Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“I hope you’ll consider it. This is life-changing money, right? It will give you some much-needed breathing room. The chance to build your cushion. You’re still young. It will give you a chance to enjoy your life.” There was a lot more I wanted to say about how he could take care of himself better, but I didn’t want to piss him off. Besides, I wanted the job of caring for him.
“I know. Trust me, I know what kind of difference it would make. Do you understand how much money we’re talking?”
“Ten dates at an agreed sum of a quarter of a million per date. That comes out to two and a half million,” I answered calmly, but it did not help to calm Byron in the slightest.
“A lot. A fucking lot. No. I-I can’t. Absolutely not.”
“Why?”
Byron stopped his pacing and stared at me as though I’d started speaking a foreign language. “Because I’m not worth that kind of money. Not just for ten dates.”
“You are to me.”
Byron grunted but didn’t look happy about it.
I pushed out of my seat and walked to him. With infinite care, I extracted his fingers from his hair and put my hands on his shoulders. I squeezed the tense muscles there, trying to get him to relax before he gave himself a heart attack.
“Why are you doing this?” he whispered.
“Because I want to get to know you better. That’s why people date.”
“I thought that was why you wanted to be friends.”
My face wrinkled up in a wince. “Yeah, but I want to flirt with you, and I don’t flirt with my friends. Also, hold your hand, if you’ll let me.” I released his shoulders and took a step back. “But this bargain does not include the expectation of any kind of physical intimacy at all. You don’t have to hold my hand or kiss me or anything if you don’t want to.”
That was going to be the hard part. I was drawn to him, ached to touch him in a hundred tiny ways. If I were to go out on dates with him, I’d want to hold his hand, cuddle him, kiss him until our lips were sore. But I’d have to behave.
“What if we go out on two dates and discover that this whole thing was a bad idea? That we’re horrible as a couple.”
My heart skipped around my chest. The fact that he was looking for a hole in my bargain meant he was at least considering it. This was an excellent sign.
“Then I pay for two years of Ronnie’s care.”
“What if, after ten dates, I don’t want to date you ever again? Won’t you think I used you for the money?”
His question only made me smile wider. He sounded so insulted and outraged at just saying the question. “No, I trust you. You have integrity. You would never use someone like that.”
Byron scoffed and paced away from me, but his movements were slower and more thoughtful, as if he were still searching for loopholes and problems. God, I loved his brain. It was the sexiest thing about him after his mouth. And chin. And his dexterous, slender fingers.
Never mind. All of him was sexy, especially his brain.
“If we don’t want to continue dating after the agreed-upon ten dates, we part as friends. No harm, no foul. No one has any hold on the other person. I pay for the ten years.”
“What if…” Byron looked at me from the corner of his eye and I swore the tip of his ear got redder.
“What?” I prodded.
Byron hesitated, chewing on his bottom lip. “What if we wanted to keep dating after those ten? If someone were to find out, I’d lose my job. I don’t know about you, but I like my job. I need my job. People finding out we’re dating would ruin my reputation.”
“That would be the risk in the beginning, but if we want to keep dating, I could swap you with another executive assistant.”
He stared at me for a second. “You’re shitting me.”
I shook my head. I reached for his hand to pull him close, but I stopped myself, letting my hand fall to my side. “Declan is constantly in need of help. He scares them all away, but you’ve handled him countless times without a single problem. He’s made offers for you several times. I’ve shut him down because I couldn’t stand the idea of losing you. But…if I were dating you, I’d have you as my boyfriend, and I could sacrifice not having you as my assistant during the day.”
Because I would have him every night and weekend.
That was the part I was smart enough to not say out loud. This time, he didn’t seem to notice as he paced. This had to be overwhelming for him. It was a lot to take in. My idea was insane, but after having a crush on his cute ass for so long, I didn’t want to lose this opportunity to draw him closer. The best part was that not only would I get to date him, but I’d get the chance to help him with his financial problems.