looking at me as if his answer will make me change my mind somehow.
“I’m going to take a chance on you, Gary. I don’t trust easily and with good reason, but when I look in your eyes, I see nothing but honesty. Bring in your team, I’d like to meet them. Also, I want you to take over as the manager here. You are more than capable. I don’t have time to do the day to day running. I’ll double whatever you’re earning now.”
He stares at me with his mouth open in shock.
“Are you interested?” I prompt with a smirk when he doesn’t say anything.
“Hell yeah, you sure about this? I mean, you don’t know me, you should probably give me a trial run.”
I stand and walk over to the window, looking out into the dark night before answering. “The fact that you even said that at all just tells me I picked exactly the right person. There are two things you should know, though.”
He looks up expectantly as I turn back to face him.
“I’m not Gemini’s PA or assistant. I am Gemini. I’d like to keep my identity under wraps for now until people can learn to see past my boobs. The second is, if you betray me, I’ll carve out your heart with a spoon and feed it to you, showing you exactly why I was made Gemini above all other initiates,” I warn him, making myself seem far more scary than I am.
“Well, fuck, I knew there was something about you the second you stepped inside the bar. You have this air of confidence about you, which most people your age don’t have. It’s the kind of confidence that can’t be faked with clothes or makeup or any of that superficial shit. It’s the confidence you can only get from living a lifetime of experiences. Something tells me you might have lived more than most.”
He stands and offers me his hand. I reach over and slip my smaller one into his far larger one.
“I think I’d be honored to work for you, boss lady,” he adds with a wink, making me laugh.
“Well, that’s good to hear. I’ll leave everything in your capable hands, but please don’t hesitate to yell if you have any issues, okay? I won’t be here tonight as I have some business to attend to, so you’ll be in charge. I’ll text you my number so you can get ahold of me if you need to, but otherwise, congrats.”
“Thank you. Don’t worry, I’ll hold down the fort until you return.” He heads to the door with a jaunty wave and smile on his face making him look younger than his early forties.
Once he’s gone, I turn back to the window and watch the people mill by below, a small smile of my own on my lips. For the first time since I got here, I feel like everything is falling into place.
Chapter Nineteen
The cab drops me off at Reid’s a little after eight thirty, thanks to the crazy traffic downtown. The lobby is deserted as I make my way to the elevators and head up to the penthouse. I’m frowning by the time the doors open at how surprisingly easy it was to get this far. I could pull out a gun now, and when Reid opens his door, I could shoot him in the head. I understand why Zodiac thinks doormen are an unnecessary risk, but that doesn’t change that there should be some kind of security in place.
I tap the door and wait, but when I don’t hear anything, I knock louder. Just when I’m about to pull out my phone and call him, he answers, wearing nothing more than a towel around his waist.
Holy fucking fuck.
“Shit. Sorry, Cherry, I lost track of time,” he mutters, his eyes roving hungrily over my body. Cursing, he turns and walks back inside, but I’m frozen on the spot. My brain misfires as it struggles to process all that is Reid, every hard, wet inch of him.
“You coming?” He winks and I don’t miss the innuendo, or the tenting at the front of his towel. He’s not far from the truth with the coming comment, but even a nun would be hard-pressed not to get wet panties with that kind of view.
“Go and get dressed and I’ll make us some coffee,” I mutter, studiously ignoring his dick. He chuckles as I feel my cheeks heat.
He laughs. “You sure? I’m more than happy to stay like