The Two Week Arrangement (Penthouse Affair, #1) novel Chapter 17

Presley

I can barely focus on the path back to my desk. My knees are still shaking, my cheeks burn, my lips are still tingling from that kiss. The revelation that Dominic is attracted to me is mind-blowing enough, let alone the idea of pretending we’re a couple.

I sit down, open the report I was in the middle of reviewing, and stare at it blankly without absorbing a single word. Instead a rush of thoughts crowd my head. Michael fretting over his school fees. The nerves that twist inside me every time I think about how in the world I’ll support both him and I. Then there’s everything I could learn about business from observing Dominic and Roger’s negotiations. The chance to affect such a significant deal. The possibility of having Dominic’s touch, those strong hands and full lips on me again. . . even if it's not written in the contract

I shake my head, uncomfortably warm all over. Am I seriously considering this? No, I can’t. Can I?

I’d be lying to an investor. I mean, we wouldn’t lie about Aspen’s actual business metrics. We’d just be making Dominic look like the kind of stable, mature guy who has a steady girlfriend. It’s more of a . . . storytelling technique. Creative advertising. It’s done in business models all across the world, the marketing strategies and branding that close deals.

No, that’s nonsense—a lie is a lie. On top of that, it would be incredibly unprofessional and inappropriate. I can let myself crash one business dinner, but spending two weeks with the CEO outside of work hours would be unfair to the other interns.

And if we got caught, it wouldn’t matter that our relationship was fake. It would look real enough to land us both in deep shit and possibly drag Aspen Hotels’ name through the mud. The HR department would freak out, and the PR crisis would be even worse.

My heart is thudding so hard, I’m almost breathless. I flatten my palms against the cool surface of my desk and take a much needed deep breath.

That’s when my thoughts take another turn. If we pull this off, everyone will benefit. Me, Michael, Dominic, the entire company. And the idea of spending more time with Dominic is so tempting, for reasons that have nothing to do with what I could learn and everything to do with my attraction to him.

My increasingly tangled thoughts are interrupted when Jordan comes bounding up to my cubicle.

“Hey, Presley. Oliver said our proposal looks great, but some new info came in from the construction company and he wants us to revise our estimate.”

“What?” Crap, I didn’t process a single word he just said. It’s no use—my brain is too full right now. I swivel around to face him. “Sorry, can you repeat that?”

He cocks his head at me. “Is something wrong? You look pale.”

“Uh . . . no, I’m just tired,” I lie.

He blows a loud sigh of sympathy through his lips. “Monday mornings, am I right? You want to come grab some coffee while we talk? I was thinking of going to the cafeteria anyway.”

“That sounds great, actually.” I push out my chair. “Maybe my blood sugar is low.”

He flashes me a pleased grin. “There ya go. Snacks solve everything.”

Despite my thoughts buzzing around inside my head, I have to chuckle. Seems the absentminded frat bro has an unexpected mother hen side.

In the cafeteria, I take a giant cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin for good measure.