Bet On It: An Age Gap Billionaire Office Romance(49)

Determined to prove to them all that I deserved to be here, I went to work. If I had information I needed to convey to my team, or to Clive, I used email and made sure I stayed professional.

As noon came around, I needed a break. I didn't think I could eat because my stomach still roiled from what Reed had said to me this morning, but I needed to get out. I grabbed my purse and my coat and left the building, taking a walk, inhaling the cool winter air. Maybe this was just all a nightmare, and I would wake up. If that was the case, I'd heed it as a warning to do better at avoiding being alone with Reed and risking temptation.

But of course, it wasn't a nightmare. At least not the kind that came during sleep. This was a waking nightmare. This was my reality.

I ducked into a café, ordering a cup of tea thinking that was probably the only thing I'd be able to keep down. I sat at a table near the window and mindlessly watched the goings-on outside.

When my phone rang, my first inclination was to ignore it. But if it was work, I needed to answer it, if only to prove that I was a professional. Hell, for all I knew, it was Catherine calling me to tell me to empty out my desk because I was fired.

I pulled the phone from my purse and the caller ID said Hat Trick. It took me a moment, but then I realized it must be Bo.

"Hello?"

"Analyn. It's Bo."

I was going to ask him how he got my number, but I supposed it was the same way he had gotten my address. "Hi, Bo."

"Listen, I don't mean to pressure you, but I'm wondering if you've thought about my request?"

To be honest, I'd put it out of my mind. I had more pressing things to think about.

"Whether you have or not, I wanted to invite you out as a friend. Maybe if we spent some time together, it would be easier for you to decide. You could see I’m not really a lunatic. It would be a friendly outing. I promise."

I couldn't see him, but his affability and charm came over the line. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, that's a surprise. "

I wasn't really in the mood for outings or surprises, but at the same time, a distraction would be good. I needed to get my life together. That meant focusing on my job and making a life away from my job. Away from Reed. "When?"

"How about tonight? I'll pick you up at about seven?"

What the hell. "Okay."

"Dress casual and warm."



When I returned to work, I kept my head down and my focus on the job. Every now and then, I’d look up and catch one of my team or someone from the marketing department looking over my way. I couldn’t read their expressions. Was it confusion? Concern? Guilt?

If they’d been unhappy with my work or attitude, why hadn’t they said anything? Maybe it was because I was their supervisor. But Clive, who I reported to, could have said something.

Somehow, they thought that I believed I was special. Was it because I was caught making googly eyes at Reed? I thought only Catherine had caught me doing that, but she didn’t have input on my performance review, did she?

They probably were just curious about how I took my performance review. This was how. By hiding in my office. God, I was pathetic.

After work, I had to go home, which was my other source of stress. I expected to show up to find Betts knee-deep in wedding plans. But when I got there, she was gone. She left a note saying that she was out with Paul. God, I wondered what sort of lies and promises he didn’t plan to keep that he was feeding her? Why hadn’t I told her yet what an asshole he was?

How did my life get so out of hand? I pushed it all away and instead prepared for my evening with Bo. I took a shower and then put on a pair of black jeans and a white long-sleeved T-shirt with a red V-neck sweater over it. This outfit was casual and warm, right?

Bo arrived promptly at seven, wearing jeans and a beige Henley with a plaid flannel shirt over it.

He gave me his signature grin. "You look perfect. Are you ready?"

"I think so. I might know for sure if I knew what we were doing."

He held his arm out toward his car. "Your chariot awaits."

As we drove toward the strip, he asked about my day. Knowing he had a connection to Reed, I kept it vague, saying it was stressful, but I focused on the job.

“Did you always want to do marketing?” he asked as he pulled into a casino parking lot.

“I don’t know about always. By the time I went to college, I knew marketing was a skill that was in need no matter the economy.”

“Good thinking.”

“What about you? I guess you always wanted to be a hockey player.”

He grinned as he pulled up to a valet booth. “Ever since I put on my first pair of skates.”

“What will you do when your skating days are over?”

“Who knows? I’m not the smartest guy around, but I’m smart enough to invest well, so I don’t have to worry too much once I have to retire.”

“Smart.”

We stepped out of the car. Bo put his hand on my lower back and guided me around the hotel and to an outdoor skating rink.

“Have you ever ice skated?” he asked.

"I have never skated in my life."

He looked at me, his jaw dropped and his eyes round in an exaggerated look of surprise. "How is that possible? You're from Chicago. It's cold there. They have a hockey team there. How is it you made it this far and never skated?"