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“If you don’t want to play the boyfriend, that’s fine.”
“You’re not gay, Greer. Or did you forget?” He relaxed a bit, but then I pushed him over the edge. Better to get it over with now so we can move on.
“That’s up for debate.”
I let that admission hang in the air for a moment. “If you don’t like the title of boyfriend, you can be my fiancé. That’s a better visual, anyway. More believable, actually, and it will keep the women away. You only have to hold my hand and kiss me occasionally. You know how these things go. And Jesse said yes. You wouldn’t want to disappoint him, would you?”
Austin stalked toward the door, then turned and pointed at me while he yanked it open. “You’re insufferable, and there’s no way in hell I’m doing that with you.”
I smiled, knowing he’d eventually calm down. But since I’d already lost my mind, I decided to poke him a little. “We’ll see, but I think I can convince you.”
CHAPTER 4
AUSTIN
I stabbed at the down button as I took a calming breath, waiting for the elevator to arrive. All I wanted was to disappear behind closed doors so I could get myself together. Looking at Greer, much less being that close to him, was more painful than any injury I’d ever received. But even though I knew pushing the button a hundred times would not make it arrive any faster, it gave me an outlet for these goddamn feelings pulsing through my body.
Finding Cole and Patrick outside of Greer’s office was the last thing I needed. I didn’t want anyone to know how much Greer Rowan got under my skin. He was an insufferable asshole who thought his handsome face and sweet words could buy his way back into my good graces.
But he was fucking wrong.
Standing that close to Greer was doing weird things to my head. I could hear my blood rushing in my ears as I ground my teeth around my clenched jaw. I was ready to explode.
Somehow, Greer always managed to find a way to make every neuron in my brain fire at once. And to make things worse, he lit me up like a damn billboard at night. Now I didn’t know who I was angrier with, him or myself, for allowing him to have that power over me and my dick.
When the doors finally opened, I sighed in relief and quickly got into the shiny elevator. I pressed the button for the lobby with a little less force and huffed out a breath. “Only this pretentious asshole would have a gold elevator.”
I knew that wasn’t true, but goddammit, it made me feel better. No matter what, I had to get out of this assignment. GQ would have to put Dreamboat on it. Not me. I was not playing Greer Rowan’s anything, no matter how much money he paid, or how much just the thought of it turned me on.
Leaning back, I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. Why had I been so stupid all those years ago to even think of doing what I’d done? And his reaction was exactly the incendiary for all the rage and hostility I felt toward him. But I also knew holding this grudge was childish. And I couldn’t help it.
When the elevator reached the lobby, I strode out and toward the door. But before I was out of the building, I heard a woman calling my name.
“Mr. Wentworth?”
I stopped and turned to face the smiling receptionist. “Yes, ma’am?”
My impeccable manners and upbringing were ingrained in me.
“Mr. Rowan asked me to give you this. He said you forgot to take the itinerary before you left.”
My blood boiled a little as I approached the reception desk. She reached for a piece of paper and folded it twice before placing it in an envelope. Smiling, she handed it to me.
“Thank you,” I gritted out in my most civil tone. It wasn’t her fault she worked for an insufferable asshole. Looking at the unopened envelope, I raised my eyes to hers.
“Do you like working for Mr. Rowan?”
She smiled and nodded. “Very much so. He’s the best boss I’ve ever had. Kind and generous to everyone. Mr. Rowan makes coming to work fun, and the season tickets don’t hurt either. He even flew all the staff to the Super Bowl. Not to work, but to enjoy the game as a thank you.”
Okay, that was a pretty cool thing to do.
I nodded and looked at the envelope. “Thank you for this. Have a good day, ma’am.”
She smiled. “You, too. Are you coming to work with us?”
I shook my head. “No ma’am. Just handling some business.”
I waved and headed out the front door toward my Tahoe. My fury was waning, and I needed to talk this out with someone, or I just might explode.
