Page 26 of Mr. Hotshot CEO

I really do want her.

I wonder if she actually thinks Vince is better looking than I am. That’s an awful thought. God, what if he sleeps with her? He seems to sleep with everyone, and now he knows Courtney and I haven’t been together.

This is a mess. I’m normally pretty good at cleaning up messes, and people depend on me to do just that, but I don’t have much experience with this particular kind of situation.

“Let me give you some ideas,” Vince says to Courtney. “Get him to smoke pot and send me a video of him while he’s high. Or invite me over. I think my brother might actually be tolerable if he was high.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” she says, “but I don’t do drugs. Other than alcohol and caffeine, that is.”

“Julian.” Vince shakes his head. “I question your judgment.Thisis the woman who’s supposed to teach you to have fun?”

“She’s qualified. Trust me. And even if she tried to get me to smoke up, I would refuse. The only time I did weed—”

“You’ve done weed before?” Vince puts his hands to his mouth as though this is truly shocking, horrifying news. “Call the press!”

I glare at him. “It was fifteen years ago, when I was in university. It made me paranoid, which was no fun at all, so I’ve never done it again.”

He nods and puts his hand to his chin, deep in thought. “The problem might have been the strain. Head to a dispensary and tell them you had issues with paranoia last time. They’ll find you something appropriate.”

“Vince,” I say through gritted teeth. “Out. I’m supposed to be relaxing, and your presence is not good for my blood pressure.”

“I’m aware of that,” he says with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Courtney. Keep me updated on his progress, okay? And give him back his phone when you think he deserves it.” He throws her my phone, and I watch in horror as it spins through the air. It’s going to crash any second now and the screen will shatter—

But Courtney catches it in one hand.

Impressive.

Vince heads out the door, and I follow him into the hall.

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on her,” I hiss.

He holds up his hands. “Hey, now. You might not have sealed the deal yet, but she’s yours. I understand that.” He tilts his head. “A little possessive, are you? How’d you meet her?”

“At the coffee shop. She was drinking a gingerbread latte like it was the greatest thing on earth. She’s the opposite of you, actually. You crave overstimulation, but she appreciates the small things.”

A shadow crosses Vince’s face, but it quickly disappears. Perhaps I imagined it.

“Well,” he says, pressing the elevator button, “if you ever need tips on women, hit me up. I’ll be out on the town, having a good time, though I think I should go home and sleep first.”

“Yeah, you probably should,” I say before heading back inside.

I sure hope the day improves from here.