Page 46 of Mr. Hook-up

There was no mistaking who had spoken those words.

Maybe that was because Easton’s voice was already in my head.

And after two weeks, it clearly had no plans to leave.

But that wasn’t the only thing I felt as I looked at him.

There was his smile.

His sweet, sultry, beyond-likable presence.

And as I unraveled each layer, my body reacted.

Except what immediately followed was the realization that I couldn’t think of my boss this way. My work ethic and reputation were all I had, and I wouldn’t jeopardize that for anything.

Or anyone.

Not even the devastatingly handsome Easton Jones.

And that was assuming those wandering eyes and sexy smile were even trying to win me over—and I wasn’t sure that they were.

“My plan, as of this morning, is to have Hooked go international within the next six months.” I’d glanced away, but as I returned to him, I instantly wished I hadn’t. Those eyes—they weren’t gentle. “I also plan to start testing different options within the app to see if I can improve membership retention. So, as you can see, I don’t have time to waste. I need the support, and I need to make sure the team is suited to meet my expectations.”

“Will we see the options you plan to test?” Grayson asked.

“Would you like to?” I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear as the room turned quiet. “Let me say, I realize at this point I haven’t gained your trust, so if you want to approve all testing, I’m happy to send you my plans. But I want you guys to know my only goal is to grow this company, and every decision I make is to accomplish that.” I moved my gaze to Grayson.

The head of finance shifted in her seat, drawing my attention away from him. I watched her look at each of the partners, her expression telling me she was impressed.

“I like the idea of Drake knowing what she’s allowed to test and what requires permission from the partners,” the HR director said. “And that’s surely something the partners could work on—that way everyone feels comfortable and there are limits in place.”

“I agree,” Holden replied.

“This is new to us,” Easton said. He waited until I looked at him before he added, “You’re new to us. We’ll get you exactly what you need, don’t worry.”

When he began to lick his lips, I glanced away.

His tongue inspired far too many thoughts.

And memories—although I couldn’t piece those together and they didn’t make any sense.

The timing was perfect because Grayson said, “I’ll talk to the fellas, and we’ll come up with something within the next few days. Cool?”

“Yes,” I replied. “Thank you.”

“Anyone else have anything to add?” Holden inquired. When several seconds of silence ticked throughout the room, he continued, “Great, then I’ll meet you all at the pub next door in an hour.”

I inventoried each of the faces around the table before I replied, “Even me?”

“Especially you,” Holden responded. “It’s month end, and it has become a tradition in this office that we celebrate with a drink. One more month that Hooked has been alive—we toast to that.”

“Hell yeah, we do,” Grayson sang.

“It’s always a fun time when we all go out,” the HR director said. “It’ll be a blast, I promise.”

A drink.

Something I wanted more than anything right now.

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