For the next few minutes, things vary from tense to even more tense as Milo commands the conversation. He informs Darren of his errors, but always manages to pull back before going over the line. His tone is firm, powerful, and I’d be full of shit if I wasn’t completely turned on by it.
This is the man that’s been hiding underneath being my lackey. His strength is intoxicating. The way he plays Darren like an instrument, bending each note until it plays the way he wants it.
Has he been doing this with me the entire time?
I can’t help but wonder because he’s good at it.
Now I decide to unleash my own power and go in for the kill.
“Aren’t you getting tired of all this back and forth, Darren? And it’s not going to stop until we get our permits. I’m sure you have much bigger things to worry about with your wedding coming up. You know, booking the venue, planning the honeymoon . . . negotiating an ironclad pre-nup.”
Kandi giggles. “We won’t be doing a pre-nup, silly.”
Darren clears his throat. “Actually . . . I uh . . . I think we may want to discuss that.”
Kandi’s drink sloshes on the table as she puts it down with a thud. “Are you kidding me, Darren?”
“Like I said, you’ve got a lot on your plate,” I say. “So why don’t I come by on Monday to pick up the signed paperwork and schedule the walk-through inspection so we can get our permits? Then we’ll be out of your hair for good.”
Milo’s arm rests behind me and his fingers graze my bare shoulder. “We both know the excuse of the paperwork is a load of bollocks. So, what time on Monday works best for you?”
After a long grumbly sigh, he says, “Ten o’clock. And don’t be late or you’ll miss your appointment, and I don’t know when I’ll be available next.”
Chapter Fifteen
Milo
“Oh my God!” Danielle says, grabbing my leg as we sit in the car. “We did it! We got him to stop his crap.”
I’m not celebrating until I have that permit in my hand, but I’m not going to ruin her mood yet. She’s looking at me as though we’re a winning team, and I quite like it.
“You’re welcome.”
Tonight was a success, but Darren is still a pompous arsehole. We’ll have to find out if we actually get what we need come Monday.
That doesn’t mean I won’t bask in her praise a bit.
She rolls her eyes. “Please, you didn’t do this on your own. I started the conversation while you were dancing with the blonde bimbo and flirting with her, and I totally closed it at the end. This was not a solo mission, buddy.”
The pads of my fingers slide against her creamy skin and I watch her eyes shift away from jealousy and into desire. All night she’s been doing this dance. If my attention was on Kandi, Danielle’s body became stiff and anger almost radiated from her. I’m going to see if I was right about her dislike for her.
“I’m sensing a bit of jealousy regarding Kandi,” I say as I start the engine, loving the fact that we have total privacy in the car. She can’t run, can’t avoid this conversation, and I plan to use the upper hand right now.
“I was not jealous.”
Lies.
“Then why call her a bimbo? She’s perfectly nice, engaged, and you don’t know her. I think you’re jealous.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Danielle huffs and looks out the window.
“Really? Because if you’ve changed your mind about finding me desirable, I wouldn’t blame you.”
Her head turns quickly as she glares at me. “I don’t.”
“So, you wouldn’t care if I said Kandi and I are going for a nightcap after I drop you off?”
“Nope. She’s probably not in the mood anymore though. She seemed a little pissed off when we left.”
“I can get anyone in the mood. So, you’re perfectly fine if I sleep with her?”
She pauses just a heartbeat and then spits the word. “Yup.”
Oh, I don’t believe that for a single second.
“And you think that would be a good idea?” I continue to irritate her.
“What do I care? I’m your boss, not your babysitter. You want to sleep with the whore from the gym, have at it. I can’t stop you.”
“She’s a whore, is she? I didn’t know you knew each other.”
What Danielle doesn’t know is that I didn’t even see Kandi’s face all night. I danced with her, wishing it was Danielle. I had to stop myself from tossing Kandi out of my arms, and taking Danielle to the dance floor, just to feel her skin.
It was bad enough that I couldn’t seem to control my hands from finding subtle ways to touch her all night.
She glares at me. “I know girls like her. She’s engaged and she couldn’t keep her hands off you. If she wasn’t touching you, she was making bedroom eyes at you.” Her voice goes a few octaves higher. “Oh, Milo, you’re so funny. Oh, Milo, I just love to dance. Would you like to touch my body? Don’t worry, Milo, I’ll be back because I want you to say dirty British words to me. Giggle. Snort. Giggle.”
I laugh at her impression of Kandi. “Definitely not bothered at all by her I see.”
“Gross. Get some dignity, lady,” Danielle continues. “She knew you were there with me and it was like I was invisible. Rude much?”
“But you’re not jealous, right?”
Danielle points her finger at me as her anger grows. “You’re an idiot. I’m not jealous, I feel sorry for her.”
“Well, then.” I shrug. “Since you’re perfectly okay with me sleeping with her, could you send her a text letting her know I’ll meet her at my flat?”
Her jaw drops and she twists away from me. “I’m not your assistant, do it your damn self.”
There’s hurt in her voice, and that lets me know everything I suspected. Somewhere in the past few weeks, things have changed. I don’t look at her as the woman who stole my job. I see a strong woman who lost her husband in a dreadful way. She’s sexy, smart, resourceful, and I look forward to seeing her, even if it means I take orders from her.
This is going to be an issue between us if we continue to ignore it. I’m not known for being a patient man, so right now, we’re going to get to the bottom of it.
I make the turn onto her street, and park in her driveway. She makes a move to exit the car, but I grip her wrist. “What if I told you I didn’t want you to message her anyway?” I challenge her. “What if I said I don’t want to meet her, touch her, see her again?”
“Why wouldn’t you? You’re single, she’s . . . not, but clearly that doesn’t faze her.”
“Because.” I pause waiting for her to look at me.
“Because?”
“I don’t want her. Not even a little bit.”
Danielle’s eyes widen a little and her breath hitches. “You don’t?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
I smile at her innocence. “There’s someone else I want, Danielle.”
She shifts, facing me in that fucking dress. Every inch of her is perfect, and this dress left me dying to see it on the floor. I’ve always found her beautiful, but tonight, she’s stunning. I almost lost my mind when I saw her walk out. I couldn’t move, think, talk, and I was never more grateful than I was earlier when Parker had her attention.
I was standing there like a bloody fool with my mouth open.
Now, I’m clearly not thinking as all I want to do is take her face in my hands and kiss her until we can’t breathe.
“Who do you want?” she asks.
“You.”
Danielle’s eyes widen and her breathing hitches as I admit to her what I tried desperately to avoid.
“Milo,” she breathes my name.
“Tell me you weren’t jealous,” I demand.
“I . . . I . . . I’m not going to do this with you,” she tucks her hair behind her ear and looks away.
“Do what?”
“This! You work for me.”
“And?”
“And I can’t complicate things.”
Not a good enough answer.
“I’m not asking about any of that,” I inform her.
Are there countless reasons to walk away? Yes. But right now, I want her to admit she feels what I do.
“Just . . .”
“Tell me you weren’t jealous. Tell me you don’t feel differently about me and this conversation is over. Don’t fucking lie to me, though.”