Dirty Addiction (Dirty 2)

Maybe my grandfather’s right. I should be focused on getting Killian to fall in love with me instead of focusing on getting my grandfather to believe I can do this.

“I figured you would be in here,” Killian says.

“Do you ever knock?”

“No. You find out the best stuff if you don’t knock.”

I do my best to casually wipe my eyes, so he doesn’t think I’ve been siting here, crying, but it’s no use. He knows that’s what I’ve been doing.

“Here to gloat?”

He narrows his eyes. “No. I figured you would be the one who was going to do the gloating.”

“Why would I do that? I failed. I lose. You win.”

He smiles. “I would call it more of a tie.”

I watch as he walks over and casually takes a seat on the sofa.

“What do you mean, we tied? I did horrible in there. They were practically laughing at my plan.”

“I wouldn’t say that. They ended up agreeing with you in the end.”

“What? How?”

He sighs. “I should have told you that there was pushback for even doing the smaller expansion in the first place. Nobody wanted to do it. There was no way that you were going to convince them that we should spend that kind of money and take that kind of risk, no matter what the data said.”

“You did. It took you less than twenty minutes to convince them.”

“Ten actually,” he says, smirking.

I hit him with a throw pillow.

“Sorry. Just thought you should know that it was a joint effort. You supplied the information and got them warmed up. I just closed the deal.”

I roll my eyes. “No, you win. I didn’t close the deal, as you say. I couldn’t even answer their simple questions.”

His smile widens. “I was happy to just call it a tie, but if you want to go on a date with me that badly, you can just ask.”

I roll my eyes for a second time. “So, what happened after I left?”

He shrugs. “I answered their questions and told them it was happening whether they wanted it to or not, and it would be better if the company as a whole was behind it.”

I frown when he puts his arm around me, but I admit it does relax me a little to have it there.

“Who has the ultimate decision then about if the expansion will go on or not?”

“Right now, your grandfather.”

I nod, realizing that the only reason they even had a meeting with half of the company was to get them behind the decision. It was never for them to decide the fate of the company. My grandfather was always the one who was going to make that decision. If I had just gone straight to him with my speech, maybe things would have been different. Maybe then, he would have realized that I was more than just a pretty face. Too late now.

“So, when is this date I have to go on?”

He tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His touch sends chills down my arms.

“You are eager.”

“No,” I say, shaking off the chills. “Just ready for it to be over.”