Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 133682 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133682 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Sparks shimmy down my body. But I glance around, making sure nobody is nearby. I nod a big, exaggerated yes. “It’s like a whole new land of fucking with him. Last night, he tied me up with a red satin bow so that I looked like a Christmas present.”
Maeve’s hazel eyes flicker. “That’s a very specific kink, and I am here for it.”
“And I was there for it too,” I say. “He’s kind of like a borderline pleasure Dom. He’s a little obsessed with giving me multiple orgasms.”
“I’m still not hearing the problem,” Josie deadpans as she walks me farther into the living room.
“He can bake, he’s a good dad, and he fucks like a god,” Everly says, counting off on her fingers. “Did I get that right, Fable?”
Tingles rush over my skin because actually, that’s not all the man can do. “Oh, there’s more. He’s a great listener. He’s thoughtful. He’s smart. He can change a battery in a smoke detector. And he spoils me rotten. I mean, he booked us that private class and the dinner and the hotel room, and he treated my sister and me to a Christmas shopping spree, and he booked us all that private suite at the football game.”
Everly grabs a bar from the coffee table where I’ve placed the tray and breaks off a corner, popping it in her mouth, then moans like a cooking show star. “Do not let go of him when the holidays are over.”
That’s not really an option though. I sigh. “We already agreed to an end date. It was always going to have one.”
Josie pats the couch in front of the Christmas tree. “Sit,” she orders and I comply. She gives me the Very Serious Look. “Can we discuss the elephant in the room?”
“I thought we were discussing the elephant in the room,” I say, glancing at the tray of baked goods. “That the billionaire could actually bake? Incidentally, he baked those as punishment for squeezing my ass. It’s a game we play,” I say, and I’m giddy as I tell them about our list. “It was his idea to keep us on the up and up with this romance. If we do anything that’s over the top and might make it obvious it’s fake, we have this naughty and nice list we reference. And we get and give punishments, but fun punishments like cookies and massages.”
Maeve blinks several times. “Ma’am, excuse me. We need all the details. We should all do this list. But first I have to know—did you purposely do something over the top so that he would bake for you?”
“No, he did something over the top,” I explain.
“He squeezed your ass and you got cookies? It sounds like a win-win for you,” Maeve adds, then crosses her legs with a certain panache.
Josie clears her throat to get our attention again. “Which only bolsters my point. The real elephant in the room is that this romance doesn’t look fake.”
The room turns silent. All eyes look my way. The weight of that statement hangs in the afternoon air.
I flash back on last night, and the things he said in bed. The way I felt then, but also at the caroling competition. Payback was the farthest thing on my mind. Then I picture this morning with him on the deck. He was so frustrated, so hurt by his father, and he obviously felt so helpless. Wilder was entirely stubborn—but then, he let me in. He accepted my support and my comfort, and it was a joy to be able to give him that. I hope he hears from his father soon.
I twist my fingers together and acknowledge Josie’s elephant. “It doesn’t feel fake anymore either,” I admit. That’s the first time I’ve voiced it out loud. “And I don’t know what to do about it.”
Maeve seems to give my dilemma some thought before she says, “You have feelings for him. Big, mushy real ones that make you feel like anything is possible?”
Me? I don’t like opening up. It makes me feel like my mother when I was growing up, as she opened the door for my father again and again. It makes me feel like someone could walk out and then return and do it one more time. Still, these big, frothy feelings for Wilder are getting harder to ignore. “I do. But we work together. I don’t know what it would be like when we return to the office in the new year.”
“You already cleared it with HR,” Everly points out. “That’s a big hurdle you don’t have to worry about. The whole office believes you’re together, so you’re off to a great start.” She flicks some errant blonde strands of hair off her cheek, then adds, “And I work with Max and it’s a lot of fun.”