Page 53 of Dream Date With the Millionaire
And then she realized…James thought she was using Bryce for information, not dating him for real.
“Nothing. I—”
“Take your time.” Excitement filled James’s voice. “Get him to trust you.”
Dani raised her chin. “Bryce already trusts me.”
“So soon? You must be good.”
She frowned at James’s suggestive tone. “I’m not dating Bryce to get information. I really like him. Our jobs have no impact on us.”
At least no longer. Thank goodness.
“Perhaps not on him, but you can use this to our advantage.”
The emphasis on the word our made her straighten. “I’m sorry, James, but I can’t do that to Bryce or myself. I have more ethics than that.”
“Ethics, huh.” James’s features hardened. His eyes narrowed. He stood, towering above her, boldly intimidating. “Don’t forget you signed a non-disclosure agreement and a non-compete clause when you accepted this position.”
“So?” Dani asked.
“So if you’re not getting info out of Bryce, I will have to assume you’re spying on Hookamate for him. And that’s a job-terminating offense.”
Bryce hated seeing Dani so torn up. He sat next to her on a park bench and put his arm around her. “But James didn’t actually fire you.”
“No.” Dani’s voice trembled. She clasped her hands together. No doubt if she hadn’t, she’d be wringing them. “Not yet anyway, but his intent was clear. I use my being your new girlfriend to get info or I lose my job.”
“That’s blackmail.” Anger burned. She didn’t deserve to be treated this way. “James is using you to get to me. He’s had it in for me ever since I quit and founded Blinddatebrides.com. That’s the only reason he decided to start his own online dating Web site.”
“Did you know he won’t even say the name of your Web site? He calls it bdb.com.”
“The guy is an idiot.” Bryce pulled Dani against him. “Just quit. I’ll cover your expenses until you find a new job.”
She straightened, drawing away from him. “I appreciate the offer, but I can deal with James on my own.”
Her independence was admirable, but unnecessary. “This isn’t only about you now. I feel responsible for what’s happened. And I know James better than you—”
“Please don’t,” Dani urged. “You’re Caitlin’s big brother, not mine.”
“My feelings for you aren’t at all brotherly.”
Dani’s hair caught on the wind. Simply beautiful.
Who was Bryce kidding? There was nothing simple about her. She was complex, challenging and even difficult at times. He wouldn’t have her any other way.
“I care about you, Dani.”
“I care about you, too, but it’s my job at stake. You remember how I told you my father left us?”
Bryce nodded.
“Well, my mother had relied on him for everything. When he took off, she was left with nothing except the four of us girls. She’d dropped out of college to get married, never worked a day in her life and didn’t even know their checking account number. She learned her lesson and wanted to make sure me and my sisters didn’t repeat her mistakes. She taught us to take charge of our own lives and ourselves. That’s what I’ve been trying to do. That’s what I need to do with James. I can handle this.” Her eyes implored him. “I need to handle this.”
He squeezed her hand reassuringly. “You can handle anything.”
“Thanks for understanding. That means…a lot to me.”
“I do understand, but just know I’m here if you need backup.”
“Okay.”
But, back in his office, he wasn’t so sure. James’s behavior had everything to do with Bryce and Blinddatebrides.com, not Dani. He hated seeing her caught in the middle and wanted to keep her from getting hurt.
Bryce knew she was attending an afternoon training class off-site when he arrived at Hookamate.com.
James didn’t look surprised to see him. “You’re here about Danica.”
Bryce seethed with anger, but losing control wouldn’t solve anything. The last time he’d lost his temper and argued with Dani, he’d almost lost her. He wasn’t about to do that again.
He set his jaw, determined to put an end to James’s dirty dealings, once and for all. “Stop taking out your problems with me on Dani. Keep her out of this and stay away from my company or I’ll bring legal action against you.”
“You have no proof.” James glowered. “No prosecutor would touch the case.”
