Just One Kiss (Very Irresistible Bachelors #2) - Layla Hagen Page 0,10
decide? I can make that happen.”
I laughed, just as our food was delivered. I bit into my burger right away. I didn’t even know what to say.
“So, Mr. Venture Capitalist, care to tell me how you went into finance?” I asked.
“I’ve always been good with numbers, and I got an internship when I was a college freshman. They said I could have a bright future, so I threw everything I had at it. Worked part-time at the fund after the internship.”
I had the feeling that was his motto in life. He worked with dedication, played the guitar with passion. I was certain that passion would carry on between the sheets too. I felt my face heat up at the mere thought.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Hmm?”
“That blush.”
“Nothing.”
He didn’t believe me, I was sure of it.
“Did you ever think about doing something with your music professionally?”
“Honestly, no. Family finances were precarious. I wanted to contribute. I did odd jobs in high school too. We all did what we could. It was so weird, there were a few years when absolutely everyone in the family was just trying to make ends meet. And then we all sort of started to do well at once. Hunter and Cole suddenly hit it big in real estate, my sisters got great jobs right out of college....”
“What are they doing?”
“They’ve just left their jobs to focus on their own business, a lingerie store. They’ve been working twelve hours a day for years, juggling their online shop and jobs. Now they’re also opening a physical store. I don’t think their workload will decrease at all. I have a feeling they’re going to have a tough time in the following months.”
He frowned, clearly worried about his sisters. I had the sudden urge to reach out and comfort him.
“But tell me about your living issue.”
“Well, I really don’t want to move Avery somewhere else. It’s our new home, you know? And she’s already had to change schools once. She loves her room. We’ve just finished decorating, and I don’t want her to feel disheartened if I just drag her somewhere else now.”
“I’m sure she doesn’t feel that,” he said softly.
“I don’t know, I just want to give her the best there is.... Anyway, I either need a second job or to convince my current employer to pay part of my bonus earlier, not all of it at the end of the year.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a reporter for the New York Reports. Pitched a few ideas I could work on along with my current articles, but none were of interest to them.”
Ryker drummed his fingers over the counter, deep in thought. Even with a table between us, his sexual energy was inescapable. It wrapped around me, pulling me to him like a magnet.
“Would writing about the Pearman Fund make the cut?”
I blinked. Sitting up straighter. “That’s the fund you work for?”
It had received a lot of bad press in industry journals as of late; maybe I could write something to help improve their image.
“Yes. The HR and marketing departments are trying to come up with ways to improve the company’s reputation.”
“I’d focus on the people, not the company per se. Letting the workers behind the numbers shine. Do you think I could interview some of the employees?” My brain was already spinning a story. The more I thought of it, the clearer I saw the angle. This actually could work, and I’d enjoy piecing it together.
“I’ll talk to my team—I think the timing is right, and it’s something we really need now,” he said.
“Why are you willing to do this?” Honestly, after my last two relationships I was feeling a little raw. I couldn’t believe someone would want to help me.
“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours?” He smiled, wiggling his eyebrows but then became more serious, saying, “You need a good article, and we need something positive written about us.”
“It’s not the only reason though, is it?”
“I was raised by a single mother. I know how much work it takes; how hard it is. Mom struggled a lot raising the four of us and Hunter, our cousin. I don’t want that for you.”
Oh my God. I couldn’t believe he cared so much, when the man I’d spent two years with didn’t give a damn that Avery and I would be evicted. Ryker seemed so sincere.
“Thank you,” I said. I wished I could find the right words to tell him how much this meant to me.