Page 22 of Dark Time

He leaned across the table, placed his hand over mine, and looked me right in the eye. I knew the offer had turned his mind from whatever he was about to say because his gaze turned hot, and his lips turned that shade of red that only came when he was aroused. My eyes narrowed when he licked his lower lip quickly.

I wanted to bite those lips and let our tongues tangle together, but I moved my eyes up to his.

“That’s a very tempting offer, Emily, but that wasn’t…” He paused, and I saw him visibly fight for control over his body. “That wasn’t quite what I was going to offer you, my dear.”

“Oh?” I gave him a look that dared him to ask me to do it.

“No, it wasn’t.” He pulled away, and the moment passed. His lips twitched into a smile, and he took a sip of his wine.

“Then what did you want to ask me, Dylan?” I sat back in my chair, only a little annoyed. I knew he’d make it up to me when we got back to the penthouse.

He’d been tense about something all day, but when I’d asked him, he wouldn’t say what was wrong. Now here we were, in a nice restaurant, and I had to wonder what exactly he wanted to offer me.

There’d been no more talk about contracts since that one fateful night. I was glad about that. I hated those contracts. I couldn’t figure what else he might want to offer me.

For a brief, fleeting moment, my heart fluttered, but then I dismissed the idea. Dylan would not be offering marriage. He definitely wasn’t that kind. I had no expectations of that, although, I did sometimes fantasize about wedding dresses and ceremonies that he took part in. I didn’t want to admit that to myself, not right now, and I took a deep breath to push that silly little fluttering feeling away.

“Go on, darling, what did you want to offer me?” I smiled at him and brushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

I had the blonde mop in a French twist on the back of my head, with a few strands out to soften the look. He seemed to like it, and his eyes followed my fingers.

“I wanted to… Well, I know it’s probably the last thing you want to do, but you did get a degree in it, so maybe you do. I don’t know.” He was nervous all over again.

Now I had an idea of what he wanted to offer, and my heart melted. “Do you want me to come work with you, Dylan?”

“I do, Emily.” The words burst out of him with relief. “You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad, Dylan? I’d love to. I’m not sure what you’d want me to do, but I’d be glad to be part of the team.” I grinned, touched that he thought that much of me.

Some demon in the back of my mind repeated the word traitor over and over, but I told it to fuck right off. My family didn’t even know I had a degree. None had cared enough to ask me how I spent my time and didn’t know I’d obtained the degree through online courses at the state university. It was their loss.

I was a free agent and owed no loyalty to people who had disowned me, did I?

Dylan was pleased and called the waiter over to order a bottle of champagne.

“What do you want me to do exactly?” I was curious and wanted to know some of the details right away.

“Well, for now, I want your opinion on things. You know this coast better than me. You know what makes the people who come here tick, what they want, what they like. You have something nobody else from my current employee pool can offer. Insider knowledge of the market here.” He paused, frowned, and then rushed to speak again. “I don’t mean I want you to divulge confidential information about your family’s business; I didn’t mean that at all.”

“Dylan, it’s fine. I knew what you meant, and I wasn’t offended. I’ve actually got a lot of information to share, you’re right. None of it has to do with my family’s business, but I learned a lot from my experiences there. I’ll be glad to be part of your team.”

Our dinner and the champagne arrived, and we talked about future plans together while we ate. I was pleased, and excitement made me grin like an idiot. I would be working with Dylan, and hopefully, I would become a valuable member of his team.

I really liked the idea of having a real job. I didn’t need one, but it would be nice to have something to do every day. I’d spend my days with him at work and my nights in his bed. That sounded like complete heaven to me.

Emily

“Merry Christmas, Emily.” I stretched as Dylan whispered into my ear, a broad grin on my face.

“Dylan!” I whined out because I wanted just a few more minute to sleep. “Let me have another half hour.”

“Come now, my dear. You don’t want to lay in bed while there are presents under that magnificent tree you put up! They’re out there, calling for you.” He paused and then in a small, dramatic voice he called out, “Emily, open us. Please, you must reveal the secrets we contain. Come to us, Emily.”

“Are you trying to get me out of bed with a bad Dracula impression, Dylan? Really?” I hugged my pillow tighter and grunted. “I just need five more minutes.”

“Nooooo!” Dylan groaned and pulled the covers away. “Come on, show some enthusiasm.”

I knew he was trying to fill my day with a little happiness, and I couldn’t do much after he took the covers away but get up. “Fine!”