Page 18 of Tempting Him

I lean forward and cross my arms on my desk. “First of all, your dad doesn’t have to know anything about this. He doesn’t know about any of your other hookups, does he? Secondly, you will not be disqualified. I’ll make sure of it. Unless, of course, you show up late again.”

He bites back a grin. “So, nobody will know anything?”

“Who would know? I don’t necessarily go around telling my employees that I slept with someone over the weekend.”

“Well, I told people,” he says with a nervous grin. “Only a couple, but they don’t know who you are.”

“Then it’s in your hands. As long as you don’t tell them that your boss is the same person you slept with, then nobody will know.”

He exhales, his body relaxing slightly. “Okay.”

“So, let’s talk about this music festival,” I state, clicking a button on my keyboard.

“Wait.”

I sigh and look at him. “Yes?”

“Are you gonna pretend nothing happened? You don’t feel weird having to work with me with the knowledge that you were balls deep into my ass ten days ago?”

I clear my throat as I adjust my tie, not prepared for the blunt reminder of what we did. “It was only meant to be for one night, so us working together means nothing. You’re my intern, plain and simple.”

He appraises me. “I see. Business as usual, then.”

“Yes. Now, let’s discuss how we can advertise this music festival. It’s geared more toward people your age, but it is technically a family friendly event. The company in charge has hosted a couple of festivals in Indiana, but this is their first time in Michigan. We’ll be working with local companies for sponsorships and advertising.”

We spend the next two and a half hours discussing strategies on marketing the event. I let him come up with ideas, and then I touch on how for a festival like this, it’s best to cast a wide net, and not solely focus on the locals. A lot of people will travel for music festivals.

Jay knows his way around social media, and jotted down plans to get word out via those platforms, ads, and giveaways. We’ll expand more on this over the next few days, because with an event like this, there’s quite a few things we can use to our advantage.

“Well, we can pick up on this tomorrow. We have fifteen minutes left, so I’d like for you to tell me why you’re interested in marketing. Is it because of your dad?”

He grimaces. “Can we not touch on the fact that you know my dad, or that my dad exists, or anything like that?”

I grin. “Sure. Please, tell me why this is for you.”

“Okay, maybe the idea was planted when I saw acertain somebodyworking on how to advertise for this pizza company. Chicago is known for several sports teams and deep dish pizza, you know? Anyway, all I remember is he was able to get this pizza franchise’s logo up on a billboard at the baseball field. I don’t know the details of how it all worked out, but I know that when we went to a game and I saw that pizza logo up, that my dad had made it possible. And I’m pretty sure the pizza place had the baseball logo on their takeout products and such.” He exhales. “That planted the seed, but I’m a very social person. I’m outgoing, talkative, and love meeting new people. Dad always told me it was a very social career and you’d need outstanding communications skills. Besides that, I’m a creative person, and I like the fact that not everyday will be the same. You’ll end up working on a new project and the vibe will change. I wouldn’t want to walk into an office and do the same, I don’t know, like accounting every day. No offense to accountants, but that’s not for me.”

I nod. “Sounds good.”

He grins. “Sounds good? That’s it? It takes a lot to get high praise from you, huh?”

I drag my teeth along my bottom lip. “I give praise when it’s earned.”

“Mm.” His eyebrows go up. “Like, ‘Last night was fun. Thanks for that.’?”

I level him with a look. “I didn’t have to leave a note at all.”

A laugh emerges from his lips. “In that case, thank you.” He stands up. “Am I good to leave, Mr. Drakos?”

My eyes travel up his tall frame until they land on his. “You have five minutes left.”

He coughs out a chuckle. “What would you like me to do for the next five minutes?”

“It should be seven, considering you were late.”

Jay’s thick arms cross in front of his chest. “You heard of the game seven minutes in heaven? Was that a thing in your day?”

My jaw clenches as I roll my chair back from the desk. His gaze takes a journey from my face, down to my chest, and then landing on my crotch.