Page 58 of The Billionaire Mismatch

I don’t payattention to gossip.

I don’t partake in drama.

I don’t care what anyone says or thinks about me or my life.

But as I walk through the office, I feel everyone’s eyes on me. I hear the subtle whispers filling the air like steam. And I’m not stupid. I know everyone is talking about me. They know I went on a date. They know I’ve been seeing one person. And if I had to guess, they know I was out of town.

“For people who are supposed to be figuring out how to get single men down on one knee, I don’t see a lot of work going on,” I snap. The whispering quiets and keyboards start clicking.

I reach the elevator at the same time as one of my employees. Darren, from logistics I think, and while he was technically here first, he takes a step back when the door opens.

“I’ll catch the next one,” he says.

Smart man. I have made one thing apparent since I walked in today. I’m not in the mood. I’m not in a bad mood. Actually, I’min a fairly decent mood. Last night was enjoyable. Delicious too. And I’m not talking about the food. But I am not about to talk to anyone else about it. Other than Matt. Matt is about to get an earful.

“Well, look who’s tardy,” he grins as I walk into his office and close the door. “Word on the street is you went out of town.”

“The street?” I ask.

“The office,” he says.

“People need to mind their own fucking business,” I snap.

“Kind of hard when the man who is always an hour early shows up two hours late,” he says.

“You forget I own the place. I can’t be late,” I say.

“And you forget that these people keep a close eye on your every move,” he points out.

“Again. None of their business. I had errands to run before I came in today,” I state.

“You know, for someone who came into my office like he was on a mission, I find it interesting that I’m the one having to pull information out of you.”

“We went to Salem,” I say.

“For a date?” he asks.

“The roads were shit, and we got rerouted into BFE, and that’s where she wanted to go. So we went,” I state.

“Nice,” he grins.

“We went to dinner. We talked. A lot. It started to rain, and we decided to get a room,” I say as I sit down.

“Because the date went that well?” he asks.

“Because the weather was that bad,” I answer.

“Right. So nothing happened,” he nods. I’m silent for a beat and Matt’s smirk returns.

“We didn’t fuck. But I did make her come,” I say.

“Well, that sounds like a lovely fourth date,” he says. “So what’s on the calendar for number five?” he asks, clearly loving all of this. But he’s the only one. Because it’s gotten messy. And I hate messy.

“None of this was supposed to happen,” I say. “I swiped right because she was attractive and didn’t seem like a complete idiot.”

“You’re not a fan of sleeping with dumb women, we all know this,” he says.

“I need substance. She had it. So I took her out. Then we figured out who she is…”