Drunk on You: an age gap, enemies to lovers, fake engagement, office romance (Love & Whiskey Boo

Chapter Twelve

“Hey,Josie. Have you seen my dad?”

“I don’t think he’s in yet, hon, but Julian’s here.”

“Oh, he is?” I say, surprised he showed up today.

We were able to secure a luncheon with Ronan today, so everyone’s been all hands on deck to get everything ready. I didn’t see Julian all weekend, and I just assumed he was hiding out, licking his wounds.

“Yeah, he’s in a meeting with Ronan Flynn,” she says, waggling her brows. “Girl, that man is even more scrumptious in person. And that voice. Forget singing. He can just talk to me all day, and I’ll be happy.”

She giggles like a schoolgirl with a crush while I try to figure out why the hell Julian is in a meeting with Ronan Flynn when the luncheon isn’t until later today.

There’s only one reason why he would be meeting with him at nine in the morning.

I stalk down the hall and knock on the door, ready to kill my fake fucking fiancé.

“Anastasia,” Julian says when he opens the door. “Perfect timing. I was just about to find you. I’d like you to meet Ronan Flynn. He’s going to be partnering with Kingston.”

“Nice to meet you,” I grit out, trying to remain professional.

“Likewise,” he says, shaking my hand. “I expect our partnership will be very fruitful on both ends.”

Julian offers to walk Ronan out to the lobby, letting me know he’ll be right back.

When he returns a few minutes later, I slow clap as he walks in and closes the door. “Congrats. You win.”

He sighs and shakes his head. “I know you’re pissed but?—”

“You played dirty!” I poke him in the chest.

“I got it done.”

“You—”

A knock cuts me off, followed by my dad opening the door.

“Everything okay in here?” Dad asks, his brows furrowed in concern.

“Everything’s good,” Julian says. “Anastasia and I were just celebrating. Ronan signed. The deal’s done.”

“Wow. Good job, you two.” Dad shakes Julian’s hand and then hugs me. “Does that mean the luncheon is off?”

“Yeah,” I choke out, “it’s unnecessary.”

“Selene and I were looking forward to it, but I’m glad you guys got him to sign. And I’m proud of you for working together.” He grins wide. “This calls for a celebratory dinner. Tonight at Mario’s, seven o’clock?”

“Sounds good,” Julian says, sliding his arm across my waist while I envision reaching over and grabbing the pen off his desk and stabbing him in the shoulder with it.

Once my dad is gone, I pull away from him. “I can’t believe you went behind my back! We agreed on the luncheon!”

“No!” he barks, getting in my face. “You and your father ganged up on me.”

“You’re just pissed you didn’t get your way. A good leader is a team player.”

“A good leader does their research and gets shit done,” he argues. “I saw an opportunity and took it. And it worked. That’s why I’m the COO—because I get shit done.”

“Yet you didn’t tell my dad how you got it done. This is why he’s reluctant to hire someone single. Partying with a potential client at a club isn’t how you do business.”

“When the potential client is a musician who owns a club, it is. And before your dad went soft, he not only would’ve condoned it, but probably suggested it as well.

“You might not like it, but you’re living in a man’s world, Red, and the sooner you realize it, the quicker you’ll be put into the game. It’s not sexist. It’s facts. And if you don’t start thinking like a man, you’re going to be left sitting on the bench.”

He walks around the desk and drops into his seat. “Do you want to meet at the house and ride together or meet at the restaurant?”

“Fuck you, asshole. It’s game on, and if you think I’m going to take this lying down, you have another thing coming. I’m about to blow your man’s world apart!”

“I mean,I get where you’re coming from,” Paige says over video chat.

I’ve just spent the last hour ranting to her about Julian going behind my back, and once I was done, I asked for her honest opinion. But I have a feeling in about ten seconds, I’m going to regret doing so.

“But I also have to agree with him,” she says slowly, trying to soften the blow. “A luncheon is something you’d do here for the fifty-year-old men we deal with, but for a hip, young musician who owns clubs …” She shrugs. “I’m not saying it wasn’t risky, but I can see why he did it.”

Damn it, I know she’s right, but I hate that Julian went behind my back. He could’ve come to me and talked to me, explained where he was coming from …

“And you know damn well if he had come to you, you would’ve gotten defensive and shut him down,” Paige adds, as if she can hear my thoughts.

“Do you think my dad only agreed to the luncheon because of me?” I ask as the reality of the situation hits.

“What do you think?” Paige volleys, refusing to give me an out.

“I think if I wasn’t stuck on trying to convince my dad I’m all about family, I would’ve been on board with the club idea,” I admit.

“And what about your dad?” she pushes.

