he was always with a different girl, and some of the seniors had already warned me about him. So, I refused. He actually seemed pretty shocked.”
“Probably was,” Bella says with a laugh. “That type of guy usually isn’t used to being refused.”
“It was probably good for his ego,” George jokes.
I can’t help but laugh at that.
“Probably,” I agree. “Anyway, he tried to convince me, but I ended up having to leave because I had class. But when I next saw him, he was with his group again. And he calls out to me, says ‘Hey, Beautiful, had fun last night?’ I was so furious that I went red, and his group just burst out laughing.”
My hands tightened into fists in my lap, the mortification and rage I felt then somehow still fresh. “No matter how much I denied sleeping with him, they never believed me. And, for the next year, Jason would just show up where I was, teasing and flirting with me. It was like he was trying to make me angry. I made it clear I wanted nothing to do with him, but he just kept coming back. I was glad when he graduated.”
“Huh,” George muses. “Kind of sounds like he was pulling your pigtails.”
“What?” I ask, taken aback at the odd phrase.
“You know, when a little boy pulls a girl's pigtails to tease her because he likes her and wants her attention,” Bella explains with a laugh.
I’m almost insulted at the insinuation.
“No way,” I say firmly. “He was just a jerk who didn’t know how to take no for an answer.” I scowl. “Still doesn’t, apparently.”
“So he never gave any indication of being attracted to you?” Bella asks with a raised eyebrow.
I’m about to open my mouth to deny it, but a flash of a crowded club, a heated look in his deep green eyes and our bodies brushing together make me pause. George and Bella, sensing my hesitation, lean forward eagerly.
“The last time I saw him, we were at a club. We were drunk,” I say reluctantly, grumbling to myself. “Too drunk to realize what we were doing and, somehow, we ended up on the dance floor together. I still don’t know how it happened. He was just drunk and horny, that’s all. He didn’t really want me at all.”
Bella reaches out and pats my hand. It feels a little patronizing, and I glare at her, making her laugh.
“Want another drink?” she asks.
“Please,” I say with a feeling.
Bella slips off her chair and disappears toward the bar, leaving me with George.
“Are you going to tease me, too?” I ask him warily.
“No,” he says with a shrug. “But, you know, I’m a guy, and I’ve got a different viewpoint to you. Seems to me, maybe you should ask him why he acted like that in college. Doesn’t excuse what he did, but his answer will probably surprise you.”
I couldn’t care less about getting an answer. Jason is a terrible person, case closed. I’ll put up working with him because I need the money, but that’s it. I know that the other shoe will drop eventually, and he’ll remind me exactly why I hated being around him.
“You know, maybe you need to let this go,” George points out. His voice is serious, making me blink at him. “Fine, he was awful to you, but that was years ago, and the two of you need to work together. You’ll only be able to do that if you put the past behind you. I know it won’t be easy, but he’s a CEO, and you’re not at college anymore. You’ve both changed.”
That was pretty much what Jason had been saying. I sigh, feeling my shoulders relax slightly from the tense hold I just realized I was keeping them in. I know, as much as I hate it, that George is right. Even if for no other reason, I need to act professionally to do my job properly. I can deal with whatever happens afterward. I didn’t go to college for all those years just to willingly throw away this chance I’ve been given.
“Yeah, fine,” I say. “But I won’t be friends with him.”
“Of course not,” George says.
He hides a smile behind his glass and I narrow my eyes at him suspiciously. Why are Bella and George so amused at my recount of meeting Jason in the past?
“I won’t,” I repeat stubbornly. “After these two months, I won’t have anything to do with him.”
That’s something I know one-hundred percent. I’ll give