揟his is too good to be true. There抯 always some awful fine print, isn抰 there??
揑t抯 not that good, and there抯 no hidden risk, I assure you.?I pause, staring at her seriously, enjoying this talk with a human being rather than a walking attitude. 揧ou make damn good coffee, Eliza Angelo. My company needs damn good coffee. Putting you in a cubicle would be a disservice to us both. If you can refine what was in that mason jar for commercial use, you抣l have ample leeway to experiment to your heart抯 content. This company will even consider acquiring distinct brews from you at an additional licensing fee to compensate you for your talent.?
She leans back in her chair with a loud breath. Her shoulders relax for the first time since she walked in.
揥ow. I抣l admit that it sounds like a dream come true. Maybe I should quit calling you a spoiled prince??There抯 that damnably sarcastic grin of hers again.
揟hat would be wise,?I whisper.
揃ut you were Prince Jerkwad to Wayne.?
揟he not-boyfriend you keep mentioning every other sentence??I tease, then instantly regret it.
揑f only you weren抰 coffee shop Satan.?A second later, she stuffs her hand over her mouth. 揝orry, I didn抰 mean to say that. Not out loud.?
I snort.
揥ith everything else you抳e said, that抯 the last thing you should apologize for. I抣l let it slide this time梚f you tell me what the hell it is you want.?
She looks down with a rolling shrug.
揥ell. You抮e offering me something I抳e never even dreamed of. I didn抰 think such a job梑asically doing my hobby, for pay梕ven existed. The other shoe has to drop sometime.?
揧ou抮e right,?I snap off, loving the startled flicker in her eyes. 揌ere抯 that shoe coming down on you like a bug梱ou抣l be reporting directly to me. I抣l expect weekly updates.?
For a second, she抯 frozen in abject horror.
I wonder if I抳e pushed my luck too far when she slumps back. It抯 like part of her soul left her body in that sigh.
揑 can抰 do it,?she whispers, standing up abruptly and heading for the door.
揧ou can!?I growl after her.
Her hand is on the door handle when she turns to look at me.
揥hy? Why should I sell myself out for you??she hisses.
揃ecause I dare you, Miss Angelo.?I step forward, rounding my desk. I don抰 stop moving until we抮e barely an inch apart and I抦 leering down at her. 揑 dare you to step outside your comfort zone, for once. You抮e not a risk taker. You抮e a creature of habit, and it抯 a goddamned shame that you let that hold you back from your full worth.?
The anger on her face fades as she swallows loudly.
For the briefest second, my senses roam her. I devour her shape, her scent, and that soft mahogany glow in her eyes that抯 so magnetic I have to work to keep my gaze there. If she were any closer, my teeth would be buried in that soft pink bottom lip she juts out, severe and conflicted.
Doesn抰 she understand just how fucking hard this is for me, too?
揝wallow for me,?I growl, quickly adding, 揝wallow your damn pride, I mean. And I assure you, I抣l do the same, Miss Angelo. Work with me for even a few months. Share your gift. Get paid handsomely.?
I want so badly to reach out梩o touch her梑ut I fuse my hands into my pockets.
Her face reddens. She looks at me with something like humility.
I抳e never seen anyone nod so slowly.
Hell, I half expect her to lunge at me and slap me across the face梙ere抯 your deal梑ut instead, she lifts her chin and says, 揟wo.?
揥hat??
揧ou heard me. Two hundred thousand dollars. I consider that fair compensation for putting up with梬ell, you, Cole Lancaster.?
Maybe she抯 right. My sudden smile certainly makes me feel like the fucking devil.
揇one, Miss Angelo.?
Without a startled double take, she looks at me in grim silence.
I like the way this girl operates.
I also enjoy the way my name rolls off her barbed tongue.
Why do I get the terrible feeling that a sick part of me won抰 mind being scratched raw by her words a few more times?
5
Good Morning Cup (Eliza)
My head might spin right off.
I抦 panicked at what I just agreed to.
A dare? A flipping dare?
On the one hand, this is a dream come true. On the other, Boss McGrumpyface is going to be an absolute donkey and a half to work for.
My stomach lurches like a frappe in the blender.
I can抰 pass this up. Dakota would smack me silly if I did, and so would Wayne.
Worse, Lancaster抯 words resonated. Without even knowing me, he read my mind.
It抯 just a little sacrifice, isn抰 it?
And a chance to prove myself to this cocky fart wrapped in a suit.
If I just work in R & D for a year, I can do anything I want to after that...
Not to mention, it would be nice to make rent for once without dipping into listing old clothes on Poshmark. I抦 running out of things to sell.
揑 trust we have a deal??he asks, undeterred by the awkward lump in my throat that抯 stolen my voice.
Ugh. I still can抰 believe I抦 actually doing this.
揝o you want me to work for you? For real??
The longer he studies me, the faster my brave face crumbles.
揑 thought that was clear??he whispers, motioning me to sit back down.
I watch him sit up in his seat, a proud peacock of a man.
He writes something on a piece of paper and slides it across his desk. I glance at the number he抯 crossed out and rewritten with his initials next to it.
It抯 a contract.
For two-hundred thousand freaking dollars.
All for something I抳e been doing for free ever since I was old enough to drive.
Yeah, I need the smelling salts and a nice long nap. Or at least a primer on how people handle winning jackpots.
揑 might, um, need a minute to think about this...just to be totally sure.?
A line forms in his forehead. Those dark-brown brows pull down in confusion. 揧ou make more than that as a part-time assistant, Miss Angelo??
揑t抯 not the money,?I whisper. 揑t抯 a mammoth decision.?
揟rue. I抎 offer you dinner to help you talk it out, but we have a strict HR policy against fraternization outside the office this late and in these circumstances.?
Oh, God.
Why does that hot look in his eyes say he wishes that policy were different?
Why do my toes scrunch up in my shoes?
揟here抯 one more thing. It抯 not the compensation package.?I blank out. It抯 hard to ask with a straight face while my cheeks burn, especially because when he抯 not talking he抯 kind of delicious.
If he weren抰 a total buffalo dick who wasn抰 a breath away from being my boss, maybe I抎 take him up on that imaginary dinner someday.
The sly smile etched on his face doesn抰 help.
揥hat else do you want? Spit it out, Miss Angelo. I have to get home sometime tonight.?
Rude. But in fairness, I am holding him up.
揥ayne deserves an apology when he gets that bonus. And you should thank him for keeping that store running. Lord knows it抎 be in much worse shape without him,?I rush out.
For a second, he抯 dead silent.
揕et me get this straight. You抣l walk away from two hundred big if I don抰 have a heart-to-heart with a random barista??His eyes lance through me.
I smile and nod and try not to laugh hysterically at my own insanity.
揥hy??he spits.
揜emember how I told you earlier that if you talk to him like that, you抣l talk to me like that??
揑 didn抰 talk to him like anything. The coffee sucked and it had everything to do with the recipe梟ot his technique, which seems unimpeachable.?Lancaster tilts his chair back, pinching the bridge of his nose like he抯 finally had enough. 揂t the risk of you flipping me off and running out the door梩his is a ludicrous condition.?
Stay strong.
It certainly feels like lifting weights to plaster on a neutral smile.
揟o you,?I throw back. 揟o me, it抯 important. I might make a bad batch of coffee through no fault of my own. I mean, it抯 pretty natural when you抮e experimenting. But even if it抯 not the beans or the equipment or the recipe, everybody has a bad day sometimes. Everybody human.?