After the Kiss: The Stiletto Series by Lauren Layne

Author:Lauren Layne [Layne, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Contemporary Women, Erotica, Contemporary, Fiction
ISBN: 9780345547255
Google: szWwmCfrBWsC
Amazon: B00BRUQ7JK
Publisher: Loveswept
Published: 2013-08-26T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

“I think I made a mistake.”

Colin halted in the doorway in surprise, his coffee sloshing over the side of his company mug. “Jesus, Forbes, what the hell are you doing in my office?”

Certainly not catching a glimpse of Liberty Island. Colin really did have a shitty view. But Mitchell didn’t spare the ugly office building out Colin’s window a second glance. He barely even registered it.

For the first time in his professional career, he was camped out in a colleague’s office, waiting to get some advice.

“What’s this about a mistake? Did the Fox deal not go as planned?” Colin asked as he grabbed a tissue and dabbed the coffee off his hand.

“Fuck the Fox deal. This is about the bet. You know that ridiculous plan we came up with after one too many shots of Maker’s Mark?”

Colin grinned. “Of course I know the bet. The whole floor knows about the bet. I have a pool going.”

Mitchell ground his teeth. “Tell me you’re joking.”

“Nope. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to plant the seed. That way people won’t be surprised when we switch offices in a few weeks. After you lose.”

But Mitchell wasn’t thinking about winning or losing.

He was thinking about what would happen if news got back to Julie. Having it be between him and Colin was one thing. But the entire office?

“You idiot,” Mitchell growled. “Do you have any idea how fast gossip travels in this town?”

Colin shrugged as he plopped into his swiveling desk chair, immediately beginning to spin and reminding Mitchell of a troublemaking sixth grader. “Don’t worry, dude. They all know the stakes. And everyone’s been cautioned to be careful around Greg Parsons. He’ll turn around and tell Grace, and she’ll babble to her best friend and ruin all the fun.”

Even if Greg didn’t tell Grace, all it would take was one loose-lipped intern, and this shit would be all over the gossip columns.

As if trying to keep Julie at arm’s length when she seemed determined to wriggle under his skin wasn’t stressful enough, now he had the added pressure of having to make sure she didn’t find out about the bet. A bet that had officially gone from being a spontaneous error in judgment to the worst decision of his life. He’d thought it would be a helpful reassurance that he wasn’t a docile, wife-seeking drone.

Instead it was a sad reminder that he was a complete son of a bitch.

And if Julie found out about it . . . Mitchell’s stomach twisted at the thought.

He wanted to punch the smug expression from Colin’s face, but he knew it would only be a deflection of his own guilt. Colin might have instigated the dumb bet, but Mitchell should have refused outright. Or at least he should have opted out once he realized she wasn’t some fluffy ditz who could be easily set aside when it was over.

Do it now. Call it off now. It was the smart decision. The right decision. But that would mean failure. Not something Mitchell had ever suffered lightly.

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