“We all have a past. We don’t have to live in it.”
That wipes the smirk off her face, and her expression grows more serious as she searches my eyes. I stay rooted to the spot, leaning toward her, refusing to back down.
“What exactly would it entail?”
I fight the small smile on my lips from turning into a full-blown grin. She’s asking more questions, which means she’s considering it.
“Going to events, dinners, the odd public appearance. Helping me work on my gender equality and safety policies.”
Her brow arches and she smirks at me again. I’m so close I can see her pulse fluttering in her neck beneath her flawless skin.
“I’m serious. It’s one of the top five policies I’m running with,” I say as I watch it beating.
My answer makes the smirk fall from her face again.
“Four.”
“Four?” I question.
“Four thousand.” She tips her head to the side, looking me up and down. “It’s going to require a lot of work on my side to act constantly. It’s not just an evening like a trap would be. We are talking multiple hours a day, seven days a week. And I’m assuming it means I won’t be able to date other people while we have the arrangement?”
“Absolutely not.” I press my hands hard into the surface of her desk, needing to crack my knuckles desperately.
“So there’s the loss of time that I could be doing that…” She looks off into space as though contemplating something else. “And if I’m not allowed to see anyone else, then I assume—”
“I won't be seeing anyone,” I snap.
She surveys me again, pursing her lips. “Won’t you find that difficult?”
Fuck’s sake.
“No. I just need you.”
Her brows rise at my words.
“Look, it’s a live-in position. It makes it more authentic if the press thinks it’s serious. There are going to be quite a few events coming up, and people are going to ask us about each other and how we met.”
“And you need me?”
“Yes.”
“Me, specifically?”
I look into her blue eyes, inching a little closer. “We know each other already, so it will be more believable.”
“I see.” She holds my gaze, and I can practically see the thoughts processing behind her eyes.
I hold my breath. It’s too much. She’s never going to agree to staying in the same apartment as me, even if it the penthouse has four bedrooms and three bath—
“Okay,” she says softly.
I clear my throat to hide the surprised cough that’s surfaced there. “Really? Right. Good. That’s settled.”
She stands and holds her hand out. Her eyes continue to hold mine as I take her delicate fingers in mine and shake.
“Reed?”
“Harley?”