The Dealmaker (Sex & Bonds 1)

I look at Nora. She looks back.

“I did,” she says, looking at Paula. “I wanted to talk to Aiden about Theo, actually.”

I blink, so startled that for a half a heartbeat I struggle to catch my breath. “You did?”

“I did.” Miracle of miracles, Nora grabs my hand. “Paula, Theo and I are in a relationship.”

I nearly come in my pants, but Paula merely lifts her eyebrows. “That’s certainly a surprise. Even I’ve heard about your epic . . . banter, shall we call it.”

“My fault,” I say. “I was a jerk to Nora. I have no excuse, and I’m sorry.”

“But you’ve clearly made amends,” Paula replies, eyes flicking to our joined hands.

“No one was more shocked than me when Theo turned out to be an excellent human being,” Nora says. “And because he’s so excellent, I—”

“—want to give up my shot at the promotion,” I blurt. “Nora—she—Nora’s the one who’s excellent. She deserves it more than I ever did.”

Nora squeezes my hand so hard I turn to look at her. Her eyes are wide and already filled with tears. “That’s what you wanted to talk to Aiden about? Giving up MD?”

“Yes,” I say, suddenly feeling like I’m going to cry too. “It’s yours. It should’ve been yours all along.”

“No.” Her voice shakes, eyes even wider now. “No, it’s yours. I was going to tell Aiden to give the promotion to you. Theo, you’ve been supporting your whole family, and doing an amazing job of it too. I’m so proud of you, and I would never want to jeopardize you being able to take care of the people you love.”

I really can’t breathe. I just look at Nora and try very hard not to take her face in my hands. I’m shaking, she’s shaking, and the thought hits me out of nowhere.

How did a six-month stretch that started with the deepest sadness I’ve ever experienced end with the deepest joy? Because looking at Nora in her cheetah pumps and pink lipstick, her eyes full and my heart fuller, that’s what I feel. Joy. And relief. And a touch of confusion as to how I reconcile the grief with the happiness. It’s so much to process. So much to feel.

Then again, when I met Nora, the only things I felt were anger and fear. This—the deluge—it’s a lot, yes. But it’s worlds better than what came before. I’m moving in the right direction. That has to count for something.

I firm my grip on Nora’s hand. “I don’t want MD. I just want you. You’re the one with the right reasons. You’re the change the bank needs.”

“Oh,” Paula breathes. “That’s good.”

“Thank you.”

“I can’t let you give it up, you know,” Nora says. “Managing director.”

“I won’t accept it.”

Nora turns to Paula. “Give it to someone else, then.”

But Paula just shakes her head. “You were our top candidates.”

“I mean what I say, Nora. Take the promotion. Now that Aiden’s gone the desk needs a leader, and I think we can all agree you’d be a much better manager than I would.”

“Not true.”

“It is. I’ve seen it—”

“I think I have a solution,” Paula says, raising her voice to quiet us. “It’s true we’re only promoting one team member from the High-Grade desk this year. But what you may not know is that, prior to his termination, we’d planned to offer Aiden a promotion as well.”

My chest is about to explode from lack of oxygen. Good thing that douchebag isn’t in the room right now, because I really would tear out his eyeballs with my bare hands.

To my surprise, Nora scoffs. “Of course he was getting promoted. And of course he didn’t tell us.”

“To be fair, nothing was official,” Paula replies. “With the bank’s recent struggles, so much has been up in the air. But yes, we’d discussed a new position with Aiden at length. He was prepared to accept it should the offer come through.”

“You picked the wrong guy,” I say through clenched teeth.

Paula gives me a look. “I’m not afraid to admit when I make a mistake. Aiden was a mistake. But now, thanks to you two, I believe I have the chance to make it right. We’ll have to work out the logistics with our promotions committee, so nothing is set in stone. But I’ve got two promotions in hand, and there are two of you.”

My head spins. Teeth unclench. Nora squeezes my hand. “That could work,” she says.

Paula smiles. “I think it could work very well. Especially since the two of you are dating, we will most likely have to move someone to a new seat or desk to prevent any conflicts of interest.”

“I’m game,” I say.

Nora smiles at me. “Me too.”

“All right.” Paula rounds the desk. “We’ll have to notify HR and make sure we dot our i’s and cross our t’s. But I appreciate the two of you being upfront about your involvement. I also appreciate your discretion about Aiden. There will be lots of rumors swirling tomorrow, and I trust you won’t add fuel to the fire?”