“I think between being in love and trying to get in my good graces, he wasn’t thinking clearly. The man who’s built Kingston to be one of the biggest liquor companies in the world would’ve done what needed to be done, not taken the safe route … and definitely not with a luncheon.”

I sigh, hating that Julian was right. “But that doesn’t change the fact that my fake fiancé went behind my back and then told me I’m not ‘man’ enough to hang with the men. I’m going to show him that fucking with a woman is way scarier than dealing with a man.”

“Oh Lord,” Paige says with a laugh. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know yet,” I say, “but once I figure it out, I’ll let you know after I do it.”

“After?” She quirks a brow.

“Yeah, after. So you can’t talk me out of it.”

“If you’re goingto request my presence, it would help if I knew where you were.”

I glance behind me at the masculine voice and then take the shot, watching as the seven ball disappears into the pocket.

Ignoring Julian’s statement, I search the table for my next shot and then lean over and take it. The six ball goes in, and when I glance back again, Julian’s heated gaze is on my ass.

“I was looking for you, but when I checked in this room, I got distracted by the pool table.”

I scour the table for my next shot, and when I find it, I walk over and take it. The three ball goes in, and when I stand up and turn, ready to find my next shot, I’m met with Julian’s hard front pressing up against me. His hands land on either side of my body, caging me in, and his mouth is so close to mine that if I move forward an inch, our lips will meet.

“You play pool?” he asks.

“My freshman year of college, I dated a pool shark.”

He lifts me onto the edge of the table and takes the stick out of my hand, dropping it onto the felt.

He parts my thighs and stands between them.

This close, I can smell his spicy scent, and I hate the way it does shit to me.

“What’s up, Red? What did you need to talk about?”

I lick my lips, and his gaze homes in on my mouth for several seconds before he ascends to meet my eyes.

“You were right,” I say, cursing my traitorous body for the way it reacts to him. My voice is far too breathy, I can feel my nipples hardening under the material of the dress I put on for dinner, and if he were to touch the apex of my legs, he would find me wet.

Julian blinks several times and then says, “What?”

“I said, you were right.” I lift my chin, holding my head up high. “I’m not too proud to admit when someone else was right, and you were right. At Benson, I dealt with mostly older clients, and luncheons were the way to go. Knowing that my dad wants someone who’s more family oriented, I went with the safe route. But it wasn’t the right route.”

“Thanks,” he says with a nod. “I appreciate that.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that you’re a sexist asshole who went behind your fake fiancée’s back, but you were right.” I push at his chest, silently telling him to back up so I can walk away, but he doesn’t budge.

“You’re wrong,” he says. “The previous CMO and CTO were both women. Kimberly left when she was offered a better job that would allow her to climb the ladder quicker, and Nathalie had a baby.”

I glare at him, and he clarifies, “We held her position for months after she gave birth while she was on maternity leave, and then we had to find her replacement when she decided she wanted to stay home indefinitely. Both times, I did the hiring, and it just so happens that it was men who were the most qualified and would fit in best. But had either been a woman, I would’ve hired her in a heartbeat.”

“Whatever,” I mutter. “I’m still mad at you.”

“Speaking of which,” he says, “what do you like to eat?”

“What does that have to do with me being mad at you?”

“Nothing.” He laughs. “But I’m hoping that reminding you that you won, which means I’ll be cooking dinner for you for the next month, will make you a little less mad.”

Oh, right, the bet …

“I didn’t win.”

“Your dad picked your idea,” he argues.

“Only because I’m his daughter.” I roll my eyes. “You had the better idea.”

“Does that mean I get to take you away?”

He leans in slightly, encroaching on my personal space, and I imagine how easy it would be for him to push my panties to the side and make me come.

Jesus, Ana! Get a grip. This man is the damn enemy.

“I don’t know why you’d want to,” I say, a bit confused by his motives. “It’s not like you’re trying to woo me. This whole thing between us is fake.”

At the time we placed the bet, I thought his idea of taking me away was nothing more than a fa?ade to make it look like we were the real deal in front of his friends.

“What if I didn’t want it to be?”

“What are you talking about?”

“What if I wanted to explore the possibility of more between us?” he presses. He stands, and his hands land on the tops of my thighs, his touch sending a shiver down my spine. “When you first got here, the attraction was there. If we weren’t both vying for the same position …”

“Then we would’ve never met, and we wouldn’t be fake engaged.”

“Maybe.” He shrugs. “But here we are. So, what do you say?”

“I say it’s probably best to wait until after I get the CEO position.” I push him harder this time, and he backs up, giving me enough room to jump off the table and walk past him. “I can’t imagine you wanting more once I’m your boss.”

“We’ll see,” Julian says with a chuckle as I saunter out of the room, wondering, not for the first time, what the hell I’ve gotten myself into with this man.