Bet On It: An Age Gap Billionaire Office Romance(12)

Betts’s head appeared from around the corner, her eyes wide. She mouthed, "Is that him?"

I nodded.

Her eyes glinted as she hurried back into the living room and sat on the couch to watch whatever was about to unfold.

"I was hoping that we could meet to discuss the position," Reed said.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at it like that would tell me what the heck was going on. He'd been really disagreeable during my interview, so why was he calling me to talk about the position? "It seemed clear today that I wasn't going to be the right fit."

"The interview ended abruptly, so I would like to have the chance to meet with you again." He rattled off an address. "I'd appreciate it if you would meet with me."

Betts was nodding and making all sorts of gestures telling me I needed to agree to meet him.

"Please," he finished.

I'd be a liar if I wasn't intrigued, even if I was uncertain. "All right. I'll need a half-hour or so." I definitely wasn't dressed for a job interview.

"I'll meet you there in an hour."

The call ended, and I wondered about the address that he'd given me. It wasn't his office building. He wasn't inviting me to his home, was he?

I set the phone down and looked at Betts.

"Well?" Excitement shone on her face.

"I guess I'm going to meet him at this address." I rose from the couch and headed to my bedroom.

Betts trotted along behind me. "Is it about the job, or does he want a date?”

“It’s about the job.” I flung open my closet. “I don't know what to wear.” I wasn't going to put on the outfit I wore this afternoon, partly because it was wrinkled and partly because I didn't want to look too eager for the job. I started rummaging through my closet.

"If he wants to hire you, are you going to take the job? Would you be able to work with the guy without thinking of mind-blowing orgasms?"

The words were teasing, and at the same time, it was a reminder of why this might not be a good idea.

I stopped as a new idea came to me. "You don't think he's doing this just so he can sleep with me again, do you?" I looked at her over my shoulder.

She shrugged. "With men, it's hard to know." She shook her head. "I think it goes without saying that men would like to have sex, but maybe because the interview went badly, he wants to do it again, either to give you a chance or maybe because he knows he was a jerk."

"I suppose you're right. But I want to get the job on my own merits, not because I slept with him."

Betts sat down on the edge of my bed. "Absolutely. Integrity is everything. If he does make some sort of rude proposition, just leave. But if he's on the up and up, if he's the kind of guy you thought he was a month ago, maybe he's just trying to do the right thing, in which case this is the perfect job for you. I know you're thinking that maybe this move wasn’t a good idea and you should go back to Chicago, but I want you to stay. So if this job turns out, then you should take it and we can be best friends here together."

I slipped out of my sweats and T-shirt and settled on a dress. It was casual and yet nice enough to meet with a potential employer. More than that, it was comfortable, which I was going to need when meeting with my potential boss who I just happened to have slept with the month before.

I stood in front of Betts with my arms out. "What do you think?"

She held her hands up, making a square with her thumbs and forefingers as if she were a photographer. "Casual yet confident. Besides, red is a great color on you."

I remembered that I had worn another red dress the night I met Reed, and because of that I second-guessed whether I should wear this one. The one I had on now veered closer to burgundy than red and was more casual and subdued. But still, I didn't want him to think I was expecting to replay the night we had a month before.

"Maybe I should wear the black one instead."

She shook her head. "Nonsense. You like this dress, you feel good in this dress. This is the dress you should wear."

Not liking how much I was overthinking seeing a man I didn't plan to sleep with again or ever work for, I gave her a nod and headed to the bathroom where I combed out my hair. I didn't want to put it up like I had today, but at the same time, leaving it down might be too casual. So I pulled it back into a loose ponytail. I refreshed my makeup just to give me some color.

"Still casual and confident?" I asked Betts.

She nodded. "You're gonna knock him dead."

Putting on my coat and grabbing my purse, I headed out to my car. I poked the address into my phone for directions, and the Golden Oasis popped up on the screen. I hesitated as I realized that was the same club I had met him at a month ago. Why was he having me meet him there? Was he expecting something completely different from a job interview?

I nearly got out of the car, deciding not to go, but ultimately, I started the car and made my way to the club. I needed to put an end to this thing, whatever it was, with Reed. It needed to go back into the past where it had been until I walked into the interview this morning. The best way to do that would be to meet him again and let him know that while I thoroughly enjoyed last month, we couldn't see each other again, personally or professionally.

I parked my car and made my way toward the front of the club, slowing down as I drew closer to the door. This seemed like a bad idea for so many reasons. With a breath to shore up my courage, I opened the door.