Page 31 of My Cruel Billionaire

“Don’t argue semantics with me. It was Jenna’s fault.”

His gaze darkened along with the night sky outside the window.

“Jenna has been my right hand and trusted confidante for years now. I trust her more than you, because quite frankly she’s more competent than you.”

I scoffed at that but otherwise did not interrupt.

“Maybe it was your team that caused that leak, Michael. Why don’t you swing that judgmental pendulum back in your own direction?”

“Are you questioning my competence?” I snapped.

Our gazes locked in a battle of wills. Neither of us wanted to give even an inch of ground to the other. Eventually, Evan backed down, dropping his gaze away first.

“This is bullshit,” he said. “We need to think about this logically.”

“Logically?” I tilted my head to the side. “What do you mean we have to think about this logically?”

He gave me a scowl.

“I mean just what I say I mean. We need to think about this logically—look, obviously we both need to admit that Jenna saved the situation and turned it around. How can you say it’s all her fault?”

“Because I didn’t leak it to the press. And I know that you wouldn’t, but Jenna is not like us. She couldn’t keep her team in check and someone told the press.”

“I trust Jenna implicitly. I told Jenna to take the position of team lead on this precisely because she’s so hard-working, creative, and brilliant. She would be a marvelous chess player because she thinks four or five steps ahead of everyone else and the way she turned this around proves it.”

I nodded, feeling a growing respect for Jenna.

“She did indeed handle what could have been a crisis or a disaster with an aplomb that belies her years.”

“You got all poetic sounding there, Michael.”

“Oh bullshit. I’m trying to be nice.”

Evan gave me a long look.

“What?” I prompted when he didn’t say anything but kept staring.

“I think that you respect her a lot more than you are willing to let on.”

I wasn't sure I could deny that and be truthful. I had been feeling an increasing amount of respect for Jenna. She had truly grown a lot in the five years since we had last seen each other.

My mind drifted back to the press conference. Jenna had handled everything with grace and intelligence and acumen. I had been surprised. Surprised and delighted to be honest.

Ever since she had walked into Evan’s office, I burned for her. The respect I felt for her only made me want her even more. I guess that was why I had to have sex with her, right then, right there.

And the sex had been magnificent, much better than it ever had been before. I realized that the reason was I respected Jenna more, and making love to a woman I respected was somehow better.

“At the end of the day,” I said, recovering my senses somewhat. “There’s no point in dwelling on the past. What’s done is done, and the cat is out of the bag regarding the NonPoint and Leisure Unlimited merger.”

He nodded and spread his hands out wide.

“What can you do? It is what it is, and I think that it will probably turn out to our advantage. Did you see how many reporters were at that press conference? I always knew Jenna was a master of networking and her work ethic was incredible, but that impressed me a great deal.”

“Me too,” I said, nodding and glad that on one thing, at least, the two of us could agree.

“Well,” Evan said, turning around and stretching his back. "Since everyone and their brother knows about the merger now, there’s no point in holding anything back any longer is there?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

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