Submission Impossible (Masters & Mercenaries Reloaded 1)

“You should know that Kyle is meeting with Jessica Layne right now about a job.” Hutch might not be on the Kyle-is-bad bandwagon, but he wasn’t going to hide anything from his boss. “You should also know that I tried to talk him out of it and he was incredibly insistent. He wants to be in that building.”

Tag nodded. “Understood. Watch that relationship for me. I need daily communication, Hutch. To me. No one else. If you need Adam, call him. He’s going to keep us up to date on the Julia Ennis case.”

“It’s a thrill to be back to dealing with politicians.” Adam understood the language of sarcasm, too. He stood and grabbed his tablet and the rest of his things. “You coming down for lunch? Phoebe ordered pizza.”

Tag nodded. “Charlie and I will be down shortly. I’m going to finish up with Hutch.”

Adam snorted. “He’s going to ask if you wore a condom.”

Well, at least Kyle hadn’t told that story. “I did.”

He’d gone through all three Kyle had given him. He’d mentally put box of condoms on his shopping list as he’d lain beside her the night before. That was one errand he didn’t need to run now.

The door closed behind Adam, and Ian sat back.

“You are also one of my more careful employees,” Ian said with a sigh. “I know you have your reputation, but in this case I don’t think you would have slept with the client because you found her hot. You slept with her because you felt something for her.”

“I did.” There wasn’t a point in lying to Ian if he wasn’t going to lie to himself. “I felt more for Noelle in a day than I’ve felt…in my life. She didn’t feel the same way about me and so we’re moving on.”

Tag’s eyes narrowed. “Moving on?”

Hutch nodded. “Yes. She made it clear that if the mood strikes her, I might be welcome back in her bed, but she’s not interested in a relationship.”

“Maybe she’s not in a good place for one,” Tag said pointedly.

Hutch huffed. “Yes, I remember saying it. I know. Karma’s rough.”

“So you’re moving on,” Tag reiterated.

He wasn’t sure where Tag was going, but he needed to make it clear to the boss that there wouldn’t be trouble. “Yes. I’m not going to bother her again. We can have a professional relationship. Moving on.”

“You do that a lot, you know.”

Hutch shook his head. “I do not need some session with you. I have Kai for that.”

The corners of Ian’s lips curled up in a hint of a smile. “But you don’t see Kai until next week, and you’ll have ruined everything by then. You like her.”

Hutch sighed and sat back. “I do. I screwed up with her, and I wonder if that’s why she’s not interested. Maybe a bit of revenge.”

Tag seemed to think about it for a moment. “I doubt that young woman is capable of revenge, but she might be incredibly capable of questioning her own feelings. She’s an intellectual.”

“She’s super smart. You know, I’m not exactly a dummy.” He’d worked hard for his graduate degree. He still studied. He still kept up with new tech and science.

“That’s not what I meant. You’re smart, but I wouldn’t call you an intellectual. After all, you hang out with Boomer.”

Boomer was a nice guy, but he wasn’t the brightest bulb in the box. “You think she wouldn’t like my friends?”

“No. I’m saying she’s got a different mindset than you, and that can be a good thing for a couple later on. In the beginning, it can be rough. You trust your instincts. You’ve pretty much never had anything but your instincts to trust.”

He hadn’t had a functional family until he’d joined McKay-Taggart. He’d been on his own for much of his young life. “That’s a fair assessment.”

“But Noelle was raised by two loving parents who divorced and then questioned their every feeling for each other,” Tag explained. “From what Remy tells me it wasn’t exactly an amicable divorce. Then there was the car accident and numerous surgeries. Her trauma was different than yours. She might be more cautious about relationships than you are.”

“I moved too fast.” Yeah, he got that now, but damn it, she’d been there with him.

Tag shrugged. “So slow things down and show her who you are.”

This was not the advice he’d expected from Ian. “I thought you would tell me not to fuck the fucking client.”

He hadn’t been there when Ian had told Adam those words, but they were pretty legendary around the building.

Now Tag smiled, a genuine expression of pure amusement. “Yeah, if I did that there would be way less kid drama.” He leaned in. “Charlie is usually right about these things. I know your history has taught you that if someone rejects you, it’s time to walk away. But sometimes the right one is worth fighting for. You’re a good man, Hutch. You are solid and true. Do you think she’s worth risking some heartache for? By the way, the heartache will come one way or another. Even in a good marriage. Even in a marriage that works in every way. There are little hurts and heartaches because we’re human.”