Page 15 of Mistletoe Mistake
“For the amount they want to pay us, we could hire more staff,” Holly countered. “We could have a whole team devoted to this contract and a separate team for other work.”
“But it stipulates that you and I have to be personally involved,” I reminded her, pointing at the applicable section in the contract, spelled out in black and white. “A lot of our time is going to be tied up in this.”
“And that's a problem because...?” she prompted.
My finger slid over the words on the page, looking for an answer, when Holly snickered.
“Oh my God. It's because of Cole, isn't it? You still want him.”
Immediately, my eyes snapped up to her. “What? Of course not.”
Her expression melted into something disturbingly close to pity. “Oh, Gem. I didn't realize. I thought you were over it after he propositioned you, but clearly, you're not.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but closed it again nearly as quickly. As much as I hated to admit it, she had a point. “If we're working with him, then he's completely off-limits. That shouldn't bother me, but...”
“You still want him,” she repeated, filling in the rather obvious blank as she leaned closer to me, trying to read my thoughts in my face. "I mean, I get it. The man is fit, even if the broody ones aren't really my type. Are you actually interested in him, or is this just a physical thing?"
Again, I had no easy answer for that. "I don't really know anything about him, and he obviously doesn't know anything about me either, which, after this year, is a nice change."
"So, you want to date him?"
"No." I quickly brushed that thought aside. Right now, I had no intention of jumping back into a relationship. "But Iamattracted to him, and it's hard to imagine working with him when these other thoughts keep running through my head."
“Well, we haven't started working with him yet." Holly rested her chin on her hand, thinking things over. "If you want to make a move, this is your chance. Just tell him you want to shag him and get rid of the sexual tension before we sign on the dotted line. I can't imagine he'd say no. Look at you!"
As always, her fierce loyalty made me smile, but the smile quickly faded as I leaned back in my chair with a sigh. “You make it sound so easy.”
“Itiseasy,” she promised. “I've seen the way he looks at you. He wants it too, trust me. You can do this, Gem, and you deserve to have some fun. Just make him an offer he can't refuse.”
~Cole~
I didn't expect it to take long for Gemma and Holly to make a decision. The offer I had put together was almost too good to be true, especially for a small business like theirs. They probably would have agreed to less, but I didn't see the point in beating around the bush: I wanted what they were selling and I was willing to pay for it, simple as that.
I lived my whole life that way, and it hadn’t let me down so far.
So, when Holly came out to the reception area where Jackson and I sat, I assumed we were being called back in to shake hands and agree in principle. Instead, she said Gemma would like to speak with me privately. A quick glance over at Jackson didn’t make things any clearer; he simply raised his eyebrows curiously. He didn't know what this meant any more than I did, and it seemed the only way to find out would be to go and speak with her.
Placing my coffee down on the table, I got to my feet and made my way back to Gemma's office. The rest of their staff had arrived for the day by now and several pairs of curious eyes followed me as I made my way inside and closed the door behind me. Gemma hadn’t moved from the small table where we all sat earlier, so I joined her back there.
Though she gave me a smile as I sat down, I could see telltale signs of nerves in the way her fingers pressed together and how she swallowed, and it confused me. She hadn't been nervous earlier when discussing the contract. However, Holly and Jackson had been here then, and now, we were alone for the first time since she left my hotel room on Friday night, and the air between us seemed to crackle with electricity. Could she feel it too?
As if she'd read my mind, Gemma dove right in. “I wanted to talk to you about the other night. The night we met.”
I probably should have guessed that was the reason she’d called me in. “I've already apologized for that,” I reminded her. If she knew how rarely I apologized for anything, it might have made more of an impression on her.
“You did,” she agreed. “But I just wanted to make sure things weren't going to be awkward between us because of it. I mean, if we agree to work together.”
“I'm a professional, Gemma. I'm sure you are too. There's no reason for either of us to be uncomfortable over a simple misunderstanding. We can pretend it never happened.”
Her lips pursed, almost as if she’d been hoping for a different response. “Before we forget all about it, can I ask you something? What exactly did I do that night to make you think I wanted to be paid?”
The question made me wince, since I would rather not get into my thought process with her, or with anyone. My rules were personal, and she had it right when she said it would be better to keep things professional. On the other hand, I didn't want her to think I had insulted her in any way, since I certainly hadn’t meant it as an insult. Judging by her expression, she didn't seem upset so much as curious, so perhaps it would be best to try to satisfy her curiosity so we could move on.
“It had nothing to do with anything you did or didn’t do. I simply let myself be swayed by what I wanted to be true rather than what I actually saw. That's a mistake I don't make often.”
In truth, I prided myself on my ability to read people and to size them up quickly. Making such a large error very rarely happened.
Gemma still looked confused. “So, you're saying that youwantedme to be a prostitute?”
