Bet On It: An Age Gap Billionaire Office Romance(61)

Her jaw tightened. "It's my job to look out for you. She's a terrible worker, and people are going to wonder about your business sense that you would keep her on simply so you can—"

"Watch yourself."

"It will ruin morale. Everyone here earned their place, and it wasn't by sucking your dick."

I shot up from my chair. "I'm working really hard to remember how organized and dedicated you are to your job, but you're precariously close to being fired." In fact, the only reason I wasn't firing her at this moment was because she probably had a point. Not about Analyn's work ethic, but about the impact our affair could have on the morale of other workers. That tied in with Analyn's concern that they didn't believe she deserved her job.

"I will deal with the issue of Analyn. In the meantime, you are going to stay out of my private life. You're not my mother. You're not my babysitter. You're an administrative assistant, period."

She flinched, but her eyes narrowed even further. She wasn't happy with my response. Well, too bad, because I was the CEO of this company.

She turned brusquely and stalked to the door, slamming it behind her. What the fuck was up with her?

God, how could my life be on the verge of being so good, while actually being so fucked up?

I decided to give up on work and grabbed my coat, heading out of the office. I made my way to the rink where I knew Pierce would be working with the team on their upcoming game.

When I arrived, Pierce was off the ice, watching as the assistant coaches worked with the team on a variety of drills. I stepped up next to him when Bo performed a slapshot that could have possibly decapitated someone.

“Looks like Bo is out for blood."

Pierce looked at me and rolled his eyes. "Please don't tell me you're here to complain about him again. I told him to stay away from Analyn."

I put my hands in my pockets and shook my head. "That's not why I'm here. I just needed to get out of the office.” I inhaled the cool, sweet scent of the ice. Not sweet like a bakery. Sweet as in how it brought back memories of when I was skating, not just for the fun of it, but for the thrill of it, the glory of it.

"So, you're alright with that little stunt they're pulling off?"

I cocked my head. "You knew it was fake?"

"Well, when I threatened to kick his ass and suspend him for the next three games, he told me what he was doing. Like all his other antics, it was stupid, but at least it wasn't going to get him arrested or hurt. Unless, of course, you're going to kick his ass."

I stared at him in shock. "And you didn't bother to tell me?"

He shrugged. "When you didn't show up to beat him up, I figured either you knew or you and Analyn were done."

I looked back over the ice. "I don't know what we are. But I know that I love her."

When Pierce didn't say anything, I turned my head to find him gaping at me.

"No shit? Like head over heels and a trip to the chapel type of love?"

I nodded, even though I was terrified of admitting it. "The thing is, while Analyn was willing to admit there was more than sex between us, I don't believe she loves me back. In fact, she still says the reason we can't be together is because I'm her boss."

"So fire her. Problem solved."

I gave him a hard stare. "I can't fire her. First of all, that is sexist. Second, I'm not so sure she'd see her newfound unemployment as an opportunity to fall for me. If that were the case, she'd quit."

Pierce scratched the back of his head. "So yeah, I guess she just isn't as into you as you are into her."

I turned back to the ice, not liking that answer. There had to be a way to work through this, but I'd be damned if I could figure it out.

"That's not the only shit I'm having to deal with. Paradise Limited is threatening a hostile takeover of my company."

"Jesus. That’s one group of people you don't want to piss off. Why your company?"

“They've been pitching a partnership. For the most part, I’ve been blowing them off, and they're not happy about it. They even approached Analyn asking her to give me a message."

Pierce shook his head when something caught his eye on the ice. "Watch yourself, Lassiter. You had way too many fouls in your last game."

He turned back to me. "I suppose I'm not surprised to hear they're trying to get a company like yours. Rumor has it, they're looking into getting involved in teams as well."

"What do you mean? Like owning them?"

"What better way to control the outcome of the game than to have control over the players?"

It was my turn to gape. "Surely, a purchase like that by them would be investigated and prevented."

Pierce shrugged again. "These guys are shrewd and ruthless. They’re looking at the Buckaroos here in Nevada. And they might get it because that owner is eager to sell."

The Buckaroos was the minor league hockey team here. Betting on minor league teams wasn't the same as the majors, but many sports organizations pulled players up from the minors. Even in hockey.

"We should buy it."

"What?" Pierce asked.

The words had left my mouth before I had fully formed the thought, but now that they were out, a spark of excitement burned deep in my gut. "We should buy the Buckaroos."