Bought by the Boss

Jackson could use this information to seal his deal. I know what Liam is planning to offer Bakker now. Jackson could easily win this by offering something better. Because there’s something I know that Bakker’s employees also don’t have. And that’s a pension. But can I sell Liam out like that?

Before today, yes, in a second. I’m loyal to Jackson.

After today?

I don’t know anymore. My heart feels different than it did yesterday. “You’ve gone and made this fucking complicated,” I chastise myself, knowing I can only do one thing now. I click the button on the side of my cell, awakening the screen, and call Mallory.

She answers on the third ring. “Shouldn’t you be having the best sex of your life right now instead of calling me?”

“I am having the best sex of my life,” I reply.

“If that’s true, then why are we talking?”

I pause, trying to put into words how I’m feeling. My heart is tied up in knots. I didn’t know it would be like this with Liam. I thought he’d flaunt his money all over me. Isn’t that what rich, powerful men do? But he’s not about money at all. His beach house belonged to his father. That was meaningful. He likely paid a lot for our breakfast, not to wow me, but for privacy. Just the two of us. The ornament was so damn thoughtful, I still can’t wrap my head around any guy doing stuff like that for me. Mallory does, of course. But men usually don’t get me that way.

“Aria?” Mallory asks gently.

“I like him,” I blurt out.

“You. Like. Him?”

I drop my head into my free hand. “Yes, he’s practically perfect in every goddamn way.”

“Okay,” Mallory says slowly. “You’re going to have to catch me up on this because I’m confused as shit over here. Is liking him a good or a bad thing?”

“I don’t know,” I answer honestly, staring down at my pink painted toenails. “I mean, he’s everything I knew he would be. Hot. Intense. Incredible lover. But then he’s so much more.”

“I’m still not catching the bad part in all this.”

I curl my toes underneath themselves, wanting to curl into myself. “Okay, so today, we had this amazing, and sexy, I might add, breakfast. Then we spent the rest of the day at the Santa Monica Pier, shopping, having the most romantic sunset dinner, and honestly just having fun. It was a perfect day, Mallory. Totally and mind-bogglingly perfect.”

“Wow.” Mallory snorts a laugh. “You’re right, that all sounds terrible.”

I snort. “I’m not supposed to like him, remember? I didn’t come here to fall for Liam. I came here to get him out of my system.”

Mallory pauses then gently says, “I don’t think this should really come as any big surprise. You guys have had this crazy thing going on for a long time.”

“My point exactly,” I retort. “We can’t have this crazy thing on. I told myself that I couldn’t. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t. I can’t do that to Jackson.”

“I think all of this is just so stupid,” Mallory says, anger edging her voice. “Why can’t you two be together? I know Liam. I care for him. He’s a good guy. He’d make you happy. You’d make him happy. You guys would be so great together—which I have told you a thousand times before now. Why is Jackson stopping that from happening?”

“Because he hates him.”

“For what, though?”

“I don’t know.” And that was the problem. “Whatever it is, Mallory, it must be serious. They loathe each other, and right now I can’t see who is really at fault. Because as much as Jackson has told me that Liam is going to play me like fiddle, I don’t see it. Everything he does, it’s with me in mind.”

“Well, yeah, that’s because Liam is in love with you, which I’ve also told you.”

“I know you have, and I’m starting to believe you,” I finally admit to both her and myself for the very first time.

She pauses again, obviously shocked by my admission. Hell, even I’m shocked by my admission. Okay, yes, I knew there was something special between us but maybe I’d convinced myself that I had some way of controlling it.

I was dead wrong.

When Mallory speaks again, her voice is softer now. “Did he say those three little words to you?”

“He doesn’t need to, I feel them right in my bones, Mallory.”