Page 28 of Fifth Avenue Devil

He sits there, his expression impassive. "So we are on the same page."

"About dating? Yes. About everything else..."

"Annalise." His voice sounds tight. "I keep telling you. I already won the merger. This little weekend getaway is just supposed to help you open up to me. Things are going to change for your company as soon as we touch down in New York City. I'm—" He sucks a breath in. "When it comes to running a company, I'm a fucking genius. If you only agree to let me help you, tutor you, you could learn the basics of being a CEO from me."

His words are only a little surprising. I had been expecting him to make a gambit to seal the deal between our companies.

But the tutoring stuff... I didn't see that coming. Is it terrible that I desperately want someone to tell me how to play the CEO game? Maybe...

I tilt my head. "What if I say no?"

"Then I'll spend the next month leveraging the board to fire you and elect me as CEO. I'm not interested in the role, but I'll take it if I'm forced to. The question is, will you make me?"

I swipe my lips, tasting salt water. This is not a position I want to be in. But when Nate puts the question to me like that... I'm going to lean toward having him as a tutor.

Setting my paddle down, I cross my arms and pin him with a look.

"One month. You tutor me. I make the merger easier for you."

And I can stick it to my mom in the process.

"Oh, this is a negotiation?" He barks a laugh. "Six months. You make the merger easy. You warm my bed. And we move the company to my office. Yours are... not nearly as nice as ours."

"Six months! No way. And we definitely don't move. One month, final offer."

He gives me a tiny smile. "Two months of tutoring, in the office and in bed. Someone needs to teach you the ropes. And moving is a deal breaker."

Show me the ropes? What could that mean?

"Nate—"

"Kitten." He takes off his sunglasses. "Don't deny yourself. You want what I have to offer. So just say yes."

My heart is trying to beat its way out of my chest. He's right. I do want his tutoring... both kinds. What's holding me back?

When I speak, my voice sounds faint. "Yes."

I don't know if I'll regret this, but there is only one way to find out.

Eleven

Nate

The whirring beat of the helicopter blades unsettles me, puts me on edge. Or maybe that is the presence of the sassy little blonde sitting next to me.

Usually, I ride in the co-pilot's seat any time I take the helicopter. The only way I can relax is to have a bird's eye view of the sky. It's the same with chauffeured SUVs and my private jet. For some reason, I don't feel that way on my yacht. Which is probably part of the reason that I brought her to the boat in the first place.

But I don't want Annalise to see how badly I need to control my surroundings. I'm not interested in her knowing that much about me.

"Is this line private? Like... can the pilot hear me?" Annalise asks. She points at the oversized pair of headphones that she wears. I have a matching set, but mine aren't cartoonishly large.

I glance over at her and nod. "Just the two of us."

She twists her mouth to the side. "Can I ask you a question?"

I tilt my head. "You mean another question? Be my guest."

She looks down at her hands, which are clasped and twisted in her lap. "Right. Um. Why didn't we... do... other things? You've been on me to agree to let you tutor me or to agree to the merger, at least. All in the name of getting to sleep with me. So... why didn't you... try to fuck me? You had all weekend."

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