Page 269 of Sins & Secrets

“You know I don’t go into these things lightly.”

One thick black brow raises as he leans back in the chair, pointing a finger at me. “You know this is a good deal.”

“Itcouldbe a good deal,” I respond, correcting him and before he can say any more, I tell him, “Let the lawyers talk out the details.”

“They’re minor,” he presses, his insecurity showing as he grips the armrest of the lounge chair. “The merger is going to be a hit and I know you want in on it.”

I mirror his posture, leaning back in my seat as I ball up my napkin and toss it onto my empty paper plate that’s stained from lunch. “A number of events need to go accordingly.” In this business, there are ebbs and flows. Some people can’t handle the wild swings. Some don’t prepare for the crashes.

“You sound like my father,” Wyatt quips.

I merely grunt, checking my phone again and see she hasn’t messaged any more. I’m tempted to send another text regardless. My thumb taps on the desk, my attention very much focused on the last line she sent an hour ago.

“Who is she?” he asks and I stare back at him blankly.

“Of all the—” Just as a grin stretches across his face, ready to lay into me, there’s a knock at the door.

“Come in.” I’m grateful for the interruption.

“Mr. Bradford,” Andrea says, stepping into the room. If it weren’t for the faint wrinkles around her eyes and the corners of her mouth, she’d look two decades younger than she is.

“Andrea could look it over?” Wyatt suggests and then huffs a laugh.

“She looks over all my contracts,” I’m quick to tell him. She may only hold the title of secretary, and she looks the part, but Andrea Anderson is sharp and has a legal background that could rival the best. Times were different back then and instead of a firm, or the head of an academic department, Andrea left law altogether and I was lucky enough to meet her before someone else got ahold of her.

“Sir.” Andrea folds her hands in front of her pencil skirt. “Your one o’clock is seated in the conference room.”

All traces of humor are gone and dread seeps in.

“Thank you, Andrea.” As I stand, Wyatt watches me button my jacket and take a mint.

Everything feels stiff and uncomfortable.

The moment the door closes gently, Andrea disappearing behind it, Wyatt comments, “Uh-oh. I’m guessing someone is about to get a harsh scolding from their new CEO.”

I huff a humorless laugh, striding around him and tossing what’s left of lunch into the trash.

“Can you clean up on your way out?”

“Yeah, you all right?” he questions as I open the door and glance through to the conference room. There’s a reason there’s only one office up here and then that room.

I get a glimpse of some of the employees seated around a table, my hand still on the doorknob. My hand is clenched so tight, my knuckles have gone white.

“You going to fire someone?” Wyatt makes another guess and this time he’s right. I look over my shoulder to inform him, “An entire department. A very inefficient, very muchunneededdepartment.” I feel sick to my stomach just saying it. Knowing how in a single meeting I’ll change their lives forever. But it’s the right decision. The company is bleeding money with these cookie-cutter executives. Their pay increased while tasks were delegated and as the company grew, their roles diminished as new employees took on tasks that came with new demands. A dozen men and women walked into this building today overlooking tasks they barely comprehend.

“Shit,” Wyatt says and he doesn’t hold back on the misery. “I know if you’re doing it, it must be done.” His large brown eyes look sympathetic.

“Tell that to them.”

SUZETTE

Adrian is most of the reason I couldn’t sleep. Those dreams were too hot to forget and they made me twist and turn in the sheets until morning. There was plenty to keep my mind occupied between replaying what happened on his office desk and the way he treated me after. The man himself is a whirlwind and I can barely hold on. There’s an ache between my thighs still, even though it’s been hours and hours.

The tall macchiato does nothing to help the bags under my eyes, but with a deep breath in, I prepare to make my way to my office like nothing happened.

Stepping foot inside feels illicit in a way it never did before. I’ve always come in with my chin up, ready to do battle for another day. Today that kick-ass persona is nowhere to be found. It’s somewhere between a childish puppy dog love and the feelings that accompany the walk of shame.

In all those hours of tossing and turning, I came to one conclusion: I have, what feels like, a crush. Back in high school I used to get this fluttering-heart feeling for some of the guys in my class … that ended less than well. Pining after men in college led to my ex-husband. So all of these feelings can fuck off. It’s against everything I stand for to have that kind of feeling forAdrian. It’s forbidden to have sex with your boss on his desk. It’s wrong to daydream about it so much you lose focus on your work.

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