Anyway, good luck on the remainder of your press tour.

I’m honestly going to be a bit reluctant to let Penelope go at the end of her contract.

—Leo.

Subject: Re: Utter perfection from Penelope.

In regards to your last line, I need to talk to you about that.

Let me know when you get back in town.

—Ryan

THE PUBLICIST

PENELOPE

I took the elevator up to Ryan’s floor the following Thursday, my legs feeling weaker than ever. It’d taken me days to recover from the way he fucked me, and I was grateful that no one from my team had stopped by the office that night.

I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to look at him and even attempt to act professional after that. Not only that, but now he had the ultimate trump card and could have me fired per the fraternization clause if I did anything he didn’t like over the next few weeks. So, to prevent it from happening again, I’d used up three of my personal off days at the beginning of this week so I could formulate a plan.

I vowed to show up four hours early every day. That way, I’d only have to be around him for five hours in the morning, the same time when our teams were around us and he wouldn’t be able to get me alone.

“Good morning, Miss Lauren!” His secretary greeted me as soon as I stepped off the elevator. “You’re here super early today. Why?”

“Good morning, Linda,” I said. “I just have lots of work to do.”

“Need help with anything?”

Avoiding your boss... “Just the key to the conference room. Is Mr. Dalton here?”

“This early?” She laughed and tossed me a key. “Never. It’s just you and me.”

“Great.” I carried my files to the conference room and looked over the past week’s press coverage. Everything was positive, again.

I checked my emails to make sure his event appearances were still set and noticed I had more emails from other PR firms.

Subject: Please tell me he’s at least paying you a million...You deserve it.

Subject: What. A. Turnaround. Congrats!

Subject: No, really. What type of drugs did you get Mr. Dalton to take?

I laughed and leaned back in my chair. I began writing out my team’s assignments for the week, and when I looked up I saw Ryan staring at me from the doorway. Looking tempting as hell, he was dressed in grey lounge pants and a black T-shirt.

“Mind if I join you?” He didn’t wait for an answer. He simply walked over to me.

“What if I told you that I do mind?”

“I’d say tough shit.” He smiled. “Why are you here four hours early?”

“I couldn’t sleep.” I shrugged. “Plus, I figured it made perfect sense to get here and be ready for your board’s final stock strategy meeting.” I paused. “Why are you here four hours early?”

“I live in the penthouse across the street,” he said. “I also have an alarm that goes off anytime someone other than Linda accesses my floor during off-hours.”

“Good to know.”

“I think you’re attempting to avoid me lately.” He looked into my eyes. “Because we’ve fucked and you honestly think I would hold that over your head...”

“I’m not attempting to avoid you.” I lied. “You have quite the schedule coming up and I want to be sure it’s still on track.”

“You’ve had my schedule on track since the day you started,” he said. “And if you think you’re going to get away with getting here four hours early every day so you’ll only have to deal with me for five, you’re sadly mistaken.”

I didn’t say anything. I just sat there, completely speechless.

Without another word, he stacked all my files and placed them into my box. Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my chair.

“You’re going to let me into your office so I can finish?” I asked.

“No.” He led me out of the conference room and to the elevator. I’m going to show you exactly where you need to go whenever you feel like coming to work four hours early. Hint, it’s my penthouse.”

“And if I decide I’d rather come here instead?”

“I’ll come here to get you again.” He pressed his lips against mine as the doors closed. “Or I’ll fuck you in the boardroom. I’ll be a gentleman and let you choose.”

THE CLIENT

RYAN

Several weeks later...

I could still smell the sweet scent of champagne in the boardroom when I walked by a few days later. My board members had spent all night celebrating the end of my successful press tour, and I’d surprised them all by leaving early.

Of course, my excuse to them was that I was “tired,” but I’d spent my night in the same way I’d become accustomed to in the recent weeks. With Penelope.

Her firm’s initial contract with us ended today, and not a single person on the board objected to extending it for another six months. They even offered to increase the amount by more than triple.

There were just a few things I needed to personally amend before we pursued the deal.

“Okay, lay it on me,” my brother said as soon as I stepped into my office. “I’ve got three meetings today and I’m hoping I can make two of them less than ten minutes long. Where are we with the contract extension with Penelope Lauren and Associates?”

“Everything is set, but I’d like us to amend the fraternization clause.”

“Amend it or end it?”

“End it.”

“Why?” He shrugged, laughing. “Are you going to sleep with Penelope? I can’t imagine her ever doing that with you. She’s too classy, too smart, too—” He immediately stopped talking as if the truth was dawning on him. And then he began to pace my floor. “Please don’t tell me that you have fucked Penelope...”

“Okay, I won’t.”

“Are you shitting me?” He paced even faster. “Just when I thought you’d changed, just when I thought, ‘He finally gets it,’ you find a way to not get it. No wonder you were doing so well on your press tour...”

“I like your rants better when you prepare them in advance,” I said. “They sound less juvenile that way.”