Page 32 of In Bed with the Enemy

"Ethan, I..." My words trailed off because I couldn't understand just what was happening.

"One more thing," Ethan said, holding up his hand. He fished his phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen a few times. My own phone chimed, indicating that I'd received an email. "Go ahead," he said. "Read it."

I pulled my phone out of my purse and opened the email. It was entitled "First Amendment to Purchase Agreement," and dated just last week.

As my eyes skimmed over the words, my heart began to beat wildly in my chest. I looked down at the bottom to see the signatures. "Ethan Greene" had signed himself on behalf of Standard Energy.

"You couldn't possibly. How did you get them to agree to this?" I asked, referring to my current employer, thinking specifically of Jeff.

"It wasn't that hard. It was either that or the deal get rewound. Our lawyers are very good at hiding operative language in their boilerplate. Things that people miss when they're bedazzled by dollar signs."

Ethan clicked away on his screen again. "Go ahead and check your balance," he said.

I shook my head. "Ethan, you couldn't possibly," I started to say, but he held up his hand.

"Please, Amy. I'm not trying to buy you. I'm just trying to right a wrong. Let me do this for you."

I felt physically sick as I pulled up my banking app. I opened it up, tapping my finger against the fingerprint scanner to log into my account. I kept my eyes closed for a moment before finally forcing them open to look at the number in the account.

Ethan had made the company amend the sales contract so that I got 75% of the sales price for the invention. A cool $7.5 million was sitting in my account (well, plus the $10,000 I had managed to save up over my lifetime of working).

I didn't know how to feel about any of this. I looked up at him with tears in my eyes.

"Why?"

"Because it was the right thing to do," he said. "I needed to undo the wrong that was done to you."

"But," I shook my head. "Don't you think this is going overboard?"

"Not at all. In fact, I have one more thing to share with you."

I looked at him, and he held my gaze. "What else could you possibly have to share with me?"

"A job offer." I was about to object, but he held up his hand. "You won't be working for Standard. I intend to purchase the additional fields under a completely separate entity. I want you to be in charge of the efforts and all of the news installations. You'll also be given a team and a budget to develop new technology. What do you say?"

I went completely quiet. I didn't know what to say. "Why did you do all this?"

"Well, I'll admit, the separate entity was done for a very specific reason," he said with a smile on his face.

"And what's that?"

"Standard Energy doesn't allow employees to date their bosses."

My eyes widened. "Oh? And why would that be any concern of yours?"

Ethan took a step closer to me, but this time I didn't back up. He took another step, then another. Before finally, he was pressed up against me, his hand in the small of my back, pulling me into him.

"All of its a concern to me. You have been a fucking concern to me since you ran out of my suite all those months ago. Not a day's gone by that I haven't thought of you. But, I knew I couldn't just call you back up after everything that happened between us. I knew I had to show you that I was for real. That I was sorry. That I believed in you and in what we had, even if it was for a brief moment."

My heart fluttered at his words. "Ethan, I...I don't know what to say," I replied, honestly.

"Say you'll take the job. And say you'll have dinner with me."

I nodded my head. "Okay."

He paused. "And, since you're being so agreeable, say one more thing for me."

"Yes?"

"Say I can kiss you."

I smiled and nodded my head.

The End

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