Page 76 of Playboy Boss

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Do you think anyone will notice I have on a different dress?” Scottie looked down at the first couture dress she’d ever owned.

“Not a chance.” Konrad winked at her from the driver’s seat of his sports Mercedes.

“I’ll return it tonight.” She couldn’t imagine keeping the almost thousand-dollar dress. For that reason, she’d not removed the tag.

“Don’t be absurd. It’s a gift.” He turned the wheel to get on Main Street. “After all, I completely ripped your other one. I owed you.”

“You didn’t owe me.” She looked at her unmanicured fingers. “I would have taken the loss.”

“You don’t have to take a loss with me, Schatzi.” The words fell from his lips as if they were easy to say.

Was it really that easy now? Though she felt more at ease with him, like she had on Sunday, she still felt sensitive. This was real. It was all becoming more real with each moment with him. She’d always thought her worst fear was she’d fall in love and be completely crushed and abandoned. She’d felt that early on in life. The feeling kept her in a box. Konrad made her want out of that box. But it meant falling, and she was on her way.

“What kind of loss would you take?” What an odd question for her to ask, but she really wanted to know how far he’d go.

He stalled, pensive as he came to a stoplight. “I’m not sure I can answer that.”

She stared at the sleek lines of the inside of his car. She knew how much he loved it. It was his identity. “Would you give up this car?”

He laughed. “Not a chance. This is my baby.”

“Not even for happiness?”

“This car brings me happiness.” He turned to her. “This car and I have been through a lot.”

A lot of women. Scottie had to force the thought out of her mind. She’d have to stop it. Or walk away, and walking away was not an option.

“I could give up everything for happiness,” she said, sitting back in the plush leather bucket seat. “Happiness is all there is.”

He stepped on the gas again when the light turned green. “We should all be so lucky.”

She turned to him, taking in his profile. “Well, I feel happy right now. With you. In this car.”

He smiled, eyes still on the road. “Good. So do I.”

She smiled, turning her gaze forward again. Yes, this was happiness. It had to be. And she felt safe. That might be all she ever wanted.

****

After the meeting with Ortho-Sync, Scottie and Konrad stayed behind in the conference room. Konrad was beaming. It was a done deal. Scottie, however, couldn’t forget the Bayou Sling team. True, they were offering five percent below asking price, while the medical device company offered two percent over asking price, but didn’t the Bayou Sling deserve a chance? EaDo was perfect for the brewery. They could gain customers quickly and offer tours in the facilities. Plus, Scottie liked their give-back program. They hired veterans and freed convicts who were trying to rehabilitate. And they were a green company, advocates for recycling and minimizing their carbon footprint.

Scottie thought Konrad had made a mistake by only looking at the bottom line. Bayou Sling could offer more for the community than the medical device plant could.

He closed his laptop. “That rooftop patio condo community is as good as mine.”

“Another condo community?”

“Of course. Why not?”

She looked down at her hands. “I think Bayou Sling deserves the location.”

He frowned. “That’s not feasible. I already explained the bottom line to you.”

“Bottom line is they will have a more meaningful impact in the long run. This medical device company manufactures artificial hip parts, which is important, but they can put that manufacturing plant anywhere. Bayou Sling can’t be just anywhere.”

Konrad thought a moment. Then his lips curled. “That’s so romantic, Scottie, but I’m a businessman. I make money, and I will make plenty of money with this sale.”

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