Bet On It: An Age Gap Billionaire Office Romance(45)

You are an intelligent and shrewd businessman, Reed, and so we know you will recognize an offer that you cannot refuse.

I look forward to doing business with you.

Gino



Because I was intelligent and shrewd, I recognized that this note was a threat. Oh, it wouldn’t stand up as such in court, but I understood what Gino is getting at. It appeared that there was no swatting him away like an annoying gnat. I was going to have to deal with him head on. Knowing that Paradise Limited had ties to organized crime, I'd have to be careful how I did it, lest I ended up at the bottom of Lake Mead wearing cement shoes.

But at the moment, I didn't want to deal with it. I tossed the note onto the table next to the door, then headed down the hall to my bedroom.

I stripped to my boxer briefs and climbed into bed, letting out a sigh as I thought about the hot mess my life had become. Before Analyn came into my life, work was boring. Mostly, I went through the motions of my day, with occasional enjoyment by going to a hockey game or maybe mountain biking with Pierce. With Analyn in my life, there were moments that were fulfilling, exciting, promising, and then, like a balloon, it would pop, and I was left feeling like shit.

Before, my life was missing something, but with Analyn’s on again, off again behavior, I was beginning to wonder if maybe the emptiness of my life before was a better way to live.





24





Analyn





Thank God it was the weekend. I didn't have to think about seeing Reed at work since I was off today. While I was having drinks with Bo last night, he showed me how we were already on social media and people were questioning who I was, insinuating that I was his girlfriend, or at the very least, a hookup for the night.

While I was glad that it would put any question about my relationship with Reed to rest, it felt uncomfortable.

Nothing happened with Bo. Nothing would. The sparks weren’t there. I enjoyed his company, but I didn’t feel the same sort of pull I did toward Reed. Bo was a gentleman, even if he could be a little immature. He didn’t try anything with me. We’d just had a nice, friendly evening. Even so, I couldn’t help feeling that I’d betrayed Reed.

But being home had its problems as well. Primarily, I still hadn't told Betts what Paul had done. And now I was sitting with her at the kitchen table as she went through the Internet looking at dresses. She was just as giddy as she had been the night of the engagement. I sat next to her, smiling and giving my input to the dresses that she pointed out, all the while trying to find an opening to tell her that her fiancé was a cheating jerk.

"I don't know, Analyn. I really love this ivory and lace old-fashioned style. Isn't that gorgeous?"

My eyes were on the dress, but my mind was trying to find the courage to close the laptop and tell her to toss Paul to the curb. "It's beautiful."

"But look at this mermaid style one. I love it. Although I don't know if I could pull that off. Are my hips too big?"

"I think you should wear whatever makes you feel—"

"I know. Confident." She grinned at me.

I smiled, even though on the inside, I was feeling sick. "I was going to say beautiful, but yes, confident too. It’s your big day. You need to do whatever you need to do to feel like the precious bride you are."

"Aww, Analyn. You're so sweet." She put her arm around me and tugged me close. "You're the best friend ever."

Not exactly. It was time for me to tell her. "Betts, there's something—"

A knock at the door interrupted me.

"I'm not expecting Paul right now. How about you? Do you have a secret lover I don't know about?" Betts said.

“No.” I stood and headed to the door so she couldn't see in my expression how right she was. But I doubted Reed would be at the door. Not with the way I left him last night. Not after going out with Bo. Unless, of course, he was here to tell me I was fired for leading him on.

I opened the door to find Bo on the doorstep. "Bo?"

He gave me his signature affable smile. "Hey, Analyn. I'm sorry to drop in like this. I had my publicist track down your address. I had a lot of fun last night and I got to thinking. I have a proposition for you."

He had to be kidding me. If I were another kind of woman, it might be a boost to my ego to have two men offering me propositions. But I wasn't that type of woman, so I was mostly annoyed.

"I enjoyed our drinks too, but I'm not looking for anything—"

He waved his hand. "I don't mean that type of proposition." He laughed. "I know that because of my antics, I have a crazy reputation, but I promise you, I'm not suggesting anything untoward."

I was sort of surprised he would use a word like untoward. Bo didn't come off as the sharpest tool in the shed, although there was a part of me that wondered if his aw-shucks country boy persona was a cover. There were a few times during drinks where there seemed to be more to him.

I opened the door to let him in. "Can I get you something to drink or something?"

He shook his head. "I won't stay for long. The thing is, Analyn, my behavior plays well for the press. While my coach doesn't love it, the owners and managers not only tolerate it, but they encourage it a little bit because it brings in fans."