Page 67 of Token

“Does that mean my favorite boss is getting laid?” Julie asked, circling back to her original question.

Kennedy responded by pressing her lips together.

Amusement lit Julie’s eyes. “Good for you. It isn’t good to stay off that horse too long.”

Jonathan guffawed and Kennedy laughed despite herself.

Julie was really something else. Initially, she’d presented herself as a buttoned-up professional; no cursing, no idle chitchat, no vulgarity, and no caffeine. The latter Kennedy considered a crime against humanity. She’d been working for the agency almost a year when Kennedy accidentally knocked over her purse. A makeup case, a tampon, and a pregnancy test tumbled out—a great way to break the ice, by the way. Kennedy hadn’t known if congratulations were in order. That was when Julie confided to her that she and her surgeon husband had been trying to get pregnant for the last three years with no success.

But she’d been good about it. At thirty-two, she claimed she wasn’t going to start officially panicking for another two years, since the fertility specialist had told them there was nothing wrong with either of them. They’d been told it could be stress, which was why Julie had left her high-stress position at a top law firm and taken a position as their part-time contract lawyer.

“How about instead of worrying over whether I’m getting laid—which, by the way, is no one’s business but mine—Jonathan can tell me why I have a phone call appointment with the chairman of the board of Hanson’s in a half hour and I’m only finding out about it now.”

Hanson & Co. was the most exclusive chain of luxury jewelry stores in the world. Retaining them as a client would be an incredible coup and would do a lot to add to their credentials. But she’d have appreciated more than thirty minutes to prepare.

“He said it was urgent. He also said you came highly recommended by Phil Draper over at ECO Apparel.” Jonathan sent her a wink. “Word’s really getting around.”

“All right, since I’m sure I got my answer, I’ll leave you two to talk work,” Julie said, and bade them a goodbye with a teasing smile.

Kennedy sat down, blew a lock of hair from her eyes, and turned on her miniature desk fan. “Okay, then. What is going on with Hanson’s?” she asked, angling the fan toward her. The cool air felt wonderful on her overheated face.

Jonathan sent her a look. “Buckle in. It’s going to be a wild ride.”

18

A lot had changed in ten years, but some things stayed the same. Some things might never change—at least, not in her lifetime. Speaking with Elliott Bellamy, Hanson’s chairman of the board, keenly reminded her of that. Certain attitudes were entrenched, so thoroughly ingrained in the DNA of the country it was hard to imagine life any other way. People like Margaret Hanson-Gertz would never change.

Which led her to Nate.

They’d had sex. Now what? Where did they go from here? Would this be another fling? Did she want anything more? What exactly washelooking for?

He’ll never marry you.

Aidan’s words now haunted her.

Nate was the only white guy she’d ever gone out with or had sex with. And it wasn’t as if she hadn’t had plenty of other opportunities. But when push came to shove, she’d chosen to keep her distance. At the time, she’d told herself the relationship would be a road to nowhere—a dead-ender—so why bother. Whether that would end up being the case or not, she didn’t know, but she did know that her relationships with Black men had ended much the same way. And there was some irony in that her most serious relationships to date had ended in proposals of marriage, and she’d been the one who’d walked away.

Her actions were a mass of contradictions. She’d always thought of herself as someone who wouldn’t allow herself to be limited by her gender or race, and that included romantic relationships. And as a relatively young, attractive female, that should mean the world was her oyster. After all, her first sexual experience had been Nate.

But maybe that was the crux of the matter.

He’d been her first and it hadn’t worked out the way she wanted. Not that back then she’d been looking for a long-term commitment, but it would have been nice if it had lasted longer than four weeks. It would have been nice if it hadn’t been so easy for him to slip back into thebest friend’s older brotherrole.

Kennedy wouldn’t say he’d broken her heart, but it had been plenty sore after things ended between them.

Getting involved with him now would be even more complicated. Which brought her full circle; where did they go from here? She was currently screwing her fake boyfriend and the sex wasfabulous. Nate had shown her how much better it could be with time and experience. And frankly, she didn’t want to give that up. She wanted more.

After a brief gut check, Trepidatious Kennedy asked,But what happens if you fall head over heels this time?

Fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants Kennedy was equally quick to respond.For the love of God, Kennedy, stop overthinking this and just go with the flow. You want him and he wants you. Get naked and have lots of sex for as long as it lasts. Who knows, maybe that’s all you’ll ever want from him?

Trepidatious Kennedy snorted at that. The one thing that hadn’t changed between them—once they both let down their guard—was the red-hot chemistry, which was undeniable. If she’d thought he knew which of her buttons to hit before, he was even better at it now. What this man could do with his hands, lips, tongue, and—

The ding of her cell phone yanked her from her lustful thoughts. She picked it up off her desk.

Nate:Busy tonight? We need to talk.

We need to talk?What happened to,I had a fantastic time this weekend. The sex was. When can I see you again?

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