Page 35 of Boss's Baby: A Fake Fiance Romance

“There’re a lot of words I’d use to describe you, but ‘good pal’ isn’t one of them.”

“Ouch!” He clamped his hand onto his chest as if I’d shivved him. “That hurts, but I’ll live with it—probably deserved it.”

I said nothing, my arms crossed and my eyes making it clear I wanted him to get to it.

“Now, I know it’s no secret that you’re not happy with the takeover of your firm.”

“Very astute.”

“And I get it—you’re an independent woman, and you’re not crazy about the idea of working for some massive conglomerate. Probably got big dreams of opening your own place someday down the line.”

“Mm-hmm.” Truth be told, I was pretty surprised to see how sharp he was about what was going on. Maybe there was a reason, other than his name, why he’d gotten to where he was?

“But, little problem with that—you’re stuck.”

“How do you mean I’m ‘stuck’?”

“I mean, one of the terms of the merger is new contracts for all of the execs. You want to stay on board, you’re going to have to sign with us for two years.”

“You’re not serious.”

“I am. You take a look at the contracts yet?”

“I haven’t. I mean, I’ve been so busy with the holidays and…” I trailed off, knowing that I’d been caught with my pants down. Not a first for me and Josh.

“Well, take a look. Standard stuff for Taylor—we like to know our people are going to be sticking around.”

“What if I quit?”

He nodded, conceding the point. “You could do that, sure. But then you’d be out looking for a new job. Hardly an improvement.”

“I could start my own firm. I mean, I’ve always wanted to. Why not do it now?”

“That’s always an option, sure. But are you really ready to do that? Not saying you’re not mentally ready, but do you have the seed capital for starting up like that so soon? And you don’t need me to tell you, starting your own outfit in a city like New York is no small thing.”

Fuck. He was right. As much as I loved the idea of striking out on my own, it’d be damn near impossible on this short of notice. And while I had money saved up, it’d be a hell of a stretch to rent an office, find a staff, and do all the other necessaries for getting started.

“OK, you got me—I’m in a shitty position. I guess this is the time where you tell me what you’ve got in mind.”

He smiled and sat back, as if he had me exactly where he wanted me. “Easy—no contract. You walk away from MacLand-Glass with no hard feelings, a glowing review, and a healthy severance package.”

“Nice, but that still leaves me without a job.”

“And that’s where I come in. I’ve got plenty of connections in the city that’d be exactly what you’d need for getting started on your own. I know office spaces who’d rent to you at a fair price, staffing agencies who could give you the best in the city, and I’d even throw in some leads to get you going. And the best part is, I’d be willing to take on whatever seed capital you need for your first, let’s say, couple of quarters.”

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious. You do something like this for me, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make sure your new firm is a success. Figure it’s the least I can do.”

I reached for my drink, my hand stopping halfway between me and the booze. I didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t know. It feels like cheating or something, like you’d be doing all the work. I’d always imaged I’d start my own firm myself, do all the dirty work.”

He shook his head. “Nice thought, but no way you’d be able to do it totally on your own. You’d be calling in favors left and right, relying on other people one way or another. This way, you’ve only got one big favor to call in on. Think of it as streamlining the process.”

The man was a salesman, I’d give him that. He made a case that sounded like I’d be a total idiot to turn it down. Of course, there was the total dishonesty involved.

“I know you’re worried about it, wondering if it’s the right thing to do. Trust me—it is. A year from now, my dad will be healthy and happy in retirement, I’ll be at the helm of Taylor, and you’ll be finishing up the first year of your new firm. Sounds like everyone wins, if you ask me.”

“I don’t know. I still feel like I need some time to think about it.”

Josh’s eyes flashed, as if he’d had an idea. “How about this—this probably isn’t the best venue to talk about this. I’ve got a standing room at the Shelton Hotel down the street. Let’s go there, and I can keep talking you into this.”

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