Just a Bit Bossy (Straight Guys 12)

Nate smiled. “What’s the matter? Are you scared to lose the bet, Mr. Ferrara?”

“I don’t make bets I know I will win,” Ferrara said. “There’s nothing interesting about it.”

Nate smiled wider. “I think you just know you’ll lose it—that I’ll prove you wrong.”

Although Ferrara’s face remained inscrutable, Nate could tell he’d managed to get under his skin. He was good at reading people. This was a man who wasn’t used to people talking back to him. A man who likely burned to put him in his place.

Ferrara leaned back and regarded him for a long moment, a glint appearing in his eyes. “This bet of yours is very one-sided. What’s in it for me?”

“If I fail, I’ll—I’ll publicly declare that I was wrong and Rangers 5 is a credit to the franchise.”

“You think too highly of yourself if you think your opinion matters to me. It doesn’t. The game sold eight million copies at launch. That’s all the feedback I need.”

Nate’s fingernails dug into his palms. God, he had never wanted to punch anyone more. But he couldn’t. Nate racked his brain, trying to think of something that would seem like an adequate prize for a powerful, rich man who likely had everything he wanted. There was only one thing he could offer.

“A strong launch doesn’t mean much if the game doesn’t have strong legs,” Nate said. “You know the game has been review-bombed recently and now has a very bad rating on Steam and Metacritic, right?”

Although Ferrara didn’t acknowledge it, from the way his expression tightened a little, Nate knew he was aware of the issue.

“I’m the moderator of the biggest Rangers community, rangersdeck,” Nate said. “If I lose the bet, I promise that I’ll talk the community into removing their bad reviews.” The mere idea made him want to puke, but it was the only thing of genuine value that he could offer to this man. Clearly good sales—money—was all the asshole cared about, and it was undeniable that bad reviews did affect the game’s sales. Besides, Nate had no intention of losing the bet, so ultimately, it didn’t matter.

Ferrara was silent for a while, just studying Nate in a way that made him uneasy.

“Fine,” he said at last. “As it happens, my personal assistant was fired yesterday. The position is still available.”

Nate opened his mouth and then closed it without saying anything.

Ferrara smiled. It wasn’t a nice smile. “You did say any job. Second thoughts?”

Nate put on his most nonchalant look. “No. Why would there be?”

Being a PA couldn’t be that hard. Right?

Chapter 2

Nate left Ferrara’s office, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Getting a job at the Caldwell Group really hadn’t been his goal when he decided to participate in the protest against corporate greed. Getting a job as a personal assistant to an asshole exec of the Caldwell Group was the exact opposite of what he’d wanted. Yet here he was. A PA. To Raffaele Ferrara, executive vice president of the Caldwell Group.

The trip to Human Resources turned out to be surprisingly informative. Olivia was a nice young woman with a lovely smile and eyes. Somehow, in the short time between Nate leaving Ferrara’s office and finding the HR department, she already had the contract ready. In any other circumstances, Nate would have flirted with her, but he was too frustrated now.

“Wow, you got it done in ten minutes?” Nate said, skimming over the contract.

Olivia laughed a little. “When you work for a boss like Mr. Ferrara, you learn to be highly efficient. Trust me.”

That… didn’t sound reassuring at all.

The salary made him feel a little better. Money couldn’t buy happiness, but it sure made his life easier; Nate wasn’t going to pretend that he didn’t care about it. He would work for Ferrara for half a year, prove him wrong, and make a nice financial cushion until he could find a job that really interested him. It was a win-win.

“I thought Caldwell was the boss, not Ferrara,” Nate said.

Olivia sighed, a shadow crossing her face. “Mr. Caldwell is still in a coma, and it doesn’t look good. But even when he wasn’t in a coma, he rarely came to this office. He gives free rein to Mr. Ferrara here at RD Software. Mr. Caldwell doesn’t really get involved in the game publishing side of the business. He has absolute trust in Mr. Ferrara—and for a reason.”

Nate scrunched up his nose, unsure what to think. Ferrara didn’t look very trustworthy to him.

“Anyway, Mr. Ferrara owns thirty-five percent of the Caldwell Group’s shares, second only to Mr. Caldwell,” Olivia said. “He’s our boss, whether Mr. Caldwell is here or not.”

Nate suppressed a whistle, as he estimated how much thirty-five percent of a company like the Caldwell Group was worth. The company’s market worth was close to twenty billion. No wonder the guy was an arrogant ass.