“But it’s too soon, we haven’t given Theo…”
“If he hasn’t managed to fix this by then, it’s too risky.” He says seriously.
“But Harry, I can’t just leave. What about my job?”
“Lilly, you do understand that you will go to prison if this goes bad? Your job won’t fucking matter when you are behind bars!” He shouts. I start to reply, but he holds his hand up, silencing me. “I am taking the flight tomorrow night.”
“You would be breaching your bail Harry. No!”
He cuts me off. “My friend Billy runs private flights to a ski resort out there. I’ll text you the address for the runway. It’s no longer up for discussion. Be there.” He narrows his eyes at me before storming out of the kitchen. The front door slams, marking his exit.
What the hell just happened? Did my brother really just give me an ultimatum?
I’ve got back to back meetings all day. I’m throwing myself into my work as a welcome distraction from…well, everything. Theo emailed me earlier saying he needs to speak to me. I’ve scheduled him in as a lunchtime meeting. We’re not publicly back together, so I can totally pass him off as a client to Simmons. Not that he cares. As long as Theo keeps writing him fat cheques, I really don’t think he cares which of his staff are hopping into bed with him.
My last meeting is with Josh who keeps smirking at me across the conference table. We’re having to deal with a massive take over for an old friend of Simmons, but fuck me, the man is so boring. He must be about eighty, and it takes him about three times longer than the average person to speak a sentence. Josh looks about ready to kill himself by the time we’re done. Still, it’s a multi-million pound buy out, which means big fee’s, of which we get a cut, so I shouldn’t really complain.
By the time I make it to my lunchtime meeting with Theo, I have a killer headache. I’ve been busting my arse at work, pulling early mornings and late nights, all on top of no sleep. My colleagues must think I’m the super bitch, I’m so bloody snappy.
Theo meets me at Aroma, a small coffee shop near my office. He’s sat on one of the tall bar stools by the window. I smile. He doesn’t like the window, but he knows I do. I like people watching.
“Hey.” I kiss his cheek quickly. He moves to kiss my lips but I duck away and eye him meaningfully. The very last thing I need right now on top of everything else, is the press. You wouldn’t believe the lengths people will go to. The way people act around him, you’d think he was a rock star, not just a hot businessman. I’ve seen people take crappy pictures of us on their phone, and have then seen them online the next day. For now, if anyone asks, we’re just business acquaintances.
“I got you a coffee.” He says with a wry smile on his lips. He’s wearing a suit, or as close to a suit as Theo gets. Suit trousers and a shirt, unbuttoned with no tie. I swear to god, a suit is to a woman what lingerie is to a man. I slip off my blazer, feeling a bit over heated.
“Thank you.” I pick up the cup in front of me and take a sip, trying to ignore that sexier than sin look on his face. “I am in dire need.” The caffeine hits me like a soothing blanket, easing my tension and giving me a new lease of life. Yep, I think I probably have a full-fledged addiction.
“How is your day going?” He asks politely.
I shrug. “Boring meetings, rich old men, standard.”
He smirks. “Sounds very similar to my day.”
“Do you mean to tell me you actually ventured inside the walls of your own company? Shocker!” I tease.
“I did. Then I remembered why I hate working and I came here. Needless to say, you are far more attractive than the gnarly old men I’ve been with all morning.” He places a hand on my thigh, trailing upward. I cover his hand with mine, stilling it.
“What part of inconspicuous do you not understand?”
He chuckles. “Babe, trust me when I say that no-one is going to believe for a second that I’m not fucking you.”
“And why is that?” I ask quietly.
He leans in, until our faces are close. “Because you look like that, and there is no fucking way I could ever be friends with someone who looks like you. My cock would disown me. Plus, they’re not blind. You’re looking at me like you want to do very bad things to me.” He grins. “Two people who look like us can’t not fuck sugar. It’s a fucking travesty to the human race.”
I snort. “You did not just say that?”
“Don’t act like it’s not true.” He leans one elbow casually on the back of the chair, and turns his body toward me. He’s so arrogant, but fuck, it’s attractive.