Page 4 of Beyond the Hate

He waggles his eyebrows. “Is it a woman?”

I shake my head even as a vision of Paisley pops into my mind. Paisley and her long auburn hair with out of control curls. Her hazel eyes always narrowing and flashing with anger whenever she looks at me. The freckles across her nose I want to count with my tongue.

Does she have freckles anywhere else on her body? How I’d love to strip her bare to find out. My cock twitches. It’s on board with the idea.

“Not a woman,” I lie.

“Which is why your eyes went all dreamy and you zoned out for a minute.”

I glare at him. “My eyes didn’t go dreamy.”

He holds up his hands. “At least tell me it isn’t Miranda who you’re dreaming about.”

I scowl. “Not Miranda.”

He drags the back of his hand across his forehead in an exaggerated gesture of relief. “Phew.”

I roll my eyes. “She’s not too bad.”

He chuckles. “Your secretary has been through the entire board of directors. She came on to each and every one of them – man and woman alike. You’re the only one who can put up with her since you’re hardly here anymore.”

I frown. Is he upset I don’t live in California any longer? “You agreed I could move back to Smuggler’s Hideaway and work remotely.”

There’s no need for me to be at the headquarters ofApparooanymore. In the beginning, when Jeremy had the idea for his app and it was all hands on deck to develop the software and build the business, things were different. But the company is pretty steady now.

I can do most of my work as Chief Financial Officer from Smuggler’s Hideaway. Besides being presentfor meetings every now and again, there’s no reason for me to be physically present at the headquarters.

“I was merely pointing out a fact.”

I study him. He appears serious. But my former college roommate is a master bullshitter. In college, he’d invent the most outlandish reasons why his assignment was late and the professors would buy it – hook, line, and sinker. I’m still surprised he managed to graduate at all – let alone in four years.

“I don’t want my move to come between us.”

“I get it. You want to be near your family. And sinceBuccaneer’s Whiskey & Distilleryis making waves in the industry, they need you there to guide them through the transition from local distillery to worldwide domination.”

“I never mentioned anything about worldwide domination.”

“But you’re Eli Raider. You don’t know how to not dominate the world.” He throws his arms wide open. “Look at what you’ve accomplished here.”

“I think you’re forgetting about how you’re some genius coder who turns the most outrageous idea for an app into a million dollar line of revenue.”

He pats himself on the back. “It’s true. I am a genius.”

“And modest, too.”

Jeremy stands. “Come on. It’s time for the meeting.”

As soon as I step out of my office, Miranda jumps out of her chair. “Mr. Raider. Do you need my assistance?”

I barely stop myself from rolling my eyes at how she purrs her question. I pat my laptop. “I’m good.”

She isn’t deterred. She follows us to the meeting room. “What about a coffee?”

I indicate the table where several carafes of coffee and tea are set out.

Jeremy stops her before she can enter the room. “We’re good, Miranda. Go back to your desk.”

She licks her lips as she stares up at him. After a few moments of him staring down at her, she huffs and whirls around before stomping back to her desk.

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