Page 31 of Vixen's Guide to Christmas
“That feels like a pretty low success rate.”
I laugh. “I can see that. But my success rate in the corporate world? I was having a Hall-of-Fame career. So, one loss didn’tbother me. I knew the streak was gonna have to end at some point.”
“I’m sorry?”
I appreciate the question mark she added, even though I know she’s not. At least, I wouldn’t be. “It wasn’t that one that rattled me; it was when I went to talk to the higher-ups at Pittman Dean. The client I knew I wasn’t going to get beaten out on.”
“Really? How did you know you were going to win over the biggest bank in Nashville? A cocky attitude like that never bodes well.”
Her sarcasm used to be endearing. Now it’s maddening. But that’s because I can’t kiss the smirk off her face.
“I knew, or I thought I knew, because two of my friends were on the hiring committee. Did I go into it maybe a little cocky? Sure, but I knew exactly what they wanted. I knew what they needed to do to turn their image around after what their CEO did.”
Her smile only widens. “Just to make sure I'm not confused again—you know, because of all the confusion tonight—what did happen with that?”
I narrow my eyes. “Some woman named Katherine Smith got the job and somehow made the CEO disappear into the night while also turning the bank’s profits around in an instant.”
“Damn. She does good work.”
“So I’ve been told.”
We sit for a second, our eyes locked, and I know she wants to kiss me. Hell, I want to kiss her. But I can’t. I need to get used to that.
“In my defense,” she says, “that wasn’t my first cheating CEO fire I’ve had to put out. I had experience, brought in those ideas, found some new things that were going to work in this climate,and poof, you have a company with profits back up and a CEO whose name we’ve already forgotten.”
“Rationally I know this. But it wasn’t even two weeks after that miss that you did it again.”
“Are you kidding me? I also beat you out on the tech bros?”
“You did.”
“Holy shit,” she says, not believing it either. “So, to wrap this up: I’ve beaten you four times in a row, a streak that had seen zero losses until I got bored working for Logan and decided to venture out for myself. You did some digging, because you were big mad that someone was beating you, found my name, and I became your Lex Luthor.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” I say. Her eyebrow raise clearly says that she doesn’t believe me. “Okay, maybe a little. I wanted to find out who you were. What made you better than me. I was determined not to lose to you again. And during that, I declared you my nemesis.”
Her eyes are big like an idea just hit her. “Did you go to the speed dating event to find me?”
I quickly shake my head. “No. I promise I didn’t. I went there because I thought it would impress Hazel that I took the extra initiative. Turns out I wasn’t the only one with that idea.”
Her shoulders relax. “Great minds think alike.”
I hate that a few hours ago, that phrase had a completely different meaning. “So they do.”
We sit in silence for at least a minute, letting the dust settle. While part of me feels better that a lot has been cleared up, there’s now a new set of questions.
Ones I’m pretty sure I’m not going to like the answers to.
“Suddenly these sleeping arrangements don’t feel like they’re the best idea,” she says.
I shake my head. “I’ll call down to the front desk to see if they can bring me a cot.”
She nods, but doesn’t say anything else. I think we’re both thinking the same thing; the question is who’s going to say it first. Judging by the sad look in her eyes, one I know I’m mirroring, we both know where this is, and isn’t, leading.
“I think it’s best if after we get back to Nashville, that…”
“We stop things before they ever get started.”
I nod, grateful she was able to finish it. “I think it’s best for both of us.”
