Page 44 of Seducing the Billionaire

“I didn’t say that,” she says in a controlled voice. “And I’m just trying to figure out how to spin this. It’s my job to manage the company image, and right now, you’re it. So what do you want me to do?”

“Tell them the truth. It was nothing. Make the whole idea sound ridiculous.” Heavy footfalls sound and I scoot back, heading toward my desk, barely making it in my seat before the door rips open, Connor’s gaze meeting mine.

Oh God, he looks like he’s been through the wringer. Hair disheveled, dark circles under his eyes. Did he sleep at all?

“Morning,” he mutters before taking off down the hall and around the corner.

Angelina exits next, glancing left and right. “Did he leave?”

“Um, yes.”

Her jaw tightens, but she appears otherwise composed. “How soundproof is that office?”

“Not completely,” I admit. Especially when you have your ear pressed against the door. “I heard something about a picture?”

She lets out a sigh. “Here. You should know.” She pulls out her phone and brings up whatever it was on the screen that she and Connor were discussing. It’s me and him at the benefit two nights ago when we were leaving, his tuxedo jacket around my shoulders, palm on my lower back leading me out of the ballroom. She swipes again, to a picture from a few minutes before that with us standing close to one another, my hand on his forearm. The way it’s framed makes it seem as if we’re gazing into each other’s eyes.

No wonder she’s questioning him.

And no wonder he’s mad.

“Nothing happened,” I assure her, but she holds up a hand to stop me.

“At this point, the less I know, the better.”

“No, really—”

“And that’s what I’ll tell the press,” she says, slipping her phone back in her purse. “You seem like a good assistant. I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into this.”

She strides over to the elevator and hits the call button, my tongue too tied to try and make my case anymore. What can I say anyway? While those pictures may have been innocent, I can’t claim my thoughts to be.

As the doors close behind her, I slump in my seat, staring blankly at my computer. Without Connor here, it’s not like I can have the short meeting we usually do to go over his schedule.

I push back from my desk and walk down the hallway, finding him gazing out a window as I turn the corner, his face somber, hands shoved in his pockets. He doesn’t look at me as I approach him, but there’s no way he can miss the click of my heels against the tile, how purposely close I stand to him, breathing in his cologne and crossing my arms over my chest as I join him in looking down at the city below.

“I overheard some of your conversation in there. I couldn’t help it.” Better to say it that way than admit how I’d unashamedly eavesdropped.

“I wasn’t exactly keeping my voice down, was I?” He continues watching the traffic below, almost like toy vehicles from this high up.

“Do you want to talk about it? Or… last night?”

He glances over at me briefly, lines bracketing his mouth. “I’m sure you heard Angelina. We’ll have to be more professional. Especially if they’re making assumptions about us.”

Normally, I’d leave it at that, but Dad’s calm threats weigh heavy on my mind. “I don’t think we can deny there’s something between us.” If I close my eyes, I can still feel the pressure of his lips on mine, their surprising softness, the way he’d responded to me. I’d spent too long in bed reliving every detail of the short encounter.

“Last night was a mistake. We can’t do that again.”

Which part? “Going out or kissing?”

He swallows heavily, avoiding my eye. “Both.”

“Are you saying you didn’t like it?”

His mouth tightens, the brackets surrounding them more prominent. He can’t deny it. I felt the way he kissed me back. “I wasn’t thinking straight. You were so close and I—” He runs a hand through his hair, messing it up further. My fingers twitch, resisting the urge to straighten it. “I shouldn’t have done it. You’re my employee.”

Is that his only reason for staying away? “I won’t be your employee forever.” Vivian comes back in just a couple of weeks. I step closer, laying a hand on his forearm, the same as that picture. “I really liked that kiss,” I whisper, hoping it sounds as seductive as I need it to.

And honestly, it’s not like I’m faking it. I can’t remember a kiss that ever made my belly dip quite like that. This man has checked all my boxes from the beginning. I’d only given up hope because I thought he wasn’t attracted to me. But now that I know he is…

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