Page 11 of Never Bed the Boss
She snorts. “Sounds like I’m being sentenced to prison. Will lunch be served? Will I need permission to use the restroom?”
“There’s a private bathroom in my office, and there’s a phone with a direct line to my private chef on my desk. Silas can get you anything else you might need.”
“Oh… Okay.”
“When I’m done with my meetings…” I let the sentence linger but Lilah decides to finish it.
“We’ll review my stipulations.”
I loosen my collar. “Of course.”
Our eyes are fixed on each other’s as the air between us sizzles. She might be right. I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep my hands off her, especially once I move her into my office. There’s no way she’s working out with the rest of my employees. I need her close.
The elevator to my penthouse slides open and both of us turn.
“I should’ve known,” Adrian says, his gaze shifting between me and Lilah.
“My office,” I grunt out to Lilah. “I’ll see you soon,” I add, resisting the urge to kiss her yet again before I head to Adrian.
“Remind me to revoke your access to my penthouse,” I say, breezing by him and into the elevator.
“Show up to meetings and we wouldn’t have this problem,” he growls, jamming his finger at one of the buttons.
The doors shut, but the image of Lilah in my penthouse remains. She’s all I see. She’s all I can think about the entire elevator ride down and then walk into the conference room. Nothing can remove the hold she has on my mind.
On my heart and soul.
It’s almostdark by the time I’m done with meetings. Adrian failed to mention that he lined up three more in addition to the two that pulled me away from Lilah.
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t mind. I love what I do. It gives me life. Purpose. It sustains me. But there has been a shift. No. That doesn’t come close to describing what Lilah’s done to my world.Every time I look at her it feels like the ground is quaking and holding on to her is the only thing that stops it.
I’m no longer consumed by my work. I’m consumed by Lilah and my need for her.
Adrian claps me on my back, and I jolt from yet another reverie of her. “You were in rare form today. I haven’t seen that much passion from you in years. Before you made your first million. What the hell got into you today?”
More like who.
“I don’t know,” I say as I scan the skyline.
I can’t remember the last time I took in the city’s breadth. This is a view that many would kill for because it means one thing: You made it. I’ve been so focused on work that I’ve taken it for granted. But with Lilah, I’m seeing everything in a new light.
“Make sure you follow up with Vincent,” I tell him as I turn and head for the door. “I want to move forward and cast Margot. And Cherry Ridge would be the perfect location but I need to confirm a few details with Everett.”
It pays to have an in. Or in this case, an Inn. Everett is the man behind Ridge Hotels, the luxury hospitality brand with locations all over the world, including the one where I met Lilah. He grew up in Cherry Ridge, one of the small towns our location scouts selected for our flagship television series.
“Remind me never to question your decision to join his board again.”
“It pays to build relationships, Adrian.”
But the only relationship I want to build now is with Lilah.
“Then let’s do it,” Adrian says, gripping my shoulder. “I think a celebration is in order. I’ve got a bottle of 23-year reserve whiskey dying to be opened.”
In addition to making headway on the series, we figured out the snag the development team for our streaming platformhas been stuck on for months, lined up essential funding, and hammered out the details of an upcoming acquisition.
It was all worth celebrating, but Lilah is the only person I want to celebrate with.
“Rain check,” I say, turning away from the window. I grab my notebook from the conference table as I head for the door. “I have some more business to attend to.”
