Page 72 of The CEO I Hate

“I know some talented writers who could bring in a level of expertise the room is currently missing,” Lyle added.

I hated the insinuation that the current writers weren’t experienced enough, but part of me knew that was true. Thanks to him.Hewas the one who’d chosen to staff the room with newbies who’d give in to anything he said. And now, he wanted to stack the deck with a few more toadies who could be counted on to side with him in any power struggle he had with Mia.

“Who are we talking about?” I asked.

“Alex Barnett,” he said. “Ethan Moore. James Singh. Damien Alverez.”

“Two,” I said, putting a limit on it. I couldn’t have him outnumbering Mia and Paula, despite how qualified his list was. “You can bring on two other writers.”

Damien Alverez’s pitch had made it to the very early stages of development with VeriTV. Perhaps it wouldn’t be the worst idea to bringhim on board and get a taste of how he worked with some of my creative team before fully committing.

People were on their best behavior when they were pitching. Getting him in the room would allow me to see the real him. And hopefully, the real him would turn out to be a lot less like Lyle.

“Damien and one other. Your choice.”

“Fine. Also,” Lyle said. “I want an executive story editor credit.”

“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth.

“AndI want to talk about a performance bonus if season two is as successful as the first.”

The guy was really pushing his luck. But if this was the deal that kept Lyle from making waves forEnd in Fire, I was willing to throw a little more money his way. I nodded to the studio lawyer. He made notes. Then I reached my hand across the table. “Do we have a deal?”

Lyle nodded. “Deal.”

24

MIA

Walking up the drive to Liam’s Studio City mansion should have given me nervous butterflies. I didn’t need the side-eye from the security guard at the community’s gate to realize that my old beater and I had no business in this place where people probably bathed in water sprinkled with gold flakes.

But I was in too good of a mood to overthink that. The sun was shining, it was a beautiful day, and I had a beautiful man I’d been crushing on since I was fifteen waiting to fuck me into next week. Plus, I had some very good news to share.

ElliefreakingPark, the podcaster behindThe Ink Spot, had invited me onto her show to talk aboutHeart and Hustle’supcoming limited print run. After repeated requests from my readers—especially the ones I’d met at the convention—I’d decided to take a risk on a print run, and any chance to put the word out there could be a huge help in getting bookstores interested in stocking the book. I couldn’t wait to tell Liam about the interview. I plugged the access code into Liam’s front door and walked into the massive foyer, my footsteps echoing.

“Liam?”

There was no answer.

I poked my head into the living room—one of the living rooms?—and the room I thought of as the library and the one that wasanoffice but nothisoffice.

“Liam?” I called again. He had to be home, we had dinner plans! If this man had gotten sidetracked at the office, he was going to get a string of very grumpy emojis. As I passed through the kitchen, I nearly tripped over a furry loaf passed out in front of the fridge. “Ash?” He thumped his tail once without lifting his head. I froze, staring down at him like I’d just discovered a bear living in the pantry.

What. The. Hell.

Liam had brought the dog here? Last time he’d mentioned Ash, he’d referred to him as a “liability with fur.” So why had he brought the dog home?

I stepped over him slowly, like if I made too much noise, I’d break whatever spell had allowed this crossover event to happen.

Splash!

I turned. The sliding glass door jutting off the kitchen was open. I followed it outside. Liam’s backyard was almost more impressive than his house. Sprawling greenery adorned the yard, massive palm trees and ferns sprouting up everywhere.

There was a stamped concrete deck, patio chairs that probably cost more than my car, a fancy gazebo with netting, and the pool—the freaking pool was gorgeous! Much like the man currentlyinthe pool, apparently swimming laps. I watched Liam for a beat, wondering when he’d come up for air.

We’d planned a quiet dinner together so we could unwind after a busy week. I knew he’d had a meeting today that he’d been stressed about, and judging by the way he was trying to punish the water with eachstroke, things had not gone well. My good mood deflated a bit. Maybe tonight wasn’t the night to tell him about the podcast—not when it looked like he had his own news to get off his chest. I crouched at the edge of the pool, wondering how to get his attention.

As he glided past me, his sleek muscles shimmering beneath the water’s surface, I wondered how often he swam to relieve stress. I sat down and plopped my feet in the water, sending ripples across the surface. It must have caused enough of a disturbance to grab his attention because he popped his head up, wiping water from his face as he shoved his brown locks back.

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