Page 40 of Sugar

Every muscle in my body tightened in an effort not to give her what she naively claimed to want. To haul her inside and not stop until she’d seen all the depravity Gilded offered.

I exhaled through my clenched teeth when she leaned to look around me. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that Cohen of all fucking people held the door wide open—giving Maddie a clear view inside. Who knew what she’d already seen before I happened to spot her standing there.

Like a forbidden angel from a wet dream.

If I was a smart man—agoodman—I would’ve immediately marched her cute ass back to her car. And that time, I wouldn’t leave until I watched her drive away.

But if I was either of those things, I wouldn’t have been borderline obsessed with her to begin with.

To my credit, I’d made it three long weeks before manipulating our chance encounter outside of her newsroom.

“Go sign the papers, Maddie.” When she opened her mouth to argue, I narrowed my eyes. “Now.”

With a bratty sigh, she moved across the space to Emily.

Cohen finally let the door close, but it was so he could join me in the entryway.

And in looking at Maddie.

I fisted my free hand not holding my briefcase.

It was meant to stop myself from possessively pulling her into my arms, but my motives switched to wanting to punch my friend—and client—when he let out a low whistle. “When you told Atlas he was interrupting, we assumed you meant work.”

I shot him a look, but he was undeterred.

“Who is she?”

“A college student who was interviewing me for Coastal.”

A sentence that should’ve been enough to make my hard-on shrivel since it was a reminder that she was far too fucking young for me.

But my dick was also undeterred.

I expected Cohen to tense at that. Anonymity ruled at Gilded, and Maddie making it this far was already a breach. The fact she did it as a journalist—college publication or not—should’ve fired up a warning flare or two.

But he didn’t seem to give a shit. His focus was still zeroed in on Maddie. “That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“So, you wouldn’t mind if I gave her a tour?” He was goading me.

And I took the bait without a second’s hesitation. “Don’t even fucking think about it.”

He laughed and finally tore his eyes off her before I gouged them from his head. “Yup. That’s clearly all she is. How stupid of me to question you.”

Maybe beating him with my briefcase would be better.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Do you have time to stay with her while I meet with Atlas?”

I figured he would continue giving me shit to watch me squirm, but at the reminder of why I was there, he sobered. “Yes. Want me to keep her out here?”

I didn’t know much about Madeline Baker, but I did know she was persistent. She would get into Gilded.

With or without me.

At least with me, I could control what she saw.

Not that my motives were selfless. Allowing her in as my guest meant that I would also get to see her initial reaction.