Bargaining with the Boss (Honeybrook Love, Inc. 2)

"What the hell does that mean?"

Okay, so vague wasn't going to work. Time for a back-up plan.

"Well, you know Natalie and I have what one might call a unique relationship." He steepled his fingers, trying his best to act casual, but it lasted for all of two seconds.

Garret guffawed. "If by 'special' you mean hostile and semi-homicidal."

"I think semi-homicidal is a little much. She pretends to hate me—"

"She doesn't pretend. I have seventeen complaints about you on my desk from last month alone. She said in one of them that you—"

Brooks held up a hand. "We don't have to parse out the details. I just heard something outside my office, and I was seeing what was going on."

"You cannot date Natalie Gains." Garret said.

"What makes you think—?"

"You cannot date Natalie Gains." He repeated.

Again with this broken record routine of his. Before Brooks got the chance to open his rebuttal, though, Garret took another swing at his defense. "I would have you date Eliza before Natalie."

"Why do you always assume it's about sex?" Brooks asked.

Though, of course, that didn't mean it wasn't about sex. At least, not entirely.

"Because everything is about sex. And the last person you need to have sex with is Natalie."

"Does she have a disease or something?"

"No, she has a moral compass. And a history. And a mean right hook."

Brooks laughed. "I can attest to that. The right hook, at least. I don't know. I caught her talking about me with Eliza—"

"Warning her?"

Brooks stared at his brother. "I'm sick of being treated like the only person in the office who has ever had sex. You're marrying one of our employees for god's sake."

"That was different—"

Brooks didn't care about the explanations. He didn't need to hear them, especially if he couldn't give any of his own.

Besides, nothing his brother had to say was going to change Brooks' mind.

“Look, say what you want, but I’m going to stay away from your sister-in-law. Everything else is none of your business.” Brooks interrupted him.

“I beg to differ.”

“Beg all you want, but I don’t have to listen.”

He'd been toying and teasing Natalie Gains for too long to give up on her now. There was just something about her that held him captive. Like, for example, why she never quite looked him in the eye. Or why she’d decided to be his enemy.

Well, she wouldn’t be that for much longer. He was interested in Natalie Gains and he was going to change her mind. Even if his usual methods didn't work on her, he'd find an angle. He'd figure out what it was that made her tick.

“She’s not playing cat and mouse with you. She’s playing coyote and tiny, defenseless dog. I don’t want to tell you which one you are.” Garret pleaded, but Brooks laughed.

“Like I said, leave Natalie to me.” He’d figure something out.

Because if he didn’t?