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But in the middle of the negotiations, Amber and I broke up. Maya exited talks with little explanation. Losing the game-changing opportunity and the woman I thought I loved in the same week devastated me. In hindsight, that potential deal is the only part of my relationship with Amber I still miss.
“I’ll go if you need me to, buddy…” Jake winces. “But that’s the weekend of my parents thirty-fifth wedding anniversary. I said I’d be at their party in Austin. Besides, you made the initial contact with Maya. She’ll be more likely to talk business with you than me.”
Fuck. My pal has a point.
But if I’m going to this ridiculous wedding, I can’t go alone. It would be too humiliating.
“You go spend that weekend with your folks. I’ll figure it out,” I say finally. “I just feel sorry for the poor schmuck who thinks she’s wife material.”
“He’ll find out soon enough.”
“No doubt. So what’s tonight’s goal, my friend?”
Jake grins. “Finding Miss Right-Now.”
“Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner.”
Forget Amber. Being involved with her had always been more about buying her expensive shit than any mutually loving partnership. Looking back, I’m betting the first time she met me, she saw dollar signs.
In fact, the trouble with women I’ve found is they all want whatever expensive thing I can buy them with my green. Sure, my dick may be on her list of things to do, but the amount of money in my wallet is always a consideration. If dating means being with women like Amber—cold, impersonal gold-diggers—I have no interest repeating the emotional turmoil. I can get pussy without either of us pretending to care about the other.
Not long after Amber, I figured out that if I don’t want women clinging like leeches, I should keep who I am to myself and spend no more than a night with them. At least those women only want me for a good time. But a long-term relationship will never again be a card in my deck.
We turn around to the crowd behind us, surveying every female. I’m on the lookout for one who wants no-strings fun. Added bonus if she’s super hot.
Jake turns to me. “I just had an idea. Since you need to take a date to Amber’s wedding, what if you went with that woman you just hired? What’s her name?”
Without Jake, I don’t know how I would have climbed out of my deep depression following my breakup. We’ve been friends forever. But when he brings up the new assistant I hired on the spot—the kind of impulsive thing I almost never do—I know he’s desperate to help me find someone, probably so he doesn’t have to feel guilty for skipping out. Hell, I’m desperate, too.
“Her name is Kiera. And no, she’s my assistant. No way in hell am I touching her.”
And that’s a shame. I won’t lie. She is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. The thought of putting my hands on every curve of her body tempts me.
“Dude. The fact that you even remembered her name…”
“Of course I did. She’s my assistant. What kind of working relationship can we have if I don’t?” At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
“I’m just saying, J. She’s very much your type. And had you not hired her…”
I would be fucking her. My best friend is right. From the top of her brunette head, down her slender but curvy frame, she’s fucking gorgeous—and one-hundred-percent my type. I sweat a little every time she stares up at me with those hazel eyes. The subtle sway of her hips with every step has me staring longer than is strictly professional. And her rosy mouth tempts me with every syllable that comes out of it.
Still… “I couldn’t not hire her. I needed a replacement, and she was completely qualified. But she’s my assistant, and I’d prefer to keep it that way.”
Dorothy, my last assistant, retired earlier than expected after her second grandchild was born prematurely. I’m happy for her and her growing family, but her exit put me in a rush to find a replacement. Kiera Young fit the bill best.
“Yeah. That’s good. I’m just saying, take her to the wedding. I’m not suggesting you should take her to bed or anything. In fact, you shouldn’t. It’s not against the rules, but it’s a recipe for disaster—and not just because of the lawsuits.”
“What does that mean?” Is he saying I’m a relationship trainwreck?
“Dude, you’re a billionaire. I know you didn’t forget Amber…”
Never. And as appealing as it would be to get up close and personal with Kiera, my sense is that she’s in touch with her feelings. And I don’t do emotions. Getting involved with her, even to pretend a relationship for a night, might blur the lines between us.
I shake my head. “It’s a bad idea to involve my employee in this shit.”
“How do you figure that? This is about business. Kiera seems nice and professional. I’m sure she’d understand.”
Jake is right. My assistant, besides being too attractive, is seemingly kind, polite, and socially adept. And for the record, she looks too innocent to be a gold-digger.
