Now I just have to pretend my heart isn’t still bruised by theway he left.
I open my banking app one more time. Just one more time. And look at that number.
I sigh.
Yep.
Unfortunately, I need this job very, very badly.
Even if it kills me.
7
Marco
The conference room at Fiore Hospitality Group (FHG) HQ has floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the Flatiron. The table could seat twelve but today it’s just the five of us. Elena Park, my general counsel, sits to my right, her briefcase already open, documents arranged in that precise way of hers. Rahul, my CFO, is on speakerphone from finance. And Amara Khan, Jess’s attorney, sits across from Elena looking like she came prepared for war.
And then there’s Jess herself.
Jess.
She sits at the far end of the table, hair pulled back into some kind of knot thing that exposes the line of her neck. Professional. Buttoned up. A fitted blazer that doesn’t quite hide the sexy curves underneath. The kind of curves I remember gripping while she rode me. She seems a far cry from the woman who came apart on my cock two nights ago, shaking and incoherent and so fucking responsive I can still feel her clenching around me.
Fuuuuuuuck.
Don’t go there.
I lean back in my chair and fold my hands on the table. Neutral. Controlled. This is business. Just business.
I need a nanny.
She needs work.
The fact that I can still taste her is irrelevant.
“Thank you for coming,” I say, doing my best to keep my voice even. “I appreciate you taking the time.”
Jess meets my eyes for exactly one second before looking down at her notebook. Her exposed throat works when she swallows. I watch it happen and think about how that neck felt under my mouth. How she tilted her head back to give me more access. How she...
Stop.
She’s nervous. Good. So am I, though I’d chew off my own hand before admitting it out loud.
“Before we start,” Jess says, voice steadier than I expected, “I have some non-negotiables.”
Elena’s eyebrow twitches. Barely noticeable unless you know her. I know her. She wasn’t expecting this.
Neither was I.
Then again, given the presence of Amara, perhaps I should have.
I gesture for Jess to continue. My pulse kicks up a notch but I keep my face blank.
“Live out only,” Jess says, reading from her notes. No hesitation. “I go home every night. My space stays mine.”
I nod. “Agreed.”
That was already in my draft contract. Elena and I spent two hours yesterday building a fortress ofboundaries specifically designed to keep what happened between us from ever happening again. Hearing Jess say the same thing should be a relief.
