I’ll knock on every door on the thirty-third floor. I can wake everyone, or you can let me in so we can talk.
Go to hell.
I shouldn’t be so mean. He’s hurt. I’m hurt. This is a recipe for disaster.
Down the hall, he’s starting with the first door that he reaches when he exits the elevator. I’m only a few rooms down, but he’s heading in the wrong direction.
“Cali, we need to talk!” Logan says, pounding on the door.
I can’t hear if there’s a response, but I imagine someone is telling him either they have the wrong room or they’re calling security.
He keeps knocking loudly on doors, refusing to give up. He’s going to get his ass thrown out of the hotel. And he’ll probably blame me for it.
Reluctantly, I open the room door and poke my head out. “Logan, I’m down here.”
He huffs and mutters something to a gentleman who opened the room door for him. Logan stalks down the hall, coming toward my room, and stands outside the door. “Can I come in?”
I’m surprised that he’s even asking.
He smells of booze. His eyes are glassy and red, but he’s still standing.
I step aside, letting him into the hotel room. I shut the door behind him and fold my arms across my chest. “Now that you’ve woken the entire hotel, what do you want?” I ask.
“It wasn’t the entire hotel,” he shoots back. His gaze moves over my body. “You changed.”
“I’m not wearing heels and a dress to bed.” I plug my phone in, to charge it for the morning, when Logan steps closer, stealing every inch of my personal space, claiming it for his own.
“That’s too bad,” he growls, and his gaze is filled with hunger, like he hasn’t eaten in months.
“What do you want?” I ask, and this time I try to keep my tone calm and civil. There’s no point in starting the next world war over Mountain Grump not getting his way.
He expels a heavy breath, his gaze on my lips.
For a moment, I want to will him to sayyou. But that doesn’t happen. His eyes tighten and flinch. “I hate you.”
My stomach clenches and I tug my bottom lip between my teeth, biting down, trying to keep the tears from surfacing. “I know,” I say, like it doesn’t hurt, and I don’t care. Except that’s a lie.
“I hate how you make me feel. Like there’s a gaping hole inside of me. A void that you left behind. Your betrayal still rocks me, and I want to move on and forget you ever existed.”
“Then why are you here in my room?” I ask.
“Because you’re the best candidate for the job.”
I take a step back, gliding into the wall.
Trapped.
“What?” I say, unsure I heard him correctly. There’s no chance I’m getting hired when he’ll end up being my boss. He hates me. I hurt him. Destroyed his company, as he so eloquently put it, and now he wants to hire me. No. He’s playing games with me. Trying to get even.
“I hate it, but you’re the most qualified and the best vlogger that I’ve seen. Your content is good. Even when it’s shitty, it’s good. Fuck,” Logan growls.
“I didn’t make the negative ad about your resort. You have to believe me.”
“I don’t believe anything you say.” Logan presses one hand against the wall, confining me.
I inhale a sharp breath. My heart slams against my ribcage. The world around me goes fuzzy and blurry, but I focus on the man in front of me with his dark eyes, heated stare, and beard that’s close enough to graze my cheek.
“A good working relationship requires trust. Communication.” I want him to realize that offering me the job is the worst idea in the world.