Right?
TWO
Chloe
I can feelKnox’s eyes tracking me as I pace back and forth across our bungalow. The place is beautiful with a view of the ocean and cutouts in the floor so you can see down to the water below but I can’t enjoy the view right now.
I can’t believe that he did this and I don’t know how to react.
On one hand, I’m flattered that he did all of this to get to spend some alone time with me. I’m attracted to Knox, of course I am, but he’s my boss. My insanely sexy boss with the dark brown hair and those deep blue eyes that I could drown in.
I just started working at Temple Hotel a few months and it took me that long to convince people that it wasn’t my last name or my looks that got me this job. Now I’m wondering if I was wrong about that.
“Did you hire me because you wanted to sleep with me?” I blurt out and he shakes his head no right away, taking a step toward me.
“Of course not. You were selected based on your resume before I ever laid eyes on you. I never could have predicted how I would feel once I met you. You stole my heart that first day. I just want a chance to get to show you that we’re meant to be.”
He already explained that he knows that I’m the one for him and that was why he lied to me and brought me out here where we could be alone. I want to give in to him because part of me knows that what he says is true, but I can’t have my first official adult job be ruined because I slept with the boss.
My family comes from old money and I’ve spent my life learning about how to protect my reputation and social standing. It never really mattered much to my sister, Elodie, or me. It was just part of growing up a Manot.
Still, the lessons that we learned have been bred into me, and I know that my parents would be upset if they found out that I slept with my boss. It would be a scandal, one that they would see as easily avoidable.
It doesn’t matter that I have feelings for Knox or that he’s the first person who has ever made me feel anything.
I’ve never been attracted to anyone. The time when I started noticing boys was also when Elodie got diagnosed with cancer. I forgot about everything except making sure that she got better for close to two years and it’s only because she’s in remission that I decided to move to Los Angeles and start working.
She’s in California, studying at Sequoia University and I love that we’re still close to each other.
I need to stay angry. I can’t mess up this job. I don’t want to go back to living in New York with my parents and having them watch my every move because they think that I can’t handle living on my own. I need this job to afford my tiny apartment and food.
“Just give me the next few days,” Knox pleads, holding his hands out like he’s trying to calm a wild animal.
I suppose that I do look a little crazy, pacing around and mumbling to myself under my breath.
“You don’t want to be with me because you’re worried that I’ll get sick of you or that people at work will talk and spread nasty rumors. Give me the next five days to prove that I’ll never get sick of you.”
I bite my bottom lip, my teeth sinking into the plump flesh as I try to think of what to do. Can I give him what he’s asking? How will I ever go back to not being with him if things don’t go well this week? Can I really give myself to him without risking my heart?
“I brought you out here because if things don’t go my way, then no one in the office ever has to know. Five days, Chloe. That’s it. Just give me five days to prove that we’re meant to be. If you still don’t want me after that, then we’ll keep it professional. Your job will never be at risk and I’ll never bring it back up again.”
I shift my eyes away from him, wondering what to do.
He already has a piece of my heart. Five days where we’re alone and acting like a real couple and I know that he’ll get the rest of it.
I promised myself when I moved out to Los Angeles though that I was going to try to take more risks and really live my life. I didn’t want to live by my parents’ rules anymore. I didn’t want to care about people’s backgrounds or what they wanted from me.
Elodie’s life was put on hold when she got sick and she had to stay in the hospital, but my life was paused too. I didn’t want to go on when she was battling to get healthy.
This could be my one chance to do something wild and crazy. To live life to the fullest. When am I ever going to get another chance to spend a week in paradise with a smoking hot billionaire?
“Okay. Five days,” I agree and Knox’s eyes light up like I just made his whole year.
My stomach feels like it’s on a rollercoaster, and I wonder if I just made a big mistake or the best decision of my life.
THREE
Knox