Page 17 of Face Off With Fate

“Will you shake my hand now?” I bit out, ignoring how my dick twitched.

“That was pathetic. Have you never begged before?”

“Usually, they’re doing the begging...” The words slipped out before I could stop them.

She raked her eyes over my body, surprise lighting them. “Joshua Monroe. Who knew you had game under that grumpy exterior?”

Another twitch.

I was only reacting this way because I hadn’t had sex in a while. It had nothing to do with her. Any attractive woman running her eyes over me like that would have the same effect…

I cut off that line of thinking. “Would you focus? Are we doing this or not?”

She arched her brow, a smirk growing along with the tense silence. How were we going to work together when we butted heads at every step?

“You’re actin’ like a brat.”

“Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you.” She bent at the waist, glossy lips within inches of mine. “Tick tock, Coach.”

I ground my teeth at her condescending tone. Damn woman wasn’t letting up on the begging shit.

“Graciella, will you please help me?” I forced out through clenched teeth, sticking my hand out again. Pretty positive I cracked a molar. “Happy?”

“What a good boy.”

Blood flowed right to my cock with her croon. Pissed me off nearly as much as kneeling at her feet begging her for help with a problem I shouldn’t have to deal with.

The rough callouses of my palm scraped against her soft skin, fingers wrapping all the way around until they nearly touched my thumb. How could someone with such small hands have such a tight hold on my balls right now?

I was at her mercy, and I hated it.

I yanked her forward, and she let out a yelp. Holding her against my chest, I ignored how good she felt in my arms.“You are the most insufferable, hardheaded, stubborn woman I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. You better not screw me over. Understand?”

She swallowed, the long line of her neck bobbing. But the look of panic only lasted a second, replaced by a confident smile that set me on edge.

“Monroe, that’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. I think we are going to work so well together.” And with that, she tapped my nose with her forefinger, like I was a damn dog.

Trouble. She was fucking trouble.

SIX

GRACIELLA

BEING STRONG AND INDEPENDENT CAN LOOK LIKE MAKING A MAN DO SHIT FOR YOU. DUH.

Ari:

You got JOSH MONROE to get on his knees???

Me:

What? Like it’s hard?

It was hard.

Almost as hard as coming up with an entire PR strategy to save two careers in less than forty-eight hours. My reputation and my last shred of dignity were riding on me pulling this off. No pressure.

I popped another pepino, needing something to chew on besides my nail beds. The tang from the lime coated my mouth, offering a distraction.