Chapter 8 #3
There's another knock on the door, and she lets out an irritated grunt.
"Do people not know I'm trying to run a meeting here?
" she says in a self-important voice before opening the door.
"Can I help you?" Immediately, her voice lowers.
"Oh, sorry, Mr. Spector, I didn't realize it was you.
" I freeze. What does Max Spector want? "Yes, she must be in here.
I was about to start the training, but…" She nods.
"Yes, sir. Of course." She steps back into the room. "Is there a Lila Haversham?"
"That's me," I say, holding my hand up.
"Mr. Spector needs you to do some urgent work, so I'm going to have to speak to you tomorrow morning, along with Skye, to go over this paperwork."
"Oh, okay," I say. Juniper scribbles her number on a piece of paper and hands it to me. "Thank you. I will text you later." I stand up and head toward the door. "Thank you, Vivian. I—"
"I'll see you in the morning." She sounds pissed as she shakes her head as if I'm the one that said I had to go and not Max.
I step outside and find Max standing there, looking at something on his phone. "Okay, let's go," he says without looking up at me.
"Really?" I say, feeling pissed at myself. "That's how you're going to speak to me?"
He looks up at me slowly, his eyes boring into mine as he frowns. "Sorry, what?"
"I was just in a meeting, filling out paperwork and trying to ensure that I am set up for this job. You just pulled me out of the training that you sent me to and—"
I hate that he doesn't say anything. It unnerves me. "Are you going to keep going?" he asks. "Or are you done?"
"I just think you're so rude."
"Is this because I didn't offer you a million dollars to sleep with me, even though I know you would've slept with me for free?"
I bite down on my lip to stop from cussing him. "I wouldn't sleep with you if you were the last man on Earth. In fact, I wouldn't sleep with you if you were the last man in the universe."
"Tell me how that's different," he says, his blue eyes twinkling, and I ignore the flutter in my heart. Why does he affect me so?
"What?"
"Tell me how it's different."
"Tell you how what's different?"
"You said you wouldn't sleep with me if I was the last man on Earth."
"I wouldn't," I say, glaring at him disdainfully.
"And then you said you wouldn't sleep with me if I was the last man in the universe."
"I wouldn't." I raise my chin.
"But how is it different? How is my being the last man on Earth different from being the last man in the universe? Or do you think there are other life-sustaining planets out there or something?"
I can feel that my blood is about to boil over.
I want to go off on him so badly. I can tell by the smirk on his face that he thinks he's so intelligent and superior.
This man is getting on my last nerves, and what's worse is I'm so madly attracted to him that I want to rip the buttons off his shirt and kiss him.
Why is he doing this to me? Why am I so attracted to him?
"I was just making a point, Mr. Spector. I wanted you to clearly understand that I don't want you, and I couldn't care less if you offered me a million dollars or not."
"Really? Hmm. It didn't seem that way an hour ago. In fact, I was thinking about…"
"Thinking about what?" I ask.
"I was thinking about us having a specific deal with each other."
"What do you mean?" I ask, my lips trembling slightly. Is he about to say what I think he is? Is he about to come on to me? Is he about to offer me some sort of kinky deal to be his lover? And will I take it? I’m not sure. "What is the offer?" I ask.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" He grins as he brings his mouth to my ear.
"Well, yeah, you brought it up, so…" I step back, feeling flustered.
"Come with me, and you'll find out."
"Where are we going? You're not taking me to a hotel, are you? Look, I am not that type of girl."
"Lila, I was joking. There is no deal."
I cross my arms and glare at him. I don't find his joke funny whatsoever.
"Moving on. I removed you from the training because we're going to meet a client." He taps his watch.
"A client?" I raise an eyebrow. "What client?"
"His name is Jack Whittington, and he needs help with a divorce."
"Okay." I press my lips together. "Let's go, then."
"To the Plaza?" He winks, and I gasp.
"I should quit right now."
"We both know you're not quitting, Lila. Just like we both know if I took you to the Plaza Hotel right now, your skirt and panties would be on the ground before I could say the word ground."
"Dude, you wish."
"Maybe I do," he says, his eyes roving my body. "And maybe I don't, but you'll never know."
"You think this is a joke, don't you?"
"Not at all," he says softly. "I just think that when I have you, it's going to be because neither of us can keep our hands off each other, and who knows? Maybe I am the crazy one. Maybe this banter is going to drive me absolutely bonkers, but maybe it's going to drive you bonkers, too. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. But you can’t say that you don’t enjoy it.”
I bite down on my lower lip. “I do not get you.”
“That’s understandable,” he says. “You didn’t know me until today. I don’t get you either, but I have a feeling I will.”
“What do you mean, you have a feeling you will? Are you saying you have a feeling that you’ll sleep with me? Because I already told you I’m not interested.”
“I know what you said, Miss Haversham, but I think we both know how you feel right now. Like the ocean, right, baby?”