Bet On It: An Age Gap Billionaire Office Romance(18)

She lifted the envelope. "What's in the envelope?"

I glanced at the envelope, confused. "I don't know." Why would she think I knew what the envelope contained?

Catherine set the envelope in front of me on the desk. She studied me in a way that made me want to squirm, but I did my best not to.

"Mr. Hampton canceled an important conference call on Thursday night without any notice."

I thought back to Thursday night. That was the day of my interview, and that evening, Reed had called asking him to meet him. He’d offered me this job.

"And then the next day, he told me that you were hired. That was after he was adamant that he couldn't hire you. I'm wondering if there's some sort of correlation between those facts."

Ah. I could see why she was suspicious. My belly fluttered with nerves. She struck me as the type of woman who could read minds. She’d be able to ferret out my history with Reed if I didn’t do better to hide it.

I ignored the part about his being adamant that he couldn’t hire me. I knew why. It was for the same reason I didn’t think I should take the job. Or close to it. But I wasn't about to tell this admin my history with Reed, including having met with him on Thursday evening. If he didn't tell her about it, it seemed like he didn't want her to know.

I shrugged. "I don't know what it means."

Catherine continued to study me, and then her gaze moved to the envelope. I got the feeling she wanted me to open it in front of her. She wanted to know what was inside. The fact that she didn't know told me she didn’t put it together for him. I had to assume he didn’t want her to know.

I picked the envelope up and stuck it into the top drawer of my desk. "I'll be sure to check it over later. Right now, I want to review the data on all social media campaigns over the last ninety days."

Catherine frowned, but just as quickly, her expression changed, going back to the professional fa?ade she wore. "I hope you're settling in."

I nodded. "I am. I'm really excited about the work I'm going to be able to do here with the marketing team."

I fully expected her to turn and leave, but she continued to stare at me from the front of my desk.

Finally, she said, "Mr. Hampton is a very good boss. And I know I don’t have to tell you that he is a very rich and handsome man."

I worked to keep my face impassive and wondered if maybe she’d give me lessons on how to pull it off.

"You wouldn't be the first woman to set her sights on him. But any interest you have in him personally will be in vain. We are all professionals, and so there is no fraternization here—"

I shook my head. "I'm not setting my sights on Mr. Hampton." Well, maybe in my dreams, but not in reality.

She didn't look convinced. "I like to let all the new hires know the situation. He’s off limits."

I got a weird vibe from her comment. Like he was off limits because he was taken.

Had she set her sights on him?

Maybe I should read the HR manual to find out if there really was a policy of nonfraternization. Then again, what would it matter if she wanted him? It didn’t make any difference to me.

Liar.

"I don't blame you for being attracted to him. But you need to know that nothing will come of it." She turned and left my office, shutting the door behind her.

"Have you told him that?" I said when I knew she was out of earshot.

I hated that I had gotten caught staring at him. I wondered if she'd tell him about it, and what would he think? Would he like the idea that I was watching him? Would he worry that I was going to try and win the bet by seducing him so I could get my pay doubled?

I pulled the top drawer of my desk open, taking out the envelope. I studied it, wondering what the heck it was. Was it related to work? It seemed like if it was, Catherine would know what was in it.

I turned it over to open it but worried that she might come in again, so I shoved it into my purse and headed to the restroom. Once I was in the bathroom stall, I opened the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper with the official company letterhead on it. On it was a handwritten message:

You are cordially invited to a victory party, one year from today, to celebrate my winning the bet.

My lips twitched upward. Below his signature, he’d written his home address, as if adding an extra little dig at me.

My first thought was, we’ll see about that. But then I shook my head realizing what I was thinking. My goal was to be seen as a professional. If he lost the bet by our having sex again, I’d risk my reputation.

Certainly, Catherine would judge me as a gold digger or someone trying to get perks by sleeping with the boss.

No, I needed to support him and his goal of winning the bet.

I put the paper back in the envelope, allowing myself to feel the disappointment that he would have to win the bet for me to maintain the respect I wanted in the workplace.

But then I thought of his large hands on my body. What a shame that we wouldn’t be together like that again.

I put the envelope in my purse and exited the bathroom, going back to work. It was time to focus on the job, not my boss. I didn't know what I was getting myself into, but I knew I wanted this to work out. So, as I sat at my desk to get started on analyzing the social media data, I marked my calendar one year from now to attend Reed’s party as the cleanup crew.