I settle onto the stool next to him, studying his profile.His jaw is tight, his shoulders tense, and there’s something almost vulnerable about the way he’s gripping his glass.
“So,” I say carefully, “Marina seems...nice.”
He lets out a harsh laugh.“Nice.Right.”He downs half his whiskey in one gulp.“She’s a lot of things.Nice isn’t one of them.”
The bartender sets my drink in front of me, and I take a tentative sip, wincing at the burn.“Bad breakup?”
“The worst.”He turns to face me, and there’s something raw in his expression that catches me off guard.“You know what?Forget Marina.Forget the meeting.Forget all of it.”He raises his glass.“Here’s to payback, Princess.You got me good today.”
I clink my glass against his and take a sip, surprised by his admission.“You’re not angry?”
“Oh, I’m furious,” he says, but there’s almost a smile playing at his lips.“But I’m also impressed.That was a hell of a move, locking me in that room.”
The whiskey is starting to warm my chest, and I find myself relaxing slightly.“You deserved it.”
“Probably.”He signals for another round and leans closer, close enough that I can smell his cologne mixed with the whiskey on his breath.“But now I owe you one, and I always pay my debts.”
“You know what your problem was in college?”I lean back against the sticky bar counter, two glasses of whiskeys deep and feeling bolder than I should be.“You were a fucking playboy.”
Caleb snorts, signaling the bartender for another round.“And you were stuck-up as hell, walking around like you were better than everyone else.”
“I was focused on my studies, not chasing every skirt on campus like you were.”
“Chasing every skirt?”He turns to face me fully, his blue eyes narrowing.“I dated maybe three women during our entire senior year.”
“Three that I knew about.”I take another sip.“You kept up that whole playboy image, acting like you didn’t have a care in the world beyond your next date.”
His mouth opens, then closes.“How the hell do you remember all of this?”
“Because unlike you, I paid attention to my competition.”The alcohol is loosening my tongue, making me say things I’d normally keep locked away.“You made it look so effortless—showing up to class barely prepared, charming your way through presentations, still managing to ace everything.”
Something flickers in his eyes.Surprise, maybe even approval.“You were watching me pretty closely for someone who claimed to hate me.”
“I was watching mycompetition.”The words come out sharper than I intended.“Had to know what I was up against.”
“Competition.”He sidles closer, close enough that I can feel his warm breath on my face.“I thought I wasn’t worth your time.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”I demand, my pulse quickening as he invades my space.
“I asked you out once,” he says, his voice dropping lower.“Remember?Junior year, after that group presentation on market segmentation.You told me you didn’t date frat boys who were more focused on getting off than on their studies.”
I blink, trying to search through my memories, but nothing comes up.“I don’t remember that.”
“Of course you don’t.”His laugh is mocking.“Because dismissing me was so easy for you.You’ve always judged me, Eve.From day one.”
“That’s not true.”The denial comes out automatically.
“Bullshit.”His eyes never leave mine.“It is true.You took one look at me and decided exactly who I was.Rich-boy, playboy, not worth your precious time.”
“You didn’t exactly make it hard,” I shoot back.“You had a new girl on your arm every other week.”
“It’s not my fault girls liked me,” he says with a shrug.
I let out a sharp laugh.“Listen to yourself.Your arrogance is absolutely astounding.”
He leans forward, sneering.“The truth is I was smarter than you, and I proved it, and you can’t bear to be proven wrong.That’s why you didn’t get the Morrison internship.”
I scowl at him.“That’s not why!”
