Bet On It: An Age Gap Billionaire Office Romance(34)

"Sure. A lot of people out there eat too many cookies. The point is, at some point, individuals are responsible for themselves."

I nodded.

"Life doesn't always go as you plan. You have to take what life serves you and do the best you can with it."

Was that what his proposal was about last night? Taking this lust and making the best of it until it burned out?

"Is that what you did?" I cut my pancakes and took a bite. They were really good. I wondered if he made them from scratch. I also wondered where he’d learned to cook. Had his mother taught him? Another woman?

"I suppose I did. I would've liked to have played hockey a little bit longer, but the universe had other plans. That's when I decided to start my business. I've been very fortunate."

It was an interesting comment. He was talking about taking responsibility for his life, but then he suggested that luck had something to do with his success. "Do you think it's luck or hard work?"

"There's definitely hard work. But a lot of the time, when you make a choice to do something, you don't know if the hard work is going to pay off. There’s a little faith and luck thrown in the mix when you make a big change in your life."

I took a sip of the coffee and then reached over to pour a little bit more milk into it. He was right. It was dark.

"What about you? Do you feel that making the move here was a good one?"

His mannerisms were nonchalant, but I swear I could hear concern that I might regret moving to Las Vegas and taking the job.

"No. I needed something different, and coming to Las Vegas has provided that. Of course, life is filled with challenges. I slept with my boss."

He let out a snort.

"I've also discovered that my best friend’s boyfriend is a cheating douchebag. But if I hadn’t moved here, I wouldn't know that about him. Since I'm going to tell her about him, and hopefully, she'll believe me and not marry him, my moving here will have saved her from a bad marriage."

He took a sip of his coffee, setting it down, his eyes piercing as they looked at me. "And sleeping with your boss? Have you thought about my proposal from last night?"

This conversation had been going so well, so easily, but with that question, it changed.

"It's not a good idea, Reed." It was a terrible idea. It wasn’t that I didn't want to do it. It was that the risk to me was too great. He had very little at risk. He’d be considered a cliché. Maybe he’d have concerns about a sexual harassment lawsuit, but considering I jumped him, twice, it wasn’t something he’d be worried about.

"I respect your position, Analyn. I really do. And I don't want to do anything that would result in anyone at the office thinking you didn't earn your job."

"Thank you."

"But I think it's clear that despite our best efforts, we are unable to keep our hands off each other. And quite frankly, I don't want to ignore this. I want to spend time with you. Two times, the desire was out of control, and we succumbed. So maybe a better option would be for us to stop trying to resist it and instead control it."

I understood what he was saying. Theoretically, it made sense. But it still put me at risk. We could act like total strangers at work, but maybe somebody would see me here at his house, and they’d tell somebody, who’d tell somebody else.

According to the six degrees of separation theory, it would only be a matter of time before it got back to work. And then where would I be?

I didn't want to work at a place in which my staff and my colleagues questioned how I got the job. And judging by the way Catherine hovered around Reed, and of course her earlier warning to stay away from him, she would make my job difficult. I didn't need people looking down at me and creating a hostile workplace.

Especially just for sex.

If there was a possibility that there could be something more, then I might have considered it. I loved my job, but I wanted a home and a family someday too.

If I found a man I could love deeply, I might make compromises with my job. But it was clear that Reed was not that man for me.

Yes, we had great sex. Yes, we got along well. But we lived in two different worlds. For him, I was just an interesting escape from a life that had become boring for him. But how long would it be before the novelty wore off? No, an affair with the boss was too big of a risk.

"I'm sorry, Reed. I just can't decide right now. Especially since I need to deal with Betts and her cheating fiancé." It would be too much to manage both situations. I needed to focus on my best friend and save her from a disastrous marriage.

He was quiet for a moment, but then he nodded. "I understand. Is there anything I can help you with regarding your friend?"

Couldn't imagine how. "No, thank you. You've been more than generous to me. You must think I'm ungrateful to show up on your doorstep in the middle of the night and then be unwilling to participate in your proposal."

He shook his head. "Not at all. One really has nothing to do with the other. I hope that anytime you feel like you need something, you will come to me. No strings. No expectations."

Looking at him, I knew he was sincere. He was a sweet and kind man.

He picked up his coffee mug, bringing it up to his lips but not taking a drink yet. "Of course, if you touch or kiss me, all bets are off. My ability to resist you only goes so far."