Page 10 of Cuffed By Love

“Not at all.” I shrug, “I’m simply trying to point out that your way will not work to sway this woman.”

“How do you figure?”

“Because it’s clearly not about the money, Tinks!”

“Will you stop calling me that!” She hisses hotly, placing her hands on my desk and leans closer.

“I’ve always called you that!” I bark back, leaning in also, and she glowers at me, her eyes glowing hot, showing her state of agitation.

“When we were kids, which we no longer are, Devin!” It was my turn to roll my eyes. I thrust my fingers through my hair and shake my head.

“Yes, you’ve made that very clear the seventeen times you’ve already mentioned it, Tinks,” I reply, standing from my chair and staring into her flustered face. “It doesn’t matter how old we are…you will always be, Tinks,” I state with a smirk, and her eyes rake over my face. “It’s never bothered you before.”

“It bothers me now.”

“Why?”

“Because it does.”

“Why?”

“Goddamn it, do I have to give you a reason?!”

“Yes!”

“Why?! Why can’t you just call me by my name? Is it really so hard? Mira…MI-RA! It’s two fucking syllables!”

The anger in her eyes makes her look so goddamn sexy. We’re both leant over my desk, angrily glaring at one another, standing so close we’re almost nose to nose. “Mm, too much effort for a busy man like myself. I prefer the one-syllable word...Tinks.” I reach up and flick my index finger over her nose, and she hastily slaps my hand away.

There she is.

“How about you focus more on doing your job rather than infuriating me?” She gripes, staring into my eyes heatedly, and I can already feel my insides melting.

“You’re infuriating yourself,” I utter with a smirk. “You’re the one being hostile, Shortcake.”

Mira’s scowl deepens, and her chest rises and falls quicker. “Hostile? You think this is hostile? Devin King I can be much, much worse, I assure you.”

“Is that a threat, Tinks?”

Her amber eyes narrow. “Take it as you will, Devin.”

I bite back the urge to laugh when she stares at me, her eyes all big and unblinking, so I blow a quick breath in her face, and she blinks and jumps, startled. “What the fu—no, nah uh, I can’t work with you. I can’t work with you!” I chuckle, watching while she turns and storms out of the office.

“Too bad you’re stuck with me, baby girl.” I grin, rubbing my jaw while watching amusedly as she vamooses down the corridor. I sigh, falling back into my leather chair, rocking back and forth.

I forgot how easy she is to wind up, and I love it. I’ll crack her soon. She just needs a little time to remember what we were like around each other.

Things between us after that day went from bad to much worse. Two days later, she comes barrelling into my office without so much as a courteous knock. “Hey!” I jump out of my skin, almost choking on the mouthful of coffee I was drinking.

“Good morning to you too, sunshine.” I greet her and earn myself a death glare. She slaps a paper with the letters VP scribbled across it.

“Can you read?”

Lift my gaze to her and frown, “Last time I checked…”

Mira’s brows go up, and she wets her lips. “What does that say?” She questions, slapping down a piece of paper on my desk and looking down at me expectantly.

“VP?” I reply, perplexed while she glares at me, crossing her arms across her chest.

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