‘Don’t be, I found it very entertaining,’ Bethany said. ‘I’d say Alex Costa is a guy who needs to be taken down a peg or two, and you appear to be the woman to do it. I doubt there’s been many others.’
She sent Bethany a wistful smile. ‘I’m not special. And even if I were, I expect he’s sure now I’m not worth the effort.’
‘He didn’t leave, you know,’ Bethany said. ‘He’s waiting outside. He told me to tell you, you’ve got thirty minutes to change your mind.’
Ellie’s heart gave another giddy leap. She squashed it like a bug.
‘Oh, for...’ She swore softly. The man was intractable, as well as incorrigible.
She sighed as the conflicting emotions—regret, guilt, embarrassment, longing—tangled into an enormous knot in her stomach.
‘I wish he’d just leave,’ she muttered, because she didn’t want him to go, but she knew she should.
‘Do you?’ Bethany asked, the sceptical look making Ellie feel transparent. ‘Where’s the girl who told me a month ago she had come to New York to live her best life? To have an adventure she could tell her grandbabies? To be bold and brave and unafraid?’
Ellie groaned. Had she really been that naïve? ‘To be reckless and self-indulgent, you mean?’
Bethany smiled. ‘Just tell me one thing. Did you have a good time with him over Thanksgiving?’
‘The best time,’ she said, because she couldn’t lie about it. ‘He’s exciting and funny and smart and compelling and so...’ She puffed out a breath. ‘Well, he’s the hottest man I’ve ever met. He found my G-spot on the first attempt and he knows his way around a clitor—’ She clammed up, her face heating about fifty thousand degrees. Had she just been waxing lyrical about Alex’s astounding abilities in the sack to her boss?
But Bethany just laughed. ‘I can well imagine. So what’s the problem with taking him up on his offer? Because it sounds like it would be one hell of an adventure to me.’
‘You mean apart from the fact I have a job here?’ Ellie supplied, trying to cling to the practical again.
‘Honey, as much as I’d love for you to stay working here, I can see that serving beers every night to old farts like Rex over there—’
‘Hey, Rex heard that,’ Rex said, before going back to his beer.
Bethany laughed off the interruption. ‘Isn’t going to be a patch on spending four weeks celebrating Christmas with the hottest guy you’ve ever met.’
Ellie finished loading the dishwasher.
‘So why don’t you tell me what the real problem is?’ Bethany continued. ‘And let’s see if we can figure it out before that helicopter leaves.’
Ellie huffed. Clearly her boss wasn’t going to let this drop. ‘Honestly, I just don’t think I can spend a whole month with him on his terms. He wants a no-strings-attached fling, and I’m not sure I can do that. He fascinates me and excites me and I know if I went to live with him, I’d want to get to know him better. Which means I’d never be able to stick to his rules.’
‘So don’t,’ Bethany said, as if it was really that simple.
‘But...’ Ellie began.
‘Sweetie, he can make any rules he wants. Doesn’t mean you have to follow them. Who made him the boss of this fling anyway?’
‘Well...’ Ellie frowned. Did Bethany have a point? ‘I guesshedid. But if he’s paying for everything, I’d feel powerless.’
‘So don’t let him pay for everything. You can work in Manhattan just as good as you can here. And if he really wants you with him, he’ll have to agree to your terms.’
Excitement surged, but then crashed back to earth.
‘I’m not sure Icanwork in Manhattan though. I got bad-mouthed by the event planner after punching one of the guests at Alex’s Halloween party and I expect she’ll have spread the word.’
Bethany chuckled. ‘Where’s Costa’s penthouse?’
‘Central Park West.’
‘Okay, I know a classy cocktail bar near Columbus Circle owned by a friend who used to bus tables at Sully’s. I can give you his number. Mel’s always looking for reliable bartenders, especially in the run-up to Christmas.’
‘Really?’ Ellie said, stupidly touched, but also unable to deny the wave of excitement starting to build under her breastbone. Could she really make this work? Could she risk moving in with Alex Costa? Risk getting more invested in a relationship that was never supposed to last?