Page 35 of Hold You Close
I could do everything I’ve wanted to.
But I won’t make a fool of myself again.
“No, I don’t.”
She’s lying, but I’ll let her have it.
“The next time I kiss you, London Parish, it’ll be because you beg me to,” I promise her.
Her breathing is labored as her breasts brush against my bare chest.
She lets out a hearty laugh, and presses her hand to my chest, pushing me back. “That won’t be happening anytime soon, but I appreciate the offer.”
Disappointment floods me, but I don’t let her see. Instead I give her a knowing grin. “Anytime, princess.”
I turn around, close my eyes, and get myself back to the cocky prick she expects.
Eight
London
“Holy fuck!” I say as I slump against the wheel of my car.
We were so close to doing something stupid again. Why am I such a dumbass lately? It’s like this box has been opened and we don’t know how to close it. It needs to be sealed shut and buried, with no hopes of being found again.
I sit up, looking at the house, and promise myself this stops here.
My job requires my full attention from this moment on. No more thoughts of kisses, abs that look more painted-on then real, or the feel of his fingers on my skin. Nope. It’s all in the past. I’m back to being badass London Parish, kicker of all other analyst asses. Today I close a major deal because my career is riding on it.
I make a good living, but it’s because I get the contracts signed, perform above their hopes, and get a referral from each one. I don’t have time for Ian and whatever feelings I’ve buried getting resurrected. And of all the days, today is the one I need to be on my game.
Thankfully, my day is so insanely busy I don’t have a moment to think about my personal life. Between checking everything I’d already prepared, checking it again, and then not throwing up in my meeting, my mind has been laser focused.
And I killed it.
I was better than ever before.
“Great job, London,” my boss says as he sits in my office. “You really impressed him.”
I had a meeting with the owner of the biggest casino chain in Las Vegas, and it went fantastic. He was funny, insightful, and needed me to go over some numbers that weren’t adding up. It was a great opportunity, and the fact that he even knew of our firm is amazing in and of itself.
I smile. “Thanks, it felt good. I’m sending the contracts over to him tomorrow.”
Casey gets to his feet and puts out his hand. “Way to seal the deal. Congrats again.”
“I’m glad it worked out,” I say, giving him a firm handshake.
“We didn’t doubt it would, that’s why you got this pitch.” He smiles and then walks out.
I grab my phone and start typing to Sabrina, letting her know how amazing today was.
* * *
Me: OMG! I think I got the account I was going for! I’m so happy! Thank you for the tip about writing up the pitch on his yearly savings instead of quarterly. The bigger number definitely swayed him. You’re the best.
* * *
And then I stare at the text.
