“Yeah, years ago. The client and agent pool is full of fresh faces, people barely older than me who don’t know anything about the scandal. And with the Ashford name back on the letterhead, we’ll win over some of the old guys who do remember.”
“What about your dad? Won’t he be pissed you’re teaming up with his old boss?”
“He’d be pissed if I went to any agency other than his, but I can’t stay with him. He’ll never let me out of his shadow. Berny is excited about Hollis and I. He’s terrible with technology and he’s an old guy falling out of touch with young recruits. We get the benefit of stepping straight into a small, established agency without having to start our own from the ground up while he gets the benefit of putting our faces on the website and having us show up at events to pull in new, young clients. It’s win-win.”
“And you really think this is the best move for me and my career?”
Sloane’s face is open and honest as she nods down at me. “Yeah, I do. I trust him. Hollis and I vetted him. We ran a background check, looked at his financials, talked to his clients. They’re all happy with him. No one would even consider leaving. And he’s a one man show but he’s making money. Not the amounts the Ashford Agency does, but he’s turned a substantial profit every year for the last nine years, plus he’s been in the business for almost two decades. He got a law degree just because he was curious. He wanted to understand contracts better. He knows the game and he can play it like a champ. And with Hollis bringing almost all of his clients with him, we’re in a very good place. We can drop some big names when we’re scouting.”
“Does Matthews know about this? Is he coming with him?”
“He is. Hollis confirmed him thirty minutes ago while you were in with the press.”
I hang my head, hesitating. What I want and what she needs, they aren’t the same thing, and what I need is for her to be happy.
“What about you?” I ask reluctantly. “If you hand me off to Dawe, you’ll have nobody.”
“I have Demarcus. And even better than that, I have the freedom to scout clients without worrying about them being stolen. I don’t have to clear anyone through Berny or Hollis. I’m a partner in this agency. I can do what I want. And so can you. If you don’t want to sign with us, don’t. I won’t be hurt and I won’t be angry. I want what’s best for your career and for you. I brought you Berny because I trust him. And I trust Hollis. I think as a team we can do right by you and all of our clients, but if you have someone else in mind that you’d like to go to, I understand.”
“No,” I tell her firmly. “I’ll go wherever you think I should. I trust you.”
She smiles softly. “That means a lot to me.”
“So when I sign with him, you won’t be my agent but I’ll be a client at your agency.” I look up, gesturing between the two of us. “What does that mean for this?”
Her smile changes, becoming something else entirely. Something sly as she steps forward. “It means we can be whatever we want to be. Whenever we want.” Her hands thread through my hair, tilting my head up to watch her. “Wherever we want.”
I put my hands on her hips, lifting her easily. She straddles me, wrapping her legs around my waist settling herself on the hardness already bulging in my jeans. It pushes against her, pissed off at all of the layers between us.
She kisses me slowly, sucking my bottom lip between hers. I grunt when she bites it. When she rolls her hips to grind against me. I lower my hands to take hold of her ass and I savor the fact that she’s mine. That she’s here in this place making me hard but I can take her home tonight to love her until we’re both soft and spent. Finally there’s no more hiding. No more lying. No more wondering. This woman with everything wants me, a man born from nothing, and maybe someday this ride will end and I’ll be right back there; jobless, penniless, worthless, but if I have her, I’ll still come out ahead.
I lift my hand to slowly trace the letters across her chest, and I know that whatever clothing I rip from her body tonight, I’ll leave that shirt on her. I like her wearing my number and my name.
She sighs, her chest rising against my fingers. “What are you thinking about?”
I lift my hand, running it up to her neck, back into her hair. The strands curl around my fingers, soft and warm from her skin.
“I’m thinking about you.”
She moves her hips slowly against me. “I’m thinking about you too.”
“I’m thinking about how much I love you.”
Her body stills, her eyes going wide. She blinks once. Twice.
“I’m thinking about how much I love you too,” she whispers.
“Will you come home with me tonight? Back to California. To my apartment.”
She runs her hands through my hair, looking down at me affectionately. “Your apartment is shit.”
I nod solemnly. “I know.”
“I hate it.”
“I remember.”