Heavy marketing was necessary to gain visibility, and I had no idea how high those costs were.
“Well, I’ve kept you long enough. See you tomorrow, Hailey.”
I was a little rattled as Cameron left, suddenly wondering just how secure my job was. Cameron had said all this kept him up at night.
I almost forgot all about Reid until my phone buzzed.
Reid: How was your day?
No doubt he wanted to brag about his conversation with Cameron. Part of me still couldn’t believe he’d gone ahead with that. I played with my phone between my fingers, first intending to text Reid, then to call him.
Then I decided to deal with this infuriating man the best way I knew: face-to-face.
When I entered the hotel, I pasted a smile on my face, heading straight to the receptionist, who smiled back.
“Is Reid still in his office?” I inquired.
“Let me call.” Natasha spoke quickly into the phone, and from what I overheard, Reid was already at the penthouse.
“Go ahead to the elevator. I’ll call Reid and tell him you’re here,” Natasha told me after hanging up.
Clearly, Natasha thought we had an appointment, and I didn’t do anything to dispel that notion.
I smoothed my dress with one hand and my hair with the other as I rode the elevator. I steeled myself, determined to say my bit before he had a chance to lay on the charm and disarm me.
When the doors of the elevator opened, I immediately saw Reid leaning against the bar counter. The only lights o
n were the dim ones above the bar.
“Hailey,” he greeted in a low, gravelly voice. As I approached, I noticed he wore one of those thin white shirts again.
He could have been naked for all the fabric covered. Every single plane and muscle was visible. I licked my lips, forcing my glance up, stopping a few feet away from him.
“I can’t believe you called Cameron,” I said.
His lips curled in a smile. “What’s so unbelievable about it?”
“You don’t need me working full time on your case.”
Reid was silent for a few beats. His gaze traveled over me slowly, and then he moved closer.
“No, Hailey. I just need you.”
Oh, God! The heat in his gaze, the sheer weight of it pinned me in place. He was close, but I wanted to pull him even closer, even mad as I was at him. How could he have such an effect on me?
Chapter Twelve
Reid
“You can’t just go around commanding everyone to do what you want.”
I loved her fierceness. Her fire. It drew me to her like nothing else.
“Generally, I can. But that wasn’t my intention here.”
Honestly, I had no fucking idea what my intention had been. I’d called Cameron on a whim, which went against everything I knew about myself.
“So what was it, then?” Her eyes flashed. I wanted to kiss her. Lift her up in my arms, hold her against that bar and bury myself inside her.