Chapter 15

ARIA

That evening, I climb the three sets of stairs to Len’s apartment. He loves to entertain, so we often meet at his apartment after long work weeks.

Fashionably extra, Len has a small but super bougie place with a plug-in fireplace, a glass-top bar cart, and perfectly staged blankets and pillows on thick leather couches.

After hugging him and Katie, I sit down on one of the couches as he hands me a glass of wine. His cat, Earl, jumps up next to me and curls up in a purring ball of fur as I scratch his head.

“A hundred thousand dollars? And you tore it up in front of him?” he asks, doing little to hide his delight at my continued workplace drama.

“Of course, I did. You’re not suggesting I should’ve kept it, are you?”

Len hands Katie a glass and sits down with his own.

“Oh, you better believe I would’ve kept it!” he says as he sits next to Katie, across from Earl and me. “I would’ve said, ‘This will make up for all the shit you’ve been throwing at me,’ then stuffed it in that cleavage of yours.”

I chuckle as Katie furrows her brow.

“No way. That would give Jett way too much power in an already rocky relationship,” Katie says as she tucks her feet up underneath her.

I nod as I sip my wine.

“Exactly. Jett has been torturing me since he came back from London and caught us. Then he suddenly shifted back to sweet after meeting Louise. The guy has more moods than a teenager in puberty,” I say. “Plus, I’m not supposed to be the hire. I can’t accept a hiring bonus.”

“So, you’re really just leaving, then?” Len asks. “You’re training a replacement, and you’ll never see Jett again?”

I lift and lower one shoulder. “I guess so. I hadn’t really thought about it.”

Katie and Len exchange glances before looking back at me.

“Then…how come you look so sad?” Katie asks softly.

I shake my head. “I’m not sad. I will not miss Jett. He’s just another pretty face with nothing going on between the ears,” I say, trying to make the lie as convincing as possible.

The truth is, I’ve thought about how impossible it seems to just return to life as normal after this experience. Jett, for every time he frustrated me in the last three weeks, has also awakened something in me that I can’t seem to ignore any longer.

I can’t stop thinking about his hands on me, carrying me, or even the kiss at the gala. Perhaps I want to convince myself he’s more horrible than he is in order to make things easier on myself. I used to think that being alone was easier than being hurt, but now I’m not so sure.

I snap back to the present, where Katie and Len are talking about Chad and Joel, the guys we met at the bar before going over to Jett’s. They both have plans to see them again, and apparently Marco has asked how to get in touch with me—I politely decline.

The rest of the evening is filled with more wine, gossip, and laughter, but I can’t help but recognize my failed attempts at distraction as Jett’s face constantly pops into my head.

Over the weekend, I try calling Tim back but get his voicemail. I don’t hear from Jett either; I assume he’s hanging out with his mom but am surprised I don’t see a single email from him the entire weekend.

On Monday, Tim texts me and asks when we can talk today. I tell him I have a break between meetings at ten a.m. He says that will work for him, and I find myself curious about the person he’s going to suggest as Jett’s new assistant.

I expect Jett to be cold or angry toward me when we meet, but instead he seems at ease, like a weight has been lifted from him. Maybe it is best that I’m leaving, even though the thought actually saddens me.

He doesn’t mention my notice, and neither do I.

Finally, ten a.m. rolls around, and Tim’s name appears on my phone. I close my office door and pick up.

“Tim! Hi! So good to hear from you,” I say.

“Aria, how are you?”

“Well, looking forward to getting back to the office and DYAD. Have you selected the new hire yet?” I ask with trepidation.

“Yeah, um, we can talk about that in a minute,” he says.

My heart sinks. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”

“Well, I, uh…spoke with Jett on Friday. Actually, we met for drinks,” he says.

“Uh, okay…that’s…why?”

“He made me an offer,” he says, and I can now hear the excitement in his voice.

My head starts to spin.

“But, Tim, I’m not staying here. He knows that. I put my notice in. I’m not the permanent hire,” I say quickly.

“No, Aria, he wants to buy DYAD…as in the entire company.”

“What?!”

“For one hundred million,” he says.

My heart sinks further; it feels like it’s in the bottom of my stomach now.

“Oh my god, Tim—”

“I know, isn’t that amazing?!”

“~No!~ Stop. He’s only doing this to get back at me,” I say.

“What do you mean?”

I’m trying to control my breathing. It feels like someone is sitting on my chest.

“I pissed him off, and now he’s buying the company to get back at me,” I say. I hear the words and realize how crazy they sound.

“Wait, what? What did you do to piss him off?”

~Ugh, right. He doesn’t know.~

“That’s not important. Listen, you can’t take this deal. What about the IPO?”

“Aria, you realize you would make five million dollars on this deal, right? You own five percent of the company,” he says. “I know that’s not enough to retire, but it’s a start.”

“No, Tim, this is a bad idea. Trust me. You don’t want to sell to Jett Abrams.”

“Unless you can give me a really good reason, I have to do this. You understand that, right? We’re about to start IVF so we can have a baby. This money could go a long way for my family. I know you can appreciate that.”

