Page 46 of As You Crave It

“I explained that this morning. It made sense” he said. “And I invited you join me to save time.”

“That wouldn’t have saved any time.”

“I suppose you’re right. Okay. I’m sorry if I was inconsiderate. Is that why you invited me to lunch? To chew me out about this morning?”

“No, it isn’t.” She paused, knowing that he didn’t owe her anything else. “I need a favor.”

She was a little surprised that he didn’t walk away. Instead, he didn’t hesitate in responding. “What is it?”

“I need a boyfriend.”

His eyes squinted and he tilted his heat to the side a little, showing his confusion. “Well, I offered that not too long ago and you turned it down.” He smiled, and she knew he was being lighthearted.

She put up a hand. “No, wait. I didn’t explain that right. I don’t want a boyfriend,” she clarified. “I need a boyfriend.”

“I’m not following you.”

“It’s Jared. He came to me this morning and asked me out. I told him I was seeing someone. Then he told me to invite this boyfriend to the Seacoast Marina Mixer this weekend.”

“Okay. I’ve received an invitation to that. I’ll be going, anyway.”

“Well, that’s great.”

“Wait. What’s going to happen to my deal with Jared if I show up with you?”

Celia sat stunned. She hadn’t considered that Quin wouldn’t play along with her. “I—” She didn’t think for a second that Quin would pick a business deal over her. “Huh. I see. So, you’re going ahead with it.”

“Come on, Celia, this is a big deal for us. It opens us up to new markets around the world. It would be worth millions to us.”

“That’s fair,” she said with a nod. She felt hurt. And disappointed. Sometimes money won out, after all. She plucked her napkin from her lap and stood. “Thanks for meeting me. I’ll be seeing you around. Well, at the mixer, I guess.”

“Celia, wait.” He stood and reached out to her. But she was too far away, out of his grasp.

Quin watched Celia leave. He couldn’t help but know he’d fucked up. She’d come to him for help, and instead of turning her away, he should have been her friend. That’s what they both wanted, right? “Fuck.” He wasn’t even sure he wanted to sign the contract. He wanted nothing to do with Jared Foster, but he was frustrated, confused. He sighed and threw a twenty down on the table to cover the cost of their drinks. He had to do something. How could he make it right? What could he do without entirely blowing the deal? It was what he’d wanted—to show Reid how he could improve the business. He wanted to be taken seriously. And then there was the Cain Rum rivalry to think about. Quin shook his head. He knew what he should do—cancel the deal with Seacoast Prestige and forget that Jared Foster even existed, but with people depending on the collaboration, it wasn’t that easy.

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