Page 25 of Captivated By You

“I’m looking him up now.” A second passed, and then her jaw dropped. “Holy fuck. That man isfine.Like strip-me-naked-and-do-what-you-want-to-me fine. What I don’t understand is why you didn’t recognize him?”

I waited for a pause, my cue that she actually wanted an answer. Gia asked a lot of rhetorical questions before racing on to the next subject. Eventually, she angled her head and made a “get on with it” motion with her hands.

“Would you recognize a Hilton, other than Paris? Or that Wynn guy who owns half of Vegas? Or any of the other big bosses of a multitude of conglomerates? I mean, I scanned the company website, but I didn’t read every page on there, just the important stuff I might need for the interview. It didn’t cross my mind to memorize what the board members looked like.”

“You make a good point.” She giggled. “Hot damn, Kee. You got jiggy with a sexy-as-fuck billionaire, and one who, from the sounds of it, might like another bite of the cherry.” She giggled again. “Not that cherry, obvs. That ship sailed a long time ago.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“I speak only the truth.”

“That’s your problem,” I grumbled. “It might be nice, on occasion, to lie.”

“Sure, sure. Okay, try this on for size. I think you should turn down the job.”

My eyebrows rocketed north. “You do?”

She raised her eyes to the ceiling. “No, stupid. Of course you should take the job.”

“But—”

She swiped her hand through the air. “No buts. This is what you’ve worked for, Kee. And after what happened with—”

This time, I cut her off. “Nope. That conversation is not permitted.”

“That’s why, though, right? Why you’re reluctant to take the job? If you hadn’t slept with the guy, you wouldn’t hesitate.”

I sighed and nodded. “Then again, if I hadn’t slept with him, I wouldn’t have gotten the job offer. And besides, if my coworkers find out I slept with Asher, even if I didn’t know who he was at the time, they’re going to assume I got this job because I put out. Which is ironic considering I lost a previous job because I wouldn’t.”

“This isn’t like that, though, Kee. It’s a completely different situation.”

“I know that, and you know that. But people who don’t know me might not see things the same way.”

“So.” She shrugged. “Fuck ’em. And besides, you and Asher know the truth.” She squealed again and clapped her hands. “Take the job and rock it like I know you will.”

She hesitated for effect, and I steeled myself for what was coming.

“And then fuck that man until his dick falls off.”

Cackling, she disappeared for a few seconds as she flopped back on her bed and laughed at my expense.

“You’re a bitch.”

She popped back into view. “You love me.”

“I’d love it if you were serious for just a minute.”

“I was serious. You should take the job. He clearly thinks you’ve got what he’s looking for.”

“That’s what worries me.”

“Did he say a word about payment for the opportunity, other than the monthly salary as agreed?”

“No, of course he didn’t.”

“Well then? I just don’t see the problem here, Kee. You slept with the guy. So what? There’s such a thing as keeping your professional life separate from your personal life. People do it all the time. You’re not exactly breaking new ground here.”

“I’m aware.” I sighed again. “It’s just… I’ll never know whether I got the job for the attributes I can bring to the role, or for—”

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