The Fixed Trilogy(Fixed on You, Found in You, Forever With You)(13)

Well, then. I could live with that. David had all but guaranteed me a place in management. Plan back on track. And it likely meant that Hudson wasn’t planning on spending a lot of time around the club. I might have sighed audibly.

Hudson leaned back against the couch, draping his arm across the top. “But I didn’t invite you here to discuss the club.”

Finally. I swallowed. “Why did you invite me?”

A hint of amusement crossed Hudson’s face. “Perhaps I like you.”

I shuddered as a thrill traveled up my spine. But I didn’t trust that he was merely trying to pick me up. He was taking too long to make his play, and that would never be Hudson’s style. There was more.

God, I hoped there was more. If he was just trying to pick me up, what the hell was I going to say?

I took a sip of my iced tea, wishing it were something stronger. When I lowered my glass, I said, “Perhaps I’m seeing someone.”

“You aren’t. No man would let his woman wear the outfit you wore yesterday. Not in public, anyway.”

The mention of the outfit I’d nicknamed trouble and the idea that any man would let me do anything ruffled my feathers. “Perhaps I’m not into controlling boyfriends.”

His mouth twitched slightly. “Very well, Alayna.” He cocked a brow. “Are you seeing anyone?”

Of course I wasn’t seeing anyone, damn it. I looked at my lap, my expression telling Hudson all he needed to know. Why did this man make me so flustered? I was a confident, well-spoken woman on a normal day. But not around him.

I sat straighter, attempting to find some semblance of sure footing. “That isn’t why you invited me, Hudson. You have an agenda.”

“An agenda.” Hudson made a sound that I think must have been his version of a chuckle. “Yes, Alayna, I have an agenda.”

And then, instead of sharing his agenda, he changed the subject. “I presume you enjoyed your time at my spa last week.”

Startled by absolutely everything he was saying, I attempted to follow the topic swing. “Oh, I didn’t realize you owned…wait...” And the light went on. “The gift was from you?”

“Yes. Did you have a nice time?”

“No. Way.” I’m pretty sure my jaw dropped. Actually, physically, literally dropped.

“No way?”

Realizing my remark hadn’t expressed what I meant it to express, I tried again. “I mean, yes, I had a nice time—a wonderful time, in fact—but no way could you have done that. Why did you do that? You shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why ever not?”

A whole range of reasons ran through my head, number one being because it was creepy and psychotic. But I had been called both of those things many times and would not throw them easily at another person. I grabbed for the next reason. “Because that’s big!”

“Not for me.”

“But for me it is.” How could he not understand? The vastness of it built in me like champagne bubbles in a newly uncorked bottle. “It’s huge! And you don’t even know me! It’s completely inappropriate and unprofessional and unprecedented and inappropriate. And if I’d known it was from you, I never would have accepted it.” This couldn’t be only about getting in my pants. I could have been won over by much less, as ashamed as I was to admit that to myself.

Hudson took a deep breath, trying to remain patient. “It’s not inappropriate at all. It was simply a gift. Think of it as a golden hello.”

My voice was tight as I strained to keep myself from screaming in frustration. “But you don’t give gifts like that to women who work for you unless you’re running an entirely different kind of club.”

“You’re overreacting, Alayna.”

“I’m not!” Finally his previous statement registered. “And what do you mean a golden hello? You mean, like a signing bonus?” Several of my peers had talked about the bonuses they’d been offered when they’d accepted their six-figure positions after grad school. Cars and stuff like that.

“Yes, Alayna.” He tossed his hand in the air. “That’s my agenda. I would like to hire you.”

He couldn’t have startled me more if he’d asked me to strip for him. Or maybe that’s what he was asking. What exactly did he want to hire me to do? “I already work for you and I’m happy where I am.”

“Again, I don’t feel that you do work for me. I am not your boss. I own the establishment that you work for. That is all. Is that clear?”

Semantics. But I understood what he was attempting to do, separating himself from me and my job at The Sky Launch, so I nodded.