Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 44746 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44746 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
“Seriously?”
“Of course. Don’t you know all the rich people in this city hang out together?”
She laughs. “Sounds like a conspiracy theory.”
“It’s not.” I lead her through the lobby and toward the dining room. The hostess recognizes me instantly and leads us back to the best table in the house. It’s a small table, only enough space for two, but it’s in the back corner and near a window. We have privacy but we can also watch the people move down the street if we want to.
Paige sits down and I sit across from her. “Are you bribing me with breakfast?” she asks.
“Yes,” I say, grinning. “But that’s not all.”
She sighs and orders coffee and pancakes. I just ask for coffee.
“Food isn’t going to make me forget yesterday.”
“No, it isn’t.” I sit there and sip my coffee after it arrives a moment later. She does the same. “But do you know why you felt that way?”
She hesitates a second. “You made me feel worthless.”
“Right,” I say softly. “I made you feel like you’re not important.”
“Look, you don’t have to do this,” she says quickly. “I know this little arrangement is just a business thing. You’re just using me and I’m just using you. We don’t need to pretend like my feelings matter.”
That pains me for some reason. I wince slightly and look away. I hate that she thinks her feelings might not matter. I mean, even if she were just my assistant still and we weren’t embroiled in this little relationship, I like to think that her feelings would count for something.
But maybe not. I’m not an easy boss to work for, I know that. I demand a lot of my people, especially my personal assistants. There’s a reason I’ve gone through five assistants in the last three years. I push them too hard and they inevitably leave.
I keep telling myself it’s because they just can’t handle the work, but I know deep down that’s not true. I know it’s because of the way I treat them, like they’re just robots doing a job for me. I know it’s not a great way to go through life.
And I want to fix that with Paige. Even if we don’t have anything more than a business relationship going forward, I want to at least treat her like a person.
“Your feelings matter,” I say softly.
“Are you sure about that?”
“I know I’ve done things to make you think they don’t. Consider this proof that I do care.”
She sighs and the conversation stops as her pancakes arrive, perfectly golden and fluffy. I can tell she’s hungry but she still hesitates.
“Just because I’m going to eat these and probably love them, doesn’t mean we’re okay,” she states, holding her fork up in the air. “Do you hear me?”
“I hear you. Go ahead, enjoy them. You don’t even owe me anything for pancakes.”
She sighs but gives me a sly smile before digging in.
I let her eat. I sit back in my chair and sip my coffee, glancing out the window.
I wonder if she knows how tricky this breakfast is. I took her to this hotel for a reason. She thinks she’s unimportant, but the truth is, she’s starting to be very, very meaningful to me.
She finishes half and sits back, looking at me thoughtfully. “You know, it’s crowded in here,” she says.
“I know,” I answer.
“And we’re supposed to be a secret couple.”
“I know that too,” I say with a slight smile.
“So don’t you think we shouldn’t be in public together like this?”
I laugh softly and grin at her. “There you go. Now you get it.”
She groans. “You brought me here on purpose.”
“My friend owns this hotel and everyone in here knows me. This is about as public as it gets, little Paige.”
She meets my eyes when I call her that and I can tell she likes it. “So why do it?”
“Well, because I want you to know that I’m not ashamed of you, not at all.”
“But?”
“But you’re still just my assistant. There’s no reason anyone will suspect this is anything more than a boss treating his employee to a nice breakfast. We can still hold to our cover... but I’m not ashamed to be seen with you, Paige.”
She sighs a little bit and runs her fingers down the tablecloth. I can tell she’s thinking and I let her. I don’t want to push her outside of her comfort zone.
Not yet, at least. That comes soon.
“Okay,” she says finally. “So you reacted like an asshole at that job site.”
“Because I got caught kissing you,” I point out.
“Right. And that’s not good.”
“Not if we want our story to continue, no, it’s not good.” I hesitate a second. “Do you want our little relationship, whatever it is, to become public?”
She thinks about that for a second. I can tell she never really considered it. “I guess not. Since it’s not real.”