“Not even a little bit.”
“I know you are. All women are. And that soft little kiss in the closet? Very telling of your true nature in more intimate circumstances.”
I could see her jaw clenching as she sat at my kitchen table, and I knew I had hit a nerve.
“Maybe you are a pillow princess after all,” I said with a murmur.
“What?” Sam asked.
“Nothing.”
“So. You’ve exposed this ‘lie’ to your COO. But what about everyone else? Even Miss Emma? She won’t be happy you lied to her.”
“No, she probably won’t be. She’s jealous of you for some reason,” I said.
“Because she had a crush on you.”
“I’ve made it very clear to Miss Emma in the past that our relationship is professional.”
“Doesn’t mean she dropped her fun little crush. It only means she’s keeping her hands to herself. But she’s very protective of you. It’s obvious she still harbors feelings. And me coming out as your girlfriend is going to stoke that fire.”
“I can handle a twenty-eight-year-old with a crush. If that’s even where this jealousy’s coming from,” I said.
“Idiot.”
“Soft kisser.”
“Seriously, get the hell off it.”
“Then stop getting so pained over it,” I said with a grin. “Such a sore spot. Do you not like the fact that something is soft about you?”
Sam fell silent, her eyes cast out the window toward the edge of my property. She slid her hands behind her back, grabbing them to keep their shaking at bay. It was interesting to see this side of her, this human side behind the maniacal robot with a mind that worked a lightning speed.
“If Jacob isn’t coming on the trip, there’s no need for me to go as your girlfriend. I can still pull off being your PA until we get back. You’ve labeled me as an outside personal assistant, right?” Sam asked.
“Technically, yes, but you were rattling off facts about my company at the venue. And I did tell the partygoers that you would be helping on projects,” I said.
“We can get around that easier than the ‘PA to girlfriend’ thing. With me interacting in your personal world, I’m bound to pick up some things about your company. We’ll stick with the PA story for now.”
“I really think—”
“We’ll stick with the PA story,” she said.
“Fine. We’ll do it your way.”
“The practical realities of a PA are as such. I can’t room with you as a PA, not even a personal one. So adjoining rooms will be necessary if I’m going to keep an eye on you.”
“What about a suite with two rooms that close off?” I asked.
“Adjoining. Rooms.”
“Fine. Fuck. Man, you’re a hard-ass.”
“And you’re just an ass. Deal with it. I’ll get you a list of things I’m going to need for this trip. I don’t care how you acquire them but have them on the plane and ready to go.”
“Funny, this PA stuff comes pretty easy for you,” I said.
“I’m still packing.”