Page 12 of Enemies with Benefits

Tears prickled my eyes and I blinked them away.

The bottom line was, Perry was getting the help he needed and I was in charge of steering Bingham’s away from bankruptcy.

Frankly, I was surprised the corporate sharks hadn’t started circling already.

My gaze dropped to the royal-blue Bingham’s logo on the file I held. Once a powerhouse in its field, my family’s logistics and hospitality supply reputation had dropped several rungs in the last decade, forcing us to make poorer business choices that’d led to an even steeper decline.

Was that why Perry had joined forces with Jasper Mortimer? Because while Bingham’s had faced significant fiscal woes, the Mortimer Group had grown exponentially, expanding its initial construction arm into several other industries at a breakneck rate that I’d watched with secret awe and, admittedly, a little resentment. How could I not, when a part of me wondered if some of that fortune had been achieved at the cost of my family’s decline?

I tossed the file away, irritated with myself for my unhelpful thoughts. Whatever the reason for my family’s current situation, nothing would be achieved by dwelling on the past. And especially not thinking of the incident in the maze!

My intercom sounded and I pressed the button with guilty relief. ‘Yes?’

‘I have a message from a Mr Jasper Mortimer for you.’

My pulse leapt. ‘Is he on the phone?’

‘No, he just wanted me to tell you he’ll call again at six. And that you should make sure you’re all read up on the project.’ The hint of nerves in Alana’s voice made me wonder what else he’d said. And why a sensation a lot like disappointment twisted in my stomach that he hadn’t asked to speak to me.

‘Thanks, Alana. I’ll see you tomorrow.’

I hung up, cursing the untrammelled excitement fizzing through me, then my complete inability to slow my heart’s crazy racing as the clock approached six.

Wren picked up on the first ring, and even before she spoke my pulse had rocketed to ridiculous levels. Then came her incredible voice.

‘I’d appreciate it if you didn’t disturb my assistant with unnecessary messages or me with ultimatums.’

‘You made going through her necessary by hanging up on me earlier. I simply used her to let you know we’d be skipping the foreplay this time and getting straight to business. Unless, you specifically want the foreplay?’

‘I don’t want anything from you, Jasper,’ she said briskly.

‘Are you absolutely sure?’

‘Yes, I’m unique like that, you see.’

I laughed a touch incredulously under my breath. ‘You think I don’t know that? Believe me, Wren, I do.’

I could’ve sworn I heard her breath catch, but her voice was curt when she replied, ‘Trust a man like you to make allusions.’

I laughed harder, knowing it would irk her more. Cool, calm and collected Wren was intriguing, but I’d discovered I preferred the fiery, passionate woman in the maze who’d lost control, if only for a brief time. ‘A man like me? And here I thought, like you, that I was one of a kind...’

‘Sadly, you’re not as rare a specimen as you think you are.’

I gave a dramatic sigh. ‘That just makes me want to prove you wrong.’

‘You can’t. You won’t be able to.’

I gripped the phone tighter, felt myself drawn in deeper into the compulsion I couldn’t fight. ‘Why not? Because every guy you’ve been with has made you come as hard as I did in that maze?’

‘Seeking validity of your male prowess? How predictable. You disappoint me, Jasper,’ she said, her voice a touch huskier.

Despite the curious throb in my chest, I smiled. ‘I’m wholly satisfied with my strengths, thanks.’But you weren’t always, were you?I pushed away the taunting voice. ‘As for seeking validity, the end result in that maze is all the validity I need where you’re concerned.’

‘Can we get off that subject, please?’ she whispered fiercely. ‘I don’t have time for personal conversation.’

‘Do you despise me as much as you pretend to, or is this you simply toeing the family line?’ I taunted, a sudden restlessness prowling inside me.

She inhaled sharply. ‘You’ll never get the chance to find out. Goodbye, Mr Mortimer.’

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