Page 26 of The Boss

Matthew raises one brow. "Are you sure? You might want to take that back."

I give him the fakest full-teeth smile I can muster. "You can't threaten me. I haven't actually accepted your job offer yet. You need to butter me up first."

"She's right, brother." Levi heads for the door. He pauses with his hand on the handle and jabs a finger at Matthew. "Don't mess this up."

"I won't."

"Or Angela and I will come for you."

"Is that a threat?"

"Oh, absolutely."

The door closes behind him, and suddenly, the office feels much smaller, the air charged and thick between us. Matthew hasn't moved from behind the desk, but his hands are perfectly still on the surface, which is wrong. Matthew is never still. He's always moving something—a pen, his phone, his coffee mug.

The stillness makes my chest tight. It's like coming home and finding that your favorite framed photo is missing. One empty space and the room is not the same.

"So," I say, looking back at the folder. "Executive assistant to the CEO."

"Yes."

"In New York."

"Yes."

"Working for you."

"Directly for me, yes."

I flip through the pages. Salary, benefits, job description, relocation assistance. It's all real. It's all legitimate. The numbers make sense, the responsibilities match my experience, the package is generous but not insane.

"When would I start?"

"Two weeks. There's an apartment available in the corporate housing building if you want it. Or we can help you find something else."

"Corporate housing." I look up at him. "Do you live there?"

"No."

Yup. There definitely is something off. My Spidey-senses are tingling. "The numbers and benefits are the things I used to dream about. Anyone would be crazy to turn this offer down."

His jaw tightens slightly. "That's the idea."

I stand and run my palms over my skirt, his gaze following my movement. "Let me ask you, Matthew, because I always expect you to give it to me straight. Is this a job offer, or are you asking me something else?"

Matthew doesn't answer immediately, and in that pause, I understand. The salary, the corner office, the relocation package—it's all real, but it's not why he put this together. The job offer is a bridge, and he's standing on one side hoping I'll cross over to the other.

"I spent the entire night making sure it would be hard for you to say no."

I lean my hip on the side of his desk, but he doesn't meet my eyes. "That doesn't answer my question."

Matthew takes a deep breath, and exhales through his mouth before meeting my eyes. "Fine. I couldn't figure out how to just ask you to stay by my side."

"Matthew."

"I get on a plane in two days, and I haven't been able to think about anything except whether you'll be on it with me. If I just ask you to come with me, that would be absolutely selfish of me. You'd be leaving everything, including your friends, including a boss you've had great rapport with, a familiar environment, a familiar everything." He stands to his full height and finally faces me. "I wanted you to be able to say yes without feeling like it's too much of a risk."

"You could have just asked me and then offered the job."