Page 198 of Savage Bosses

His hand goes to my back, urging me toward a cab. "If you want, after you finish working tomorrow, I'll be happy to do the whole tourist thing with you. It'll be a lot of fun. We can really catch up." Jake's hand rubs my back as he speaks.

A sliver of awareness flows through me. "That would be nice. I'll figure out the times and let you know."

Jake helps me into the waiting taxi, and we exchange telephone numbers on the way to the tower. As close as we can see the tower from our rooms, the traffic causes us to take just a little longer. I'm too busy checking out the sights to speak with Jake. When I finally turn to him, he has a wide grin on his face. "I enjoy seeing this through your eyes. I've been here too long. It's just home to me now."

"I understand that. I'm envious that you get to call all of this home. I feel like a five-year-old who just got the toy they wanted for Christmas." My gaze goes out the window again as the taxi stops in front of the tower. I gape at the sheer height of the tower as we get out of the car, and my mouth drops. "This is amazing. I can't wait!"

He escorts me to the ticket window and then inside. "We're going to take the stairs to the second floor and then the elevator to the top."

"What's on the second level?" I acknowledge as I ask.

Jake's eyes dance as he grabs my hand. We approach the steps and climb. "It's a different view. You can do a comparison. It'll be nice."

"Okay." I relax and enjoy the feeling of my hand in his. After we reach the second floor, we walk around, checking out the view. I do a little shopping, and we get on the elevator to make our way to the top.

As we get off the elevator, I'm in awe of the view. I take pictures of everything as we walk around. I take a picture of Mr. Eiffel's office. The wax figures kind of freak me out, but it doesn't stop me from taking pictures.

My stomach growls. I rub it. "Where are we going to eat tonight?"

"Let's get on the elevator and go back down. It's about time for our reservations." Jake gently pulls me along. We've been holding hands this whole time.

After the elevator takes us back down to the second level, he takes me inside a restaurant with a gorgeous view. We're seated immediately, and I open the menu. My eyes widen. "This is a bit costly."

"Don't worry about the prices. I can take care of it." Confidence fills Jake's voice.

I nod. "I appreciate this. Getting to see the Eiffel Tower is beyond anything I can imagine. I was also able to get my mother and sister gifts that aren't from the hotel this time." I smile happily.

"Glad I could oblige." Jake's grin matches mine.

The waitress approaches, who takes our orders, and we receive our drinks.

I take a sip of the French wine. "This is beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Exquisite."

"The French may not have invented wine, but they sure perfected it." Jake swirls the glass between his fingers before taking a sip. "I've never tasted anything as good as French wine." His eyes come to mine. "How long have you been working for HDM Enterprises?"

I blink at the sudden change in topic. "A few years. How about you? How long have you been working for Wagon-Simmons?"

"Eight years. Right around the time Wagon died. It was such a weird time. He had handpicked me for my position himself. Wagon told me he and I were going to change the company for the best. I didn't know what he was talking about, but I agreed. The next day, he was dead." Jake sighs. "Immediately, Simmons announced the change in direction the company is taking. It's been downhill ever since."

I take another sip of my wine, ignoring the texts I've been receiving all night. "Were you in the black then?"

He shakes his head. "Not quite, but almost. Wagon told me with the changes, the company would go into the black. Then he told me he would buy Simmons out. Never told me how." He purses his lips. "After he died, Simmons came in and asked me what Wagon had told me about the company. I knew better, so I lied and just told him I was just learning about the position." Jake looks down at his phone. "I have to take this. Excuse me for a few moments?"

I give him a short nod, and he leaves the room. While he's gone, I pick up my phone and check the messages I've been ignoring since I've been out.

Marsten:Make sure you get as much information from him as possible. We'll be meeting with you as soon as you get back.

Haddon:Where are you anyway?

Drew:Why are you not responding? Are you okay? Do we need to hunt you down?

And the same combination of the same thing for the rest of the text chain.

I inhale and release a deep breath.

Me:I'm fine. Leave me alone.

I turn off my phone.

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