Page 17 of Mr. Hotshot CEO

“Yes, unfortunately, I do.” He taps his foot impatiently. “So? Will you do it?”

“I need a few more details on how this is going to work. For starters, I have a job. Not exactly a nine-to-five job, but somewhat regular hours, in general.” Except for today, because I had those experiments to finish up. “Unlike you, I can’t just take a two-week vacation because I feel like it.”

“Can I pay someone a lot of money for you to get the next two weeks off?”

I think he’s serious. “That’s really weird, and this is weird enough as it is.”

He sighs. “What’s your job?”

“I’m a biomedical researcher in a lab at U of T.”

“Surely your lab could use some money.”

“Julian! No. Like I said, super weird.” I have a sip of my lukewarm latte. “How would this work? We’d meet up once a day and eat gelato or drink gingerbread lattes together?”

“Hmm.” He drums his fingers on the counter. “No, when I do something, I do it right. Not just a half-hearted attempt.”

“Okay...”

“I think you should live with me for the next two weeks.”

I spit my latte all over him.

“Shit,” I say, digging into my purse for a napkin.

“It’s okay.”

“Yeah, I bet you’ve got an entire walk-in closet full of suits at home.”

“Something like that.”

I hand him a napkin. “I’m sorry. I don’t usually spit decaffeinated beverages all over people, but I thought you said you wanted me to live with you.”

“You heard correctly.” He pauses. “I believe I need serious help with this.”

“What did you do today before you went into the office?”

“I got out of bed at five thirty and worked out. Talked to my housekeeper, read half a novel in Spanish, and watched a bunch of episodes of a telenovela. I’m teaching myself Spanish, you see. My brother accused me of trying to be productive. I guess what I want is to be productively unproductive instead.”

“There’s nothing wrong with using some of your two weeks off to learn Spanish. But you didn’t try, I don’t know, enjoying a beer on your balcony? I’m sure you have a balcony.” His place is probably very swanky.

“Just sitting and drinking beer. And reading, perhaps?”

“Sure, if you feel like it.” Sitting on the balcony with a novel and a drink is one of my favorite things to do, though my beverage of choice is wine rather than beer. Or a nice cup of tea. “But not a report for work. Not something that you need to read or that you’re reading to improve yourself. A book you’re reading for no reason other than that it sounds entertaining.”

“What an odd thing to do.” He’s trying for sarcasm...I think.

Something occurs to me. “I thought you young, hotshot CEO types were supposed to be good at partying hard.”

“That’s my brother, not me.”

“Which brother? The one attending the orgy?”

He nods. “Vince had a tech company. Sold it for a lot of money. The last year’s been one big party for him.”

“I see.” His family is nothing like my own. I feel totally out of my league here.

“But I don’t party,” Julian says with a little wrinkle of his nose—which is rather cute. “And I have no interest in starting. I just want to be a little like you. Enjoying a latte at a coffee shop or a beer on the balcony.”