Page 46 of Sexy Bad Neighbor

“Sure.” I want to tell him that I’d rather spend naked Saturday with Chloe, but I’m not sure she’ll be willing to go for that after I confess James has known about us for a while. And with the frosty display we just witnessed, I’m not thrilled at the idea of her turning that same cold attitude toward me. Though he was a competitor and I’m not, so I’m uncertain of why I get this nervous feeling about my next conversation with her.

“I have a lunch meeting at eleven-thirty,” he says, coming around his desk and ushering me toward the open door to his office. “And I should probably speak to Chloe before I leave. Text me if you need. Otherwise I’ll see you Saturday.”

“James, did you really consider hiring Marcus Newal?” Chloe rushes past Myra, not taking a breath between words. “The man has no ethics, no morals. He’s a thief and a liar. I’ve worked with him before so I know he’s not the kind of person you would want to represent you.” She halts abruptly as she comes close enough to notice me. “Oh, you have company.”

Company? Seriously?

James gives us both a confused look. “Chloe, you know my brother, Paynter.”

Of course she does. Intimately, some might say.

“Oh yes, actually, we’re neighbors, aren’t we?” She smiles overly brightly, while her gaze doesn’t quite meet mine before going back to James.

“Neighbors?” Well it isn’t a lie exactly. Her trying to hide the truth might be funny if it weren’t for the fact that she’d rather deny having any kind of relationship with me than drop her heavy hitting corporate act for one second. “Is that all?”

“We’re acquainted.”

“Oh, come on, is this some strange foreplay between the two of you?” James asks. “Why are you acting like you don’t know him?”

“I asked you not to tell your brother,” Chloe exclaims.

I hold my hands up in surrender as she glares at me. “He already knew. I was going to tell you the next time we had a chance to talk.”

“So you told him, but you didn’t think it was pertinent information to tell me? Your brother’s my boss, and my career is in his hands.”

“Look, Chloe, it’s not that cut-and-dried,” James offers. “You’ve met Garrett and his big mouth.”

“Garrett filled him in after that night you came over when we were drunk.” I duck between James and the door to get to Chloe.

“But James didn’t know who I was.” Holding her ground, she touches her hair. “You lied to me. You knew he already knew and you told me you would keep it our secret. I’m sleeping with my boss’s brother. In what office is that a good idea?”

“I shouldn’t have gotten distracted and told you I wouldn’t tell him. I’m sorry for that.” I try to take her hand, but she pushes it away.

“It’s really not an issue,” James says. “If that’s your main concern then I have to tell you, you’ve been on the short list for promotion for a while now.”

“A promotion that’s well deserved after that display we just witnessed,” I agree sarcastically. She certainly deserves her spot at the top of the corporate shark tank.

James groans.

Chloe ignores him. “What display? I came from the conference room. Where there are security cameras.” Cluing in, she raises an eyebrow at James. “You were watching?”

“Paynter was taking a look at a bug in the program,” James admits.

She taps the toe of her boot on the carpet as she stares me down. “So on top of telling your brother all about us, you just decided it would be a good idea to watch me in action while I dealt with our competitor?”

“Yes, but it’s not like I wanted to watch you rip shreds off that guy. James wanted me to check the audio because it wasn’t coming through with the picture. And why the hell am I explaining myself like I’ve done something wrong? I know you didn’t want James to know, and no doubt you would have preferred to have control over how he found out, but it’s not that big a deal.”

“Yes, it is. There’s an unwritten rule when it comes to dating colleagues and members of the boss’s family. I learned my lesson the last time, when my career plan was completely derailed. That guy who was here earlier? The competition? Yeah, I dated him. And he stole my promotion. I had to start from the bottom again, and I’m not going to jeopardize my career again. Not for—” Her eyes widen as she stumbles over the last couple of words.

“Hold up.” She dated that shark? Is he the reason she’s so neurotic about relationships and her career to the point where she’s almost ready to throw ours away just because my brother is her boss? “Don’t you think you’re taking this a bit far? James clearly doesn’t have an issue, so I’m not sure why you’re so worked up about it.”

“Of course you wouldn’t. But this is my career, Paynter. I won’t let you ruin everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve.”

“Are you seriously suggesting that I would sabotage your career?”

“Well, you do hate plans. And you told your brother about us when I asked you not to.”

“I told him before I even knew you worked for him.”

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