Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
“Better,” I say with a nod. “You may think this is silly, but Rictor and his pals aren’t dumb. If you don’t walk the walk and eat the eat, you’re gonna get made.”
She hums as she looks out across the park, brow furrowed, the wheels in her head spinning so fast I can practically smell the smoke.
“I can see this is making you uncomfortable,” I say. “If you’d rather come back to the office as yourself, as Ellie, we can find another position—real or fake. There has to be another way for you to get the scoop.”
“Quitting is not an option. I just… Don’t you see the irony?” She drops the sandwich onto her plate. “I’m taking pointers on how to be a guy for the sole purpose of infiltrating your company to research sexism and misogyny. And you’re saying everything I do is too feminine for me to be taken seriously—from the way I walk to the words I use to how I chew. This kind of thing hurts everyone. Women should have equal opportunities in the workplace, and men should be able to eat cheese any way they want without other men threatening to tear up their man cards.”
She rises onto her knees and reaches for the half-spent containers, ducking my gaze as she packs up the leftovers.
“Ellie. Please look at me.” I reach for her wrist, my fingers circling it as I stroke her soft skin. When she finally sighs and meets my gaze again, I offer a tentative smile. “You’re right. Everything you’re doing at S and H… I feel like I’ve been asleep for years, then you show up and I haven’t been able to catch a wink since. Just knowing that I’ve contributed to this, that I might have been unfair to the women in my life, even unintentionally…”
I shove a hand through my hair. Why can’t I find the words? Why can’t I tell her that I want to be better—that she’s making me want to be a better man? And it’s not just for the sake of her story, or because it’s the right thing to do, or even because I’m into her and want her to trust me.
It’s because she fucking inspires me.
I lost my parents when I was a junior in high school. In a single heartbeat—enough time for the guy in the car beside us to glance at his texts and swerve into our lane—my happy, carefree childhood was over.
Since then, life has done its damnedest to turn me into a jaded prick—hell, work in this soul-sucking industry long enough, and your heart will shrivel up even without the tragic backstory.
Yet Ellie makes me believe that things actually can change for the better.
But I guess my troglodyte DNA is the dominant gene today, because all I manage to say now is, “You don’t need my help. You’re going to do a kickass job.”
Ellie blows out a frustrated breath, but she relaxes. “What happened to, ‘Welcome to Dude 101, insubordination will not be tolerated?’”
I lean back on the blanket and look up at the drifting clouds because if I keep looking at her I’m going to kiss her. And this time, I won’t be able to stop, no matter who interrupts us. “I’m not exactly an objective source on this anymore, El. But for what it’s worth? I think you’re in good shape. Attitude goes a long way, and you’re definitely—to quote our friend Rictor—in it to win it.”
She laughs again, and I find myself ready to offer up my firstborn if it means I can keep hearing that sound.
Leaning back beside me, Ellie nudges my elbow with hers. “You really think so?”
“You’re walking around Manhattan with a sock between your legs—that’s dedication. And I don’t know many people who could pull off a gender bend in the finance industry, and make friends doing it, yet you seem to have half the office eating out of your hand.”
“My filthy man-mitt, you mean.” Ellie turns on her side to face me, her head propped on her hand as she smiles. “I can’t believe I’m sitting here feeling proud about how manly I am.”
My gaze sweeps her face, taking in the delicate arch of her brows, the perfect slope of her nose, the curve of her lush, full lips.
Manly? Two days into our dude lessons, and she gets more beautiful every time I look at her. How on earth am I supposed to keep pretending she’s not getting under my skin, drowning my senses, invading my every thought?
Fuck it. No more pretending. I want to kiss her. I need to kiss her, no matter how many people surround us, no matter how many warning bells clang in my head.
“Can I kiss you, Ellie?” I ask, voice husky.
Her blue eyes wide, and alive with a spark that melts my hardened financial sector heart, Ellie nods. But before I can make a move, she leans close, eradicating the distance between us.