Page 11 of Nothing to Fear

“Don’t know much about my family, do you?”

“I’ve worked in the Breckenridge flagship store for three years,” she said. Work was safe. Boring. Normal. “I’ve heard a thing or two.”

“Such as?”

“There are a lot of you, I know that. The Breckenridge brand is known across the world in retail, fashion, sport, want me to keep going?”

“Get to the part where we talk about sex.”

She groaned and surrendered to her shame. “Okay, yes,” she said, slapping a whisk onto his palm. “I made an idiot of myself, want to take out an ad?”

“I wouldn’t say an idiot, but you made an impression.”

One her boss wouldn’t forget in a hurry. Probably one Alice Breckenridge would share with her husband. Were her Breckenridge days numbered already? A compliment maybe wouldn’t go amiss.

“Your mother is beautiful, refined.” She’d made an impression too. “Breathtaking.”

“Any Breckenridge you’re not attracted to?”

Shit, his tease wasn’t appreciated. No, breathe out, it was. She’d rather he took her with good humor than offense.

“Must be good genes.”

He laughed. “You really don’t know anything about my family at all.”

And did he have to mock her for that? “Do you know about mine?”

His laughter died. “Why would I know about—”

“Why would I know about yours? Because you’re rich?”

Nothing dented his confidence. “You’d know about them if we talked over dinner.”

The curveballs just kept coming. “Dinner? Why would we—” Her hands sank into the water when her arms relaxed. “You’re asking me to dinner? You’re asking me out? On a date?”

He shrugged. “You did offer me your cherry.”

Class didn’t come with a price, and in that she found her confidence. “Oh, so you didn’t mean dinner, you meant sex?”

“If we have one, the other might follow.”

Working again, her smile stayed low. Nothing wrong with his ego. Why should there be?

“I’m not Breckenridge material and like my job. I do not want to be a Breckenridge booty call.”

“Wouldn’t worry about that, I’d put money on you not being the first employee tapped by a Breckenridge. I can ask for a show of hands at the next family meeting, if that’ll help you decide.”

This guy was a jokester, she’d never have pegged that. Or he was playing with her, but it seemed in good fun. Maybe this was his attempt to put her at ease.

“Nice.”

“We employ thousands of people.”

“Because that’s what you meant.”

“No, I meant we’re all studs, always on the lookout for primo pussy.”

“Smooth, buddy. Real smooth. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

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