She swallowed hard. “He said your vision was the future and we were the right choice. But that I could seal the deal by sleeping with him. That he only wanted one night.”
His nostrils flared, his fingers flexing around the metal bar that surrounded the lift. She was half terrified he would stop the car and go after Alexander from the coldly furious look on his face. Instead, as the lift stopped at their floor, he stepped out, held the door for her and stalked toward their rooms.
“Your card,” he barked, taking it and opening the door. It was a good two or three moments before he spoke.
“What else did he say?”
She lifted a trembling hand to her cheek. “I asked him why. He said he wanted the fantasy. That when he was deep inside me he would have what none of the others had.” She stared at him. “God, Jared. He’s sick.”
He was so still, so absolutely still, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. It throbbed once, twice, three times before he took a deep breath and started toward her, his hands cupping her jaw. “He’s a megalomaniac who thinks he can have anything he wants, Bailey. But he will never put his hands on you. I promise you that.”
She was shaking. He folded her against his chest and held her there, his hands in her hair. “He’s bluffing.”
She shook her head. “He brought in Gehrig.”
“Gehrig was a natural choice. They’re an extremely hot brand. I’m surprised they didn’t include them from the beginning. It was a smart move on Alexander’s part.”
She pushed away. “You need to send me home, Jared. This is crazy.”
“Not happening. We have Project X. It’s going to win this for us. We stay the course, Bailey.”
But he’d never wanted to use his secret launch. They had a whole strategic plan built around the products that involved an array of global partners. And now he was messing with that because of her past.
She stalked past him to the closet, pulled her suitcase out and started throwing clothes in.
“What the hell are you doing?”
She spun around. “I have to go. It’s the only way. If I’m gone, Alexander might lose interest and play fairly.”
Hot color stained his cheekbones. “Have you been listening to anything I’ve said? He doesn’t care, Bailey. You are not a deciding factor. You are a pawn in his game. So forget anything but us going in there and winning the entire committee over. Making him make the right decision.”
But what if Alexander didn’t do the right thing? She shook her head. “I can’t take that chance. I will not lose this deal for you.” She turned and started dumping her shoes into the bag, tears stinging the back of her eyes. Jared’s hands sank into her waist and spun her around.
“How many times do I have to tell you I’m not doing this alone? We’re pitching this together and we’re winning.”
Her gaze dropped to his perfectly knotted tie. A Windsor knot. Her favorite. And she wondered why, why was he doing this? Why was he backing her to his own detriment?
Her mouth twisted. “He told me he wanted to have what you have. Ironic, isn’t it, when you don’t even want what I’m offering?”
His gaze darkened to a deep, stormy blue. “You know that isn’t true.”
“How?” She practically yelled the word at him. “I put myself out there for the first time in my life, we share what we shared and then you shut it down as if I’m totally expendable. A dime a dozen…because of your stupid rules.”
His face tightened. “They aren’t stupid rules. They’re designed to ensure you don’t get hurt.”
“They’re designed to ensure you don’t get hurt.”
He lifted a shoulder. “They are what they are.”
“Coward.” She hurled the word at him with all the hurt and confusion surging through her. “You talk about trust. You want me to trust you on this, to walk into this pitch with you when you won’t even be honest with yourself?”
His cheeks stained deeper. “You want the truth, Bailey? You want to know what’s been eating at me? I’ve spent the entire evening, the entire week telling myself I can’t have you. Telling myself I will hurt you. When all I can think of is having you. Teaching you what it’s like to be with a man and pleasuring you so much you’ll never want another.” His blue eyes blazed into hers. “How messed up is that?”
Her stomach contracted. Dammit, she wanted that. Jared had seen her, the real her, in Nice, and he still wanted her. She’d never felt so stripped down, so vulnerable, so needy of what another person had to offer in her life. And she wasn’t questioning it. Not anymore.