Hot Boss - Anne Marsh Page 0,61
about to wave the red cape.
“I don’t care about being professional. I don’t care who sees us. I’m not going to be your dirty little secret anymore because I want the whole world to know we’re together.”
Detonation in three...two...
“You are an ass.”
Succinct. Pithy. Sadly true.
“If people think we’re having sex, they’re going to think that’s how I earned my place at Coleman and Reed. They’ll assume I’m sleeping with the boss. I am the boss, Jack. I earned it and you don’t just get to jeopardize it because you don’t like something.”
Coleman and Reed is a billion-dollar company. That would have to be some pretty phenomenal sex, but I’m smart enough not to point that out to Hazel. She’s not entirely wrong, unfortunately. There aren’t a ton of women in the VC world and some of the guys definitely are of quid pro quo mindset. Some assholes will think she screwed her way to the top. Her words hurt because this isn’t something I can fix, not easily. It sucks to be a woman playing this game, and if you’re a woman who’s winning? Yeah. The other players are gonna go after you loaded for bear.
“Plus, we’re not together. You’re not my secret anything. If you need me to define the word done, I can do that. We had sex. I can write your penis a poem if you’re feeling insecure.”
“It was amazing.”
“You’ve had amazing sex before, Jack.” She smacks me on the chest. “So have I. It’s not a big deal.”
“It is to me.”
“This is what I get for being selfish.”
“Excuse me?”
Her eyes narrow. Danger.
“I wanted you, so I took you. I mean, have you looked at yourself? You’re a big, built Viking look-alike. How could I not want you? And then you and Molly split up and I saw my chance. I sat on your desk.” She waves toward the wall separating our offices. “I suggested we have sex and you looked like the idea had never crossed your mind once.”
There’s no good answer to that.
Hazel shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. What’s your pitch?”
It does matter. It matters more than anything. I resist the urge to punch my laptop or do something equally stupid. Hazel makes it sound as if we’re completely in the past, which is bad. I don’t want to be her one-and-done before I can even ask her for a second chance. I turn, keeping my arm around her waist, and punch the key that starts my slide deck.
The start-up of Jack and Hazel.
Jack and Hazel 2.0
“I want a second chance. No. I want a first chance at us.” I wish I knew what she was thinking as she studies my slide, but I’m pitching blind here. “I screwed up big-time. I thought I didn’t want a relationship, that what I wanted was just sex with my best friend.”
She pulls away and drops into her chair. I hate that she’s putting that distance between us. “You made me feel like crap, Jack.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I wanted a chance at us. I knew you’d never make a move, so I made it for you. And then you made it very clear—on multiple occasions—that you were perfectly happy sticking with the just-sex plan.”
“I was a dick. I didn’t mean it.”
“But you said it.”
She leans back in her chair, her expression pissed off and beautiful—and hurt. I hate so much that I’ve put that look on her face. I adjust my plan...and abandon it.
“Look. I have a slide deck. I have an Excel spreadsheet. I have a well-thought-out plan.” I slam the lid on the laptop and lob it into Hazel’s trash can. “I could give you numbers. Reasons. Plans. Hell, I’ll do my best to give you romance, too, but there’s only one reason I’m here and that’s to fix us. Give me a chance.”
Hazel stares at me for a long moment. I can’t read my chances on her face. And then she stands up and sets her hands on my shoulder. Her mouth brushes over mine, once, twice. For the best moment, I think I’ve won.
Until she steps back. “You’re fired, Jack.”
And then she leaves.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I ONCE TOLD Hazel that marriage was like Mount Everest. At most, you summit it once in a lifetime. It turns out I was wrong. Sure, it’s not for the faint of heart or the out of shape. You do need to watch out for avalanches and bad weather and, yeah, most of the guys climbing that particular mountain plan to do