Page 27 of Big & Bossy

“Then why am I sitting next to you?” Her glare could cut glass as she flinched from the brush of my fingers.

“Because I wanted you close.”

“Whatever,” she huffed, picking up the menu in front of her and studying it like it was written in another language. “Where are the prices?”

In the center of the table, a bucket of ice held a bottle of champagne. I plucked it from its home, popping the top off as silently as I could. “Places like this don’t tend to have prices on their menus. If you’re here, you can afford it. Simple as that.”

She glared at me as I poured her a glass. “How much are we talking? I only have so much excess I can spend right now.”

“I’m paying,” I said simply, glancing across the room at those I knew were meant to be watching. “Try to look at least a little bit like you want to be here, Mandy.”

“No,” she chuckled, lifting her glass to her lips and taking a sip. I knew she would never admit it, but I saw the glimmer of satisfaction as she tasted it. “I don’t have to pretend with you, right?”

“It’s not for me,” I said quietly, my hand twitching in my lap as I glanced at her bare thighs. Touch them. I cleared my throat to distract myself as I nonchalantly nodded in the direction of the reporters. “Press is over there. This is a publicity dinner.”

She looked at me, her eyes glassing over. “This is a publicity dinner?” She asked, the glass in her hand shaking just slightly. I gave in to temptation in the hopes it would calm her, snaking my hand across my lap and grasping her knee gently.

“Yes,” I whispered, trying desperately not to think about the little electric spark that shot through my hand when I touched her skin. So soft. I remember other soft parts of you, princess. “They shouldn’t be able to hear us as long as you don’t shout at me. But try to look like you’re happy.”

“You could have warned me,” she said, her face turning upward in a soft grin but her tone dripping with venom. “Do you always have to be so cryptic?”

“You would have fought me on it if I told you it was public.”

“I’ll fight you on it anyway.”

“I don’t doubt that” I chuckled, giving her thigh a quick squeeze before moving my hand away.

One of the waiters, clad in a tailored suit and a silk tie, stepped up to our table. “Have we decided on our choices for the four courses tonight?”

Mandy glanced at me, a small nod of her head telling me to go ahead. “I’ll have the venison pate, duck breast, filet mignon, and macerated raspberries, please.”

The scratch of a pen on paper filled the silence between us until he turned to Mandy. She glanced down at the menu, her eye catching on something in particular. “Can I have the salad, Maine lobster, wagyu, and the cheesecake? Please.”

I chuckled as I realized that she’d chosen the two items on the menu that had the extra charge star next to them, upping the price of her attendance by nearly double. It didn’t bother me in the least.

As the waiter turned and walked away, Mandy seemed to sink in on herself. Whether it was because of my presence, the intimacy that occurred between us, or because of the eyes glancing at her every two seconds, I wasn’t sure. But I didn’t want her to feel awkward. I wanted this to still be a nice dinner, even if it was for the press.

“How are things going with the planning for the new campus?” I asked, turning my body toward her and resting my chin on my hand. “Do you have any new ideas?”

Her brows rose, a little twinkle in her eye shining. “Yes,” she said, a grin lifting her lips. “I’ve got a few ideas.”

“Tell me about them,” I said. I let my wants get the best of me again, placing my hand on her thigh.

“Well, for one, I was thinking of possibly adding in a canteen,” she started, and already, I could tell how much she loved to talk about her work. I didn’t mind it—I loved watching the way she moved, the excited little gestures she gave, the way her face lit up. It felt like the Mandy I knew before, not the one that had turned into an angry, bitter woman. Though I suppose that was mostly on me. “I don’t know if you had one before at your Chicago offices, but from my research, having a place where your employees can go to get lunch and hang out is really good for morale.”

“We had one,” I said, lightly tracing the tips of my fingers in slow, little circles on the inside of her thigh. “It was small. Couldn’t fit more than ten or so people at a time, so something large enough for a good portion of the staff to take their break in would be great.”

“I can definitely make that happen with the floor plans you gave me,” she grinned, her eyes meeting mine for half a second before looking down to my fingers caressing her leg. It was like a mask slipped back into place. Her body stiffened, her eyes lost their spark, her brows furrowed. When she spoke again, her tone was harsher. “That is, if you don’t want to make a million changes first.”

“Why would I?” I asked, removing my hand, not wanting that to set her off.

“Well, you seem to have a problem with committing to things, Jackson.”

Ouch. Her words hit me quick and fast, tearing open a little gash in my chest that I’d spent years trying to patch back up. My hands balled up in my lap, my knuckles cracking as I forced myself to open them back up, flexing my fingers. “Don’t do that. You have problems, too.” She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off before she could. “Don’t. If you snap at me, Miranda, use your words and paste a smile on your face.”

Her jaw quivered as she forced a fake smile. “Most of my problems are your fault,” she seethed, the duality of her expression and the venom from her words conflicting. “So if we’re going to talk about my issues, we should start with you.”

“Me?” I scoffed, grinning right back at her. “I think we both know that the root of your distrust comes from things that happened far before I entered your life.” I was not going to let her walk all over me and blame me for everything that had gone wrong in her life. We both knew that there were other reasons why she struggled with trust and besides, I’d risked so much for her. So much that she didn’t even know about.

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