Page 19 of Anti-Hero

I swallow hard, still stuck on that one word. “Lili, Ireallyappreciate you setting this up and the opportunity, but I’m just not sure if … you know, Kit and I have never … I’m not sure me working for him is the best idea.”

“I talked to Kit,” she replies. “He’s good with it. And he’s taking his job seriously. He’s grown up. I know his little crush on you was annoying, but he’s totally over it.”

I don’t even know where to begin processing that response.

Lili talked to Kit aboutme?

He’s “good with” meworkingfor him?

And he’soverhis crush on me?

Maybe he is. Maybe one night together was all it took. I’m no longer a challenge; I’m a successful conquest. He’s probably had dozens of one-night stands. Maybe even hundreds. They must all blur together into one big orgy at some point.

But I can’t work forKit Kensington. It would have been a recipe for disaster before we had sex. Now? It’s unthinkable.

Except … Kit doesn’t seem to think so.

He’s one of the few people I’ve seen successfully tell Lili no. Lili doesn’t work at Kensington Consolidated. She has no say in their hiring. Kit approved this—either because he doesn’t care if I work for him or because he doesn’t think I will accept the offer.

It took me three weeks to get an interview anywhere. And that interview was no guarantee of an actual offer, like I just reminded Lili.

Kensington Consolidated doesn’t have a single New York opening listed on their website. I checked when I first moved and was compiling a list of places to apply to. I doubt I could get an interview there on my own. But connections are how the real world works, right? And I could really use a win right now. Lili’s right; it can be a temporary stepping stone.

I knowIcan be professional.

And Kit’s the future face of the company. For all his faults, I can’t picture him risking his reputation to flirt with a woman he’s already fucked. Maybe it’s for thebestthat we slept together. Maybe it defused the strange awareness that’d always existed when we were in the same space. Most likely, I haven’t crossed his mind since Saturday night. My pride has already cost me plenty. This is Lili, my friend, doing me a favor. Not Kit.

“Collins? You still there?”

I suck in a deep breath and send up a silent prayer this won’t be another wrong choice. “Okay,” I agree. “I’ll take the job. Thanks.”

There’s a brief burst of relief. The weight of failure lightens a little because I’ll at least have a regular paycheck to rely on again.

And it’s almost enough to bury the apprehension about facing Kit in a few days.

Almost.

5

“For the sake of my dick, you need to get up.”

I don’t so much as blink, unfazed and noncompliant. “You’re going to have to clarify whatyougetting laid has to do withmylocation, Parks,” I tell my half-full glass.

Flynn sighs dramatically. “We’ve been friends for long enough that people see me in Proof and expect you to be here too. And if you’re hiding in a back-corner booth, for example, women ask mewhyyou’re hiding in a back-corner booth instead of asking me to take them home. See the issuenow?”

“Yep. Your game is pitiful, and you’re looking for a scapegoat. Keep searching because I’m staying put.”

Another heavy exhale from my best friend. “Worth a try,” Flynn grumbles, then snags the complimentary champagne that was starting to swim in the ice bucket and takes a swig straight from the bottle. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just tired. Exhausted actually.” I drag a palm down my face. “Long fucking week.”

It’s past midnight on a Friday night. So technically Saturday. Prime partying hour. I’m sitting in the VIP section of one of Manhattan’s most exclusive clubs. And all I can think about is how badly I’d rather be in bed, fast asleep. How being home suddenly seems like a luxury after a week of meetings and conference calls and presentations and pitches.

“It’ll get easier, man,” Flynn tells me. “Your new assistant is starting on Monday, right?”

“Right.” The reminder results in me swallowing the rest of my scotch.

When Flynn stopped by the office earlier to talk me into coming here, someone from IT was setting up a new computer at the desk outside my office. At the desk that now belongs to Collins.

---