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“I hate the cold too. I don’t know how I’m not living in Florida right now.”“That makes two of us, darling.” She winked. “Anyway, I joined the company when it was only five months old, and I’ve been here ever since. I keep saying I’m going to retire, I’m just too old to be doing this, but the boys won’t let me.”I could see why. She was lovely, and motherly in every way.My hand clutched the strap of my bag, the leather turning slick from my sweaty palm. “I don’t blame them one bit.”“Thank you.” The elevator buzzed upon our arrival. “Please come with me.”She took me through several open workspaces, where there were standing desks and beanbag lounges and employees’ dogs snoozing on fluffy beds—very reminiscent of my current office. The difference was the large panes of glass that showed the city’s stunning skyline.When we finally settled in the conference room, she asked, “Can I get you anything to drink? Water? Flavored seltzer? A latte, perhaps?”“No, thank you, I’m fine.”She sw
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That expression caused the humming in my chest to erupt, adding to the slickness on my palms and the jitters in my stomach.This man wasn’t just hot.He was beautiful.And his eyes hadn’t left me.Eyes that . . . I was positive I’d seen before.But that was impossible. I was sure I was just recalling all the photographs I’d seen of him during my research; that was the only explanation for this familiarity that still nagged at me.“My partners will be joining us any second.” He rested his hands on the table, folding his fingers together. “While we wait, I must say, your résumé is impressive. MIT graduate. You worked for Faceframe during your senior year of college—if the dates are correct?”I smiled back.It felt necessary.Almost . . . important.“Yes, well, they started recruiting me my sophomore year and offered to pay for the remainder of my education if I transferred to Stanford and came to work for them full-time.”He glanced at the paper, which I could now see was my résumé. “Bu
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“Let’s talk about travel,” Holden said. “Would you be open to representing our brand at international conventions?”“I love to travel—it’s a huge passion of mine,” I replied. “So yes, I would absolutely represent your brand at conventions. That’s also something I did at Faceframe.”“Were you at the convention in Austin last month?” Holden asked.“I was and, admittedly, had the best barbecue I’ve ever eaten in my life.” I smiled.“Was that your first time trying Texas barbecue?” Easton inquired.My stomach tightened from his voice. “Sadly, yes, but now I find myself craving their brisket and ribs, and I need to find my way back there very soon.” I laughed. “But I want to also say that in addition to conferences, something else I did for Faceframe was when the data showed a feature wasn’t working on the app, I would be the first person to get on a plane to analyze the market personally.”“Without breaking your NDA, could you give us an example of that?” Grayson asked.The excitement fro
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I chewed the corner of my lip. “Are you having a day like me?”“See, you go for soda, which is commendable. My poison of choice is doughnuts.” He held the paper bag in my direction. “There are three in there. Two I plan on devouring and an extra in case things get wicked hairy in the next hour. Help yourself to it.”I shook my head.“Trust me, that doughnut will turn your whole day around. I was in your shoes six years ago, when we were trying to figure all this shit out. I swear, I was ordering these by the dozen.”I smiled. “If you get me hooked on these, you’re dead.” I reached inside the bag, the dough and sticky glaze immediately gluing to my fingers.“Attagirl. Enjoy.”I took a bite, practically moaning as the glaze dissolved over my tongue. “Yep. You’re dead.”His smile grew. “But it’s so worth it.” He looked up at the monitor that showed our progress as we passed each floor, the most recent number telling me we were halfway there. “How’d the move go? I don’t think I even asked
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Or anyone.Not even the devastatingly handsome Easton Jones.And that was assuming those wandering eyes and sexy smile were even trying to win me over—and I wasn’t sure that they were.“My plan, as of this morning, is to have Hooked go international within the next six months.” I’d glanced away, but as I returned to him, I instantly wished I hadn’t. Those eyes—they weren’t gentle. “I also plan to start testing different options within the app to see if I can improve membership retention. So, as you can see, I don’t have time to waste. I need the support, and I need to make sure the team is suited to meet my expectations.”“Will we see the options you plan to test?” Grayson asked.“Would you like to?” I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear as the room turned quiet. “Let me say, I realize at this point I haven’t gained your trust, so if you want to approve all testing, I’m happy to send you my plans. But I want you guys to know my only goal is to grow this company, and every decision I m
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That I wanted to take my time devouring.The sweater she wore had a wide, open neck that had stayed in place all day. Since arriving at the bar, the neck had shifted, falling off her shoulder, tormenting me with a view of that creamy, soft-looking skin.My dick had been hard the moment I sat beside her. A mere tease of her velvety flesh and I was fucking aching for her.Two weeks—that was all it had taken.A total of fourteen days and I was already enamored.So out of character for me, so fucking risky because she was a director at our company and someone I wasn’t supposed to want, someone I wasn’t supposed to touch, someone I wasn’t supposed to desire.Did this make me an asshole?The worst CEO in the world?But shit, there was something different about this woman. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Something that just seemed so . . . familiar.Like I’d passed her on the street, and we’d shared a smile.Like I’d sat next to her during an international flight, and we’d spoke
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That smile that lit up her face.Fuck me, she was beautiful.When she finally quieted, she said, “Tell me about some of the things you guys do around here. It’s been so long since I’ve lived on the East Coast, I forget.” She took a sip of her wine and set the glass on the table.“The guys and I are into outdoorsy things. In the winter, we go skiing almost every weekend—Maine, Vermont, anywhere we can get to fast, and then we add in a few trips to Colorado, Utah, and Montana. The summer we spend mountain biking. Hiking. Wakeboarding. Camping. Finding a beach and parking my ass in front of the ocean.”Her brows pushed together. “You camp?”“Sure.” I tilted my head. “That surprises you?”Her hand returned to my arm, this time my bicep. “Honestly . . . yes.”“Why?”“You have to promise me you won’t take this the wrong way, okay?”“For the record, nothing good ever leads to a conversation that starts that way.” I winked. “Go on.”Her teeth scraped across her lip. “I just assumed you were m
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“No.” I crossed my legs. “I think you’re the type of woman who would be down for trying anything once, especially if it involves a challenge, like camping. I don’t see you being competitive with other people. Rather, I see you as someone who competes with herself.”She turned her head, looking at me now from the corner of her eye. “Interesting.”“You’re a leader when it comes to your professional life, Drake, but in your personal time you’re more of a go-with-the-flow type. Someone who would prefer showing up than making the plans . . . as long as it involves a bathroom and running water.”Her laugh was even lighter this time. “It’s fascinating to hear your take on me when you’ve only known me for two weeks.”I held the glass near my lips, staring at her, taking her in. “I don’t know why, but it feels like I’ve known you for much longer than that.”CHAPTER EIGHTEENDrakeSince the bar was too loud to have this conversation, I carried my phone outside, holding it to my ear while I wait
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