“Did you hit on her, Liam? I can’t protect you if I don’t know what’s going on.”
Goddammit. It was like trying to work with an AI chatbot who had access to your entire life’s data and no compunction about using it against you.
The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben came into view on the right, towering along the north bank of the Thames. Hordes of tourists clogged the pavements, red double-deckers and black cabs jamming the roads.
“Nothing’sgoing on.” I paused. Probably best if I just came clean. “But—”
Bonnie’s head snapped toward me.
“I do need to give you one small update.” I kept my voice deliberately light.
She folded her arms, looking about as threatening as anyone could in a woolly hat. “I see.”
“We may have had some interactions that could be construed as”—I searched for words that wouldn’t create a nuclear reaction—“more friendly than professional.”
She nodded stiffly, her lips pursed. “Friendly. Of course.”
I paused. “And—”
“Oh God, what else?”
“After the lift fell—” How was I going to make this sound okay? “I did something that, on reflection, might not beconsidered… standard, between an employer and a member of staff.”
Bonnie looked at me sternly. It was incredible how I could be driving an Aston Martin along one of the most iconic routes in the world—my own Aston Martin, no less—and still feel like a schoolboy who’d forgotten his homework. I took another deep breath. So did she.
“Well,” she said. “I suppose you’d better tell me.”
*
Borough High Street carried us toward London Bridge. Less than five minutes to Novexia now. I’d told her everything. It hadn’t been easy, but somehow, I’d calmed Bonnie down.
“Liam,” she said. “We can’t be complacent. UK employment laws are very favorable to staff, and things get dicey during an acquisition.” She sniffed. The wind had destroyed her hair, and her pink nose was pink and leaking. It certainly took the edge off her frostbite-in-heels vibe. Now she looked like she might actually have frostbite.
“We have to handle this extremely cautiously. The last thing we need is a constructive dismissal situation.”
“Andrea’s not like that.” Our connection had been real. I was sure of it. I wanted to see her again, no matter what Bonnie said. I just wished it could be without all thebillionaire Wilhelm von Rothbullshit. But we could never go back to the elevator. It was just a bubble in time that had popped.
“Everyone’slike thatwhen money’s involved.” Bonnie looked at me like I was a moron. “Be realistic. Or have you forgotten all the issues I’ve cleaned up for you in the past?”
The DB5’s engine rumbled as I eased past an old brick warehouse. Office workers in lanyards hovered outsideglass-fronted cafés, sipping steaming coffee and squinting in the sun.
Waseveryone like that? I hated to think she might be right. Once women found out who I was—well. I’d been burnt once or twice. It was almost impossible to tell until it was too late.
But… fuck. That was hard to swallow.
“Speaking of.” I changed the subject. “I still need to get in front of Hugo.”
Bonnie switched into operational gear. “Yes, I haven’t forgotten. I thought we could arrange for you to bump into him at an event, accidentally. I’ll have Claire send his EA some cupcakes.”
For a woman with the heart of Lex Luthor, Bonnie could be surprisingly thoughtful. Odd how it only leaked out in snippets. I wondered if she curated special Christmas tree decorations, each with their own individual meaning.
“Very cute,” I said. “Are you sure you’re not a frustrated primary school teacher?”
She gave me a look that would have withered Wolverine’s balls. The stone-cold legal killer was back.
“Liam, you know who Hugo is.”
I did. Hugo Stewart was the Minister for Health and Emergency Services.
