Page 84 of Unleashed

"Exactly. I loved it on you."

With a smirk, I tossed the silver bikini into my suitcase, along with a few in purple, pink, and white.

Slade raised an eyebrow. "Is that a thong?" he asked, pointing at the white one.

"It is. But it’s a little risqué."

"My beach is private, and you’ve got a sexy ass. Wear it.”

I snorted. "No one’s going to see my tanned ass, Slade."

"I will," he shot back, voice low and suggestive.

I rolled my eyes but couldn't suppress a grin. "Why don’t I just sunbathe naked?"

"You could," he said, leaning forward, his tone suddenly serious. "I have a sundeck on top of the house."

I continued packing. "And let some jerk in a prop plane snap photos of me? No thanks."

Slade sighed in mock exasperation, running a hand through his hair. "They wouldn’t even notice you. You’re too paranoid."

"Maybe," I replied, tossing the white bikini in with the rest. "But I’d still be thinking about it the whole time."

"Fine," he grumbled, his lips twitching into a smile. "But bring the suit."

I packed in silence for a moment, until Slade broke it.

"I don’t have to work tomorrow. Can I stay over tonight?"

I paused, glancing up at him. For the past few nights, Slade had respected my rule of leaving before midnight so I could get a good night’s sleep. He hadn’t been happy about it, but he complied.

"You know my rule," I said, resuming my packing.

Slade groaned, throwing his hands up. "It’s a stupid rule. I want to be with you."

"Slade, I need my rest," I replied firmly. "This is a new job, and I can’t screw it up by showing up exhausted."

"I could fix that, you know." He sat up on the bed, his tone shifting from playful to serious. "Come back to Abbott. My father told me to talk to you."

I snorted. "Why doesn’t the great Keaton Abbott talk to me himself?"

"He would," Slade said, his brow furrowing slightly, "if that’s what it takes."

"It won’t work," I said sharply, closing my suitcase. "He should’ve given me the promotion, and we wouldn’t be in this situation."

Slade sighed, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Are you seriously happy at Elliott? I heard Michael’s a bit of a dick."

His words made my blood simmer. I clenched my fists. Sure, Michael was being distant, but he hadn’t been a few days ago. Besides, it wasn’t all on him. I’d helped create the mess we were in.

"He’s not a dick to me," I shot back defensively.

Slade raised an eyebrow, smirking. "A pretty face must keep him on a leash."

My temper flared. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You think he’s nice to me just because he’s charmed?"

Slade sighed, running his hands through his hair. "That’s not what I meant, and you know it. You have a way of disarming men, even if you don’t realize it."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Disarming? You mean like the sexual harassment I dealt with at Abbott? Like the promotion I deserved based on merit but never got? Is that how I disarm men?"

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