Page 25 of One Night Billionaire

“Just go.” He bit out at her.

“Brian,” she said, shocked. “You just used your authority as my boss to schedule a meeting to try to force me to talk to you. Do you not see the problem I had with us seeing each other coming to life?”

She had a point, but he didn’t care. “It doesn’t matter. It’s clear you made up your mind about us a while back and I was the fool to push it. What did you hope to get out of stringing me along? Did you want gifts?”

He was being an asshole but couldn’t stop even if he wanted to. He was hurt, again, by her and that was all that mattered to him right now. Every time he turned around she was finding a way to break him and he was tired of it, no matter how much he liked her.

“I just asked for some time,” she said weakly.

“After I had to catch you at work for an answer? You weren’t going to communicate with me, again. I’m over it. You’re right. This won’t work between us. I think it’s best if Pete handles any further communications between us.”

He watched her close herself off as his words hit their mark. “Fine. I think you’ve done a great job of proving my point for me. We can’t see each other and work together. I’m sorry I tried.”

“Did you?” he asked, shocked she had the nerve to say that.

“More than you know, Brian. But it doesn’t matter. Yes, I’ve made mistakes when it comes to us, more than once. What I’ve never done is been downright mean to you or let it affect my work.”

“It affects your work more than you know. Enough so that Pete asked me about it.”

“You told Pete?” she asked.

Brian shook his head. “Nope. He came in here and asked me about it. I didn’t tell him anything so it’s affecting your work.”

“The project is on time and will still be complete by Monday. I think you’re right. We shouldn’t communicate anymore.” Anna stood and went to the door. “For what it’s worth, I was trying to make things better. It was great meeting you, Brian.”

He didn’t reply as she left, closing the door behind her with a soft click. She didn’t slam it which wasn’t a surprise, but he wanted to slam the hell out of it. Maybe punch his fist into it for good measure.

She wasn’t worth this stress, he told himself over and over. Now if he could just make himself believe it. He didn’t know where to go from here anymore.

The worst part was that he’d effectively now shut her out of his life completely. Not that he wanted to try, but any hope he had of fixing things between them was gone with the words he’d tossed at her.

Pissed at himself and her, he grabbed his keys and headed home. There was no point in pretending to work anymore.

Chapter thirteen

Annabouncedherkneenervously as she waited for her job interview to begin. It was so nerve-wracking waiting to be interrogated while someone decides if they liked you or not. The whole idea of an interview terrified her.

This one was the worst kind, a panel. So instead of needing to impress one or two people, this time it was five. She had only done one of these before and they had rapidly fired questions at her. She’d gotten the job but hadn’t taken it, deciding that wasn’t the culture she wanted.

Yesterday, when Brian had set a meeting with her she’d just gotten off the phone scheduling this interview. It made her sick to her stomach to think of the things he said when all she had asked for was time.

She could have been a little more direct about it, but with the way he freaked out yesterday, she no longer cared. All she had wanted to do was find a new job so she wasn’t dating her boss because that felt cheap.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and Anna pulled it out, quickly silencing it. Brian was texting her and she wondered if there was an issue so she took a look at it.

Brian: Where are you?

Anna: I used my time off. I submitted it correctly and it was approved.

Brian: Not what I asked.

Anna: It’s the only answer I will provide.

Brian: So, you are blowing off the project?

Anna: Never said that.

Brian: Seems like it.

---