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I silently stare at Dex, still half expecting him to burst out laughing with a giant “Just kidding.” But judging by the look on his face, he’d probably give me anything I want right now.
“The position will pay like a normal job, right?”
“What do you mean?” he asks, looking caught off guard.
“As in, I’d work for you and then earn a paycheck. I’m assuming it’ll be enough for rent, groceries, gas, and all that stuff?”
“Technically, if you accept, I’ll work for you.” Dex smiles my favorite smile, the one that starts at the corner of his eyes. “But full transparency, I should explain—Hessler Group pays its CEO a lot less than industry norms. It’s a decision my great-grandparents made to help with employee gainshare because they never needed the income. Cut down the CEO’s salary, then all the entry-level employees can get paid a little more. So, the salary is marginal compared to other Fortune 100 CEOs, but I promise, it’ll more than cover rent, groceries, and gas.”
“Did you just say Fortune 100? Dex, what are you even talking about right now?” As much as I try to avoid corporate conversations, I’m not completely clueless. I know what a Fortune 100 company must be worth from my dad’s days in finance.
He tilts his head as he looks into my eyes with a strained expression. It almost seems like a silent plead for me not to overact. “Have you ever heard of Luxe Adventure, Serenity, or Victorian cruises?”
“Of course.” My parents splurged on a Serenity cruise for their twentieth anniversary. Luxe Adventure is apparently the cruise line to go on if you want a celebrity spotting. Victorian is an international cruise line if you want to live on a boat for a month. “Your company works with those cruise lines?”
“Theyaremy cruise lines. Hessler Group owns all three, among other commercial vacation ventures.”
“You said your family was in cargo shipping,” I blurt out, accusing him.
“No,” he replies, defensiveness lacing his tone. “I said we were in ships. You filled in your own blanks.”
“And you let me,” I argue back.
“All you’ve done since I met you is talk about how much you hate corporate, money, ‘the man,’ and basically everything I am. How else was I supposed to—” He blows out a sharp breath instead of finishing his sentence.
“To what?”
Dex holds out his hand, but I don’t take it. It’s not anger, it’s fear. Three years I’ve cherished this man, but who the hell is he really? Have I been falling for an idea instead of a person? “Look…I’m a different guy in Las Vegas. I took some time to explore the other things I care about. But now, vacation is over, and it’s time to get back to my actual life. I guess I’ve always been worried you wouldn’t like the real me.”
“So, you lied?”
“I…” He looks up, then down. Eyes fixed on his shoes, he continues, “I kept you. It’s as simple as that. You’re my best friend, Len. I said and did what was needed to keep you close. Can you try to understand that?”
He drops his hand to his side, accepting I have no intention of taking it. The guilt seeps through me as I see the defeat grow in his eyes. All I want to do is fix it. Mend the pain. Fill in the gaps. It’s dangerous how much I care about Dex. Telling me the truth created all these holes, now my first instinct is to patch them.
“Tell me more about this job, Dex. You know I’m wildly underqualified to be a CEO, right?”
“It’s more of a figurehead position. Basically, your job is to just spend time with me for a year. Hopefully not the worst thingin the world.” He winks, trying to add his signature playfulness into the conversation.
There are multiple red flags flapping so hard in my mind. My logic and reason take over, scolding me:No. Bad idea.One, don’t marry someone when the end goal is divorce.You’ll end up getting hurt.Two, and more worrisome, don’t marry someone just for money.You’ll end up getting screwed over.Three, this is Dex. Freaking Dex Hessler. Lie all you want but you know how you feel about him. Don’t marry a man who doesn’t want you back.You’ll end up getting annihilated.
On the other hand…
I bet even half a hotshot CEO’s salary is enough to clear up some of my debt and maybe help my parents as well.
“How much is the CEO’s salary?”
Dex grimaces. “A little north of six million. I know it’s modest, but like I said, I’m personally offering you?—”
“Modest?Do you live on a different planet?” As soon as the words are out, I realize the truth of it all. It hits me like a train. All the tender touches, the way Dex smiles and lights up when he sees me. How he laughs with me. The first time we met, the way he was looking at me like he was hungry for me. It never really made sense why we didn’t cross that line together…until now.
No way Dex sees me as compatible. He couldn’t end up with the broke, hot-mess, purple-haired girl. It’s probably why he doesn’t mention his family or talk about home. Why he keeps the distance between us…
“Len, are you okay?”
All the times I felt more than comfortable opening up to Dex about my life and money problems. Now, I’m a little embarrassed. My eyes lift to meet his, and it suddenly dawns on me that Dex is so much taller than me. He’s been looking down on me since the moment we met.
“How much do you make?”