Page 14 of Rebellious Hearts

“Yeah. We were summarizing, remember? You didn’t mention that youownedthe company,” she pointed out. “Sales? Seriously?”

“I handle plane sales,” I grumbled.

“And I handle projects and business development,” she said tersely.

I shook my head and walked to the window, planting my hands on my hips. I looked out over the ocean, but I didn’t see the incredible view. I was angry, and I tried to calm myself.

“Look, it wasn’t supposed to work out this way,” Sofia said behind me. “If I’d known who you were, I would have steered clear.”

I turned to look at her. “Would you have?”

“Of course! I don’t mix business and pleasure.” She glared at me. “And I sure as shit wouldn’t have spent a night with someone who has a reputation for being a total grouch. I’ve heard a lot about you, and I didn’t put together the pieces when I met you, but now… I realize they’re all true.”

I gasped, staring at her. “You want to talk aboutreputation? You were the one who went home with a total stranger.”

“As were you,” she said.

I growled inwardly. She wasn’t wrong.

Fuck, this was a mess.

I’d slept with the woman I was going to work with. I was her boss, and she was directly beneath me now.

God, that just made me think of when shewasunderneath me, gasping as I thrust into her.

My cock twitched in my pants, but I ignored it.

She was a right pain in the ass, that was what she was. Telling me I was a grouch? And sent to babysit me? That last part wasn’t her doing, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t despiseherfor it since Alex wasn’t the one coming with me.

“Look, clearly this isn’t ideal,” Sofia said in a level voice, having calmed herself a little, too. “We have to work together, so let’s play nice for the sake of the project. We both have the same goal. I don’t want to fail—I’ve never not had a project work out right in this company—and you could do with something good you’ve done, given how everyone sees you.”

That made me bristle again. “And how does everyone see me?”

“If you don’t know, you’re going through life with your eyes closed. The world is always looking, Ben. I don’t want them to see the wrong face with this thing, so let’s make it work, and when it’s done, we can walk away from each other for good and be done with it.”

“Fine,” I said. “If that’s what you want.”

“That’s what the project needs,” she said.

She put out her hand to me, and I stared at her slim fingers. I knew what those fingers could do, and I knew what else I would want them to do…

Stop it, Jesus.

I took her hand and shook it. “One project, we’ll be civil with each other, and then we don’t see each other again.”

“Fine by me,” she said.

“Fine by me, too.”

She let go of me, and I felt the absence of her hand acutely.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early,” she said. “Bring your happy face, we might need it.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “You were way more fun when we were drinking together.”

“Yeah, so were you,” she clapped back. “But we have work to do.”

She left the office, and I was a warring mess of emotions. On the one hand, I was pissed off and set on despising Sofia because I didn’t need someone to look over my shoulder all the time. Besides, she was a pain in the ass, telling me what to do and how to do it. And to tell me I had a bad reputation? She might have been right… but the fucking nerve!