and load it with dip. I don’t want to talk about this. I don’t even want to think about this. Leo and I haven’t discussed anything beyond having sex while we’re living together. And why would we? For starters, I still work for him. Then there’s the fact that we’re not going to be living together forever. We don’t need to discuss this stuff because whatever we have between us will come to a natural end when I move out after the awards ceremony. I know Leo’s never going to settle down. He’s not the asshole I thought he was, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to anoint me as the Chosen One, either.
“Now’s a good place to start,” she says. “But don’t write off tomorrow. Since I met Leo, it struck me that what he needs is someone in his corner. He’s been so afraid of finding someone, but I think deep down, that’s what he wants.”
I start choking on my chip. “Good to know,” I say when I’ve recovered.
“He’s got a really good heart.” She glances over at the couch. “They all do. They just need the right women to round off their hard corners.”
“Is that what you do for Bennett?”
She smiles. “I think we do it for each other.”
I like the idea of the man I’m with making me slightly better, and me being able to do the same for him.
“Are Leo and Bennett the closest?” I ask.
“I’m not sure. Sometimes, from what I can see. But then sometimes Worth and Leo spend a lot of time together. Fisher and Jack are really close. But they all trust each other. They’d do anything for each other.”
It’s nice to see that side of Leo—the side that’s fiercely loyal and a good friend. If Caroline Hammond had never happened, I wonder whether Leo would be less afraid of being in a committed relationship.
“Do you know about his ex?” I ask.
“Caroline? Or Nadia? He only has two from what I know.”
I’m interested in both, but I settle on Caroline. “The first one. She seems to have really…”
“Fucked him up? What a bitch, right? Was just using him to irritate her father. Apparently, she got a chunk of change when she got shipped off to California. Her father tried to pay Leo to dump her, and when that didn’t work, he paid her to dump Leo and sent her west.”
My stomach churns at the thought. How can people treat each other like that? “Do you think that was her game plan all along?”
“Probably. But why did she have to string him along for years?”
“Well, if he was as good in bed then as he is now, I think I know why.” I laugh, and Efa joins in. “I’m kidding. There’s no excuse to behave like that. But it says far more about her than it does about him.”
“Maybe she liked him, but not enough to marry?”
“And then he decided never to trust another woman with his heart again,” I say out loud. “She ruined him.”