Page 7 of Forbidden Boss (Manhattan Billionaires)

Being single was a mark against me, and I knew it.

“I’m not bringing a plus-one,” I repeated in the silence of my office, a little petulantly. “I can’t do a relationship, and a revolving door of casual dates to all these events we’ve got coming up will play worse than if I went alone.”

“Heard,” Cole replied, but his eyes were on me. “Although…”

I narrowed my eyes. “Although what?”

“I heard through the grapevine that your being on your own is one of the main hang-ups he has about signing on with us.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“He thinks you’re untrustworthy.”

“Because I’m not married?” I clenched my fists. “I’ve built this company—thisempire—and not having a ring on my finger hasn’t stopped me once.”

“Monk is old school, Rome. We’ve known this since we first pitched him.”

A deep sigh left my lips. One of the things that made Cole so valuable as a COO wasn’t just his attention to detail and his ability to know exactly what was happening in every corner of the company, it was the fact that he could read people like an open book. Once, I’d watched him conduct an interview and walk out of the room saying that we could hire the candidate, but we’d regret it. The candidate had been perfect on paper for our accounts department and had interviewed beautifully. Cole hadn’t been able to explain his intuition, but he was certain we were making the wrong choice. That employee ended up trying to steal from us within a year and had to be let go. Despite the warning, the employee’s attempted theft had blindsided me.

If Cole told me that Wilbur Monk wouldn’t hire me if went to these social events on my own, I had to believe him. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I racked my brain to think of something.

“I could call Heather.”

“Heather is married to European royalty.”

My head snapped up. “What? Since when?”

“A year or so ago.”

“A year…” I did a bit of mental math, then leaned back in my chair. “It’s been four years since I had a girlfriend. That’s longer than I thought.”

“Girlfriend is a little generous for what you and Heather had, don’t you think?”

At the look I gave him, Cole began to laugh. The worst of it was, he was right. But how could I have a girlfriend when I’d learned a long time ago that when you needed people, they abandoned you? I hated being reliant on anyone. I hated feeling like they could pull the rug out from under me. I hated being vulnerable.

So most of the time, I was alone. Just the way I liked it.

Cole slipped his phone into his pocket as he stood, then said, “What if you hired someone?”

“What, like an escort?” I arched my brows. “That’ll go over well with the most famous monogamist in the city.”

“Not an escort,” Cole mused, his eyes on the city skyline. “A…companion.”

“A companion,” I deadpanned. “What does that even mean?”

“She would be hired and paid to accompany you to social events as needed.”

“And the minute anyone caught wind of it, my reputation would be trashed.”

“We’d get her to sign an NDA.”

“And how would I introduce her? I don’t think my clients would respond well to me lying to their faces at every social event I attend.”

“You could just introduce her by her name. Don’t give her a title. If someone asks where you met, you say you interviewed her for the position and laugh like it’s a joke.”

“Monk would go for that?” I was skeptical. It didn’t seem like a man who cherished his marriage would approve of a hired companion. If I went for it and Monk found out, I could kiss those nine figures goodbye.

Cole stood by the windows with his arms folded. He glanced at me over his shoulders, tilting his head. “I think Monk believes that we, as men, need a partner’s influence to reach our full potential. He might think you’re hiding something, but he’d be glad there was someone at your side.”

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