Page 5 of The CEO's Sweetheart Deal
"Friend?" She gives me a skeptical look. "The way you two were going at it, I was thinking more like ex-lover."
"No," I say firmly, though my cheeks warm at the thought. "Just… it’s a complicated history."
Her eyes widen. "Well, your 'complicated history' is now your boss, and he can't seem to take his eyes off you."
I follow her gaze to find Oscar indeed watching me from across the room, his expression unreadable. When our eyes meet, he continues to stare, and I have to be the one who looks away.
Everyone settles in for the second half of the meeting, and I steel myself for another round of sparring with the man who once meant everything to me, and who now holds the future of my company in his hands.
The worst part is, despite everything, despite the bitterness and the betrayal and the years of silence between us, I can't deny the inconvenient truth - he’s only grown more attractive with time, and my body hasn't forgotten how it feels to be near him.
Which means this is going to be a real problem.
CHAPTER 3
OSCAR
I’ve always loved the view from my office – the skyscrapers, the clouds, the water sparkling during the day on Puget Sound, the ships glowing like fireflies at night.
It grounds me. Keeps me focused.
Except for tonight. Tonight, it feels like there’s nothing in all of existence that could center me.
"You haven't touched your kung pao chicken," Cole observes, breaking into my thoughts as he gestures toward the takeout containers with his chopsticks. "And that's your favorite."
“Yeah, I’m… focused.” I blink and turn my attention to the same paragraph of the acquisition agreement that I’ve been “focused” on for about thirty minutes.
I haven’t processed a single word of what’s in front of me, because for the life of me I can’t pay attention. Not tonight. Not after the day I had.
“What’s up?” Cole prods.
"Uh, work," I reply, picking up my chopsticks and making a half-hearted attempt at eating. “You know.”
He sets down his food and leans back in his chair. "Are you really thinking about work? Or about a certain brown-haired COO who looked like she wanted to push you out a window?"
I shoot him a look. "The company has potential. Their distribution channels alone could increase our market penetration by thirty percent in the Pacific Northwest."
"Uh-huh." Cole's skeptical tone makes it clear he's not buying my business-only focus. “You didn’t answer my question at all.”
“Why should I?” It’s not like me to be so snippy with him, and losing my temper makes me feel terrible about myself. “I’m sorry,” I sigh.
“It’s okay. You sure you don’t want to talk about it? You’ve mentioned Alice before, but I didn’t realize the two of you dated.”
The sound of her name sends an involuntary current through my body.Alice. Even after all these years, after everything that happened between us, the mere mention of her still has power over me.
“We didn’t,” I say. “We were just friends.”
He whistles. “That must have been some friendship.”
"There's nothing to talk about," I say, flipping to the next page of the agreement with more force than necessary. "It's awkward, sure. But it's business."
"Bullshit." He tosses his napkin onto the table. "I've known you for twelve years, Oscar. I've seen you negotiate million dollardeals without breaking a sweat. Today? You looked like you'd seen a ghost."
He's right, of course. Seeing Alice again felt exactly like that — like a visitation from another life. One where I was just Oscar, the scholarship kid with big dreams, not Oscar Glynn, CEO of Glynn Enterprises with a net worth that puts me on exclusive lists I never imagined I'd be on.
I push away from the table and walk to the window, looking out at the city below. The truth is right there, simmering in my chest, but dredging it to the surface seems to take the strength of Hercules.
"She hates me," I finally manage to say.