I sigh. “Just give it some time, Tim, that’s all I’m asking. A lot can change.”

“I will hear whatever you have to say, but I will be making my decision in a few days, and right now, I’m almost certainly going to do it,” he says.

I nod. “Okay.”

It’s all I can manage to say.

We say goodbye and hang up. I realize we didn’t even talk about Jett’s new assistant.

My head is swimming, and I plop down in my chair while taking a few deep breaths.

This can’t be real. I mean, why would he do this? Is he seriously spending that kind of money just to fuck with me?

~“I could spend this on dinner and not think twice about it.”~

His own words echo in my head. But this is more than one hundred thousand dollars. A lot more.

I have to talk to him about this. I wanted to wait until I was calmer, but I can’t imagine being any calmer than I am right now.

I get up and power walk to Jett’s office; he’s between meetings at the moment, so he should be alone.

I open the door and stride up to him as he’s sitting at his desk, my demeanor unraveling with every pace forward.

“Jett,” I say as I approach his desk. He looks up at me, a smile on his lips. “You made an offer to buy DYAD? Why? Why are you doing this to me?!”

He folds his arms and tilts his head as he looks at me. “As a simple PA, I hardly see what the matter has to do with you. In fact, I wonder how you’re even aware such a ~private~ discussion took place.”

I bite my lip, knowing I just put my foot in my mouth. Thankfully, he appears to move on.

“But if you must know, DYAD has a unique business model and an impressive track record. I buy companies with potential, then watch them grow. It’s literally my entire business model,” he says.

“So, this has nothing to do with me? With our, er, working relationship?”

He shrugs. “You can continue to work for me directly or for DYAD—it doesn’t matter to me either way.”

“I don’t believe you,” I say with quiet anger. “I’m honestly surprised you have time to do anything besides think up ways to torture me.”

Jett gets up and circles the desk. He gets close to me, close enough that I feel like I have to take a step back. “Oh, Aria…,” he says, reaching out to tug on a loose strand of my hair. “If I wanted to torture you, I would think of much more ~exciting~ ways to do so.”

My heart pounds in my chest. What’s that supposed to mean?

His lips curl up into his signature smirk. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and it makes me want to throttle him.

“I saw an opportunity, and I’m taking it. Is that clear?” he says.

I see his eyes flick down to my lips. His breath fans down my neck. I make an impulsive yet dangerous decision.

“Yes, ~sir~,” I say quietly.

I watch his pupils dilate slightly, the deep pools of black a stark contrast to his gold irises. His smile disappears, and he tilts his head.

“Don’t start playing games that you can’t finish,” he says as he moves an inch closer to me, “VP of operations.”

I flinch. “What did you say?”

“I know you aren’t a PA,” he snarls. “Did you and Tim cook up this little plan to buy yourselves time?”

I hate that he essentially guessed correctly with so little information. Fucker is smart as hell.

“So, that’s it, is it? You really are trying to torture me, all because you suck as a boss and have an insatiable need to drive everyone away who you can’t completely control?”

“You lied,” he growls.

“I did not. I never lied to you,” I say. “But you have purposely and vindictively made my life a living hell for what? Because you’re a bored little rich boy?”

His jaw tenses as he backs me against his office wall.

“I can’t wait ’til I’m away from you for good,” I continue. “You’re the most entitled, self-centered prick I’ve ever met.”

I watch his calm exterior break in front of my eyes. He grabs my chin hard; his fingers dig into my skin as his body is inches from mine. The wall to my back makes it impossible to distance myself. He puts his lips on my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

“If you were mine, I’d teach you a thing or two about keeping your pretty little mouth in check,” he growls.

My insides squirm. Anger bubbles up in my chest, but I also can’t help but notice how hard his body is and how fast my heart is beating since he closed the distance between us. I clench my teeth. My body curves into his, craving more contact. I hate that he has this effect on me.

“You’d be so lucky,” I spit back at him, refusing to back down.

He pulls back, and his eyebrows go up.

“Would I? And if I touch your panties right now, will they be wet?” An evil smile tugs at his lips. I hate that smirk; I hate it so fucking much. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me. I already know.”

I try to look away, terrified that my eyes will give me away the way his give him away. He tightens his grip on my chin again, and my eyes lock on his.

“When you are done with this cat-and-mouse bullshit and finally admit how badly you want me, I’m going to eat your pussy like it’s never been eaten before, then I’ll be the last man to ever sink into it. Like it or not, your body is already mine.”

My heart drops.

“What?” It’s the only word I can manage.

“You heard me. I know you want me. I can see it in your eyes. It’s just a matter of time before…” Jett’s eyes glide down my face to my slightly open mouth. His hand releases my chin and gently grabs the back of my neck. His eyes travel farther down to my bare neck and heaving chest. I see his pupils grow again. “…you give in.”

I have to get out of here, or I won’t be able to stop myself, my willpower becoming more fragile by the second.

I place my hands on his chest and push him hard. He takes a few steps back, and I power-walk toward the door. I glance back in time to see him narrowing his eyes at me, breathing hard, before I close the door.