Was he saying that for show, or was she about to have her personal life on display for a third party? “I understand. No secrets.”
“We’ll be right back. Take care of PP—make sure they deploy the beta tonight—and we’ll all catch up in a few minutes,” Justin told Antonio, then steered Emily toward an empty conference room, away from the developer area. He closed the door behind them.
“Really?Nosecrets?” The question slipped past her lips before she could stop it.
Justin turned to face her, calm expression vanishing beneath a clenched jaw and tight gaze. “When it comes to business. There are a few details of how I spent my weekend that he doesn’t know about.”
“Details.”
He shrugged. “Things I shouldn’t have said that might make working conditions awkward. But don’t think it’s anything you can hold over my head.”
“I hadn’t even considered that.” She didn’t like the implied accusation. “I’d rather forget it happened.”
“Was it that bad?”
“It was incredible.” She snapped her mouth shut. His mouth twitched with an unformed smile, and her cheeks burned. “But I’d still rather... That is—it’s between us? That’s what you’re saying?”
“Well... Yes and no. Some things can’t be taken back.”
The growing knot in her throat plummeted into her stomach. “Fuck.” His words from the bar rushed back to her. Not the tantalizing story about the best friend, but what came before.They’re sending in a ruthless, heartless killer...He’d been talking about her. “This is convenient for you, isn’t it? I’m too embarrassed about the awkward situation to stay on, and you’re free of judge and jury?”
“That would be a pleasant notion if I were delusional. Grant would send someone else, and the fire I’m floundering in would get hotter when I ran offone of his best. His words, by the way.”
“Exactly.” It was hard to keep the indignation in her voice when he took all theoomfout of her retort.
“Though, I’ll be honest—I never pegged you for a shark.”
She bit the inside of her cheek, as more of her memories from the weekend flooded back. His fingers tracing over her skin. The conversation that convinced her to go home with him. All things she needed to disassociate from this contract. “I’m sure we have a to learn about each other. Professionally,” she added quickly.
His smile looked as uncertain as her grip on keeping her cool. “We should keep this short. Antonio knows I picked up an attractive redhead, and he’ll add one and one pretty fast. He wasn’t privy toanydetails beyond that.”
“Oh.” The lightbulb went on in her head. “You don’t want him to know what we talked about.”
“Do you?”
Touché. Emily could picture that conversation with Antonio.Yeah, Justin and I know each other. We fantasized about having sex with you. I mean, not that I knew it was you. “I’m good with that arrangement.”
“Everything all right in here?” Antonio cracked the door and stepped into the room. “No one’s tearing anyone’s head off?”
Emily looked between the two men. Best friends and business partners? Or more than Justin let on?
The curiosity was enough to make her pulse lick under her skin, igniting her senses and taunting her with images of Justin backing her against the conference room table and twisting his fingers in her hair and kissing her, while Antonio watched.
“Everything’s shiny,” Justin said.
This morning, Emily had been prepared for hostility. Her first job, Grant neglected to warn her what she was walking into—that most of the companies he invested in felt the same way about his retainers that Justin did. It caught her off-guard, and she fumbled her way through the week. But she finished the job.
Her second contract through Grant, she made the mistake of walking in all casual and friendly like, and they rolled over her. Third time around, she tried to project an air of owning the place, and no one would deal with her. The assignments weren’t only about meeting development deadlines; they were also meant to settle waves between Grant and whatever company he sent his retainers into. If she didn’t get this one right, Grant would drop her contract.
Which meant not fantasizing about being the Oreo filling in a co-founder sandwich cookie.
“You’re all right?” Antonio was looking at her.
She made her smile as genuine and friendly as any smile had ever been. “Fantastic. I was just reciting my script. I’m not here to take over or ruin anyone’s day. I’m only here to help. You know—all the things you heard this morning.”
She wasn’t letting Justin, or Antonio, or any other seductive, enticing executive take this job from her, for any reason.