fabric. She gasped.
“Ok, if you don’t want him, I’ll marry him,” the woman who’d introduced herself as Emma offered.
There was nothing friendly or joking about the look Alice sent her. It was cautioning, threatening, and it went straight to Colt’s crotch.
God knew why: he hated jealous women. Unfunded jealousy was one of the most selfish emotions, and he’d always thought it denoted a complete lack of trust.
Every pretty speech asides, it was nice to see her giving a damn. He was constantly on his toes with her, because he really couldn’t tell if she gave a fuck. It had never been part of the equation.
“You like?”
“I’ve drooled over that one for weeks. Did anyone tell you?”
He shook his head; if he’d asked someone about her taste, he might not have turned her face red and blotched.
“I just thought it would suit you. So, you’ll accept it?”
He was used to women saying oh no, I couldn’t, it’s too much, without a care about how hurtful it was to spend a lot of time choosing a gift, only to have it thrown at his face because it wasn’t a cheap trinket.
Colt didn’t do cheap; he hadn’t had when he’d been on a budget, either. He’d bought one pair of good quality jeans, rather than five crap ones. He wasn’t about to start changing that policy now.
Besides, he’d learnt that when a three digit price tag was an issue, there was no hope to build any sort of relationship. He needed his partners to wear suitable attires for functions, to be seen giving generously – in tips, to charity. They were reflective on him and he was reflective on Colburn Global. He didn’t expect them to flaunt their money, it wouldn’t be fair: he was more than happy for them to use his. It was entirely for his benefit. But they had to do it, or there was no future.
So, he was paying a lot of attention to her expression over the next few seconds.
Alice shrugged.
“Yeah. I mean, you’ve decided to give it to me, I haven’t forced your hand. So, thank you very much. I appreciate it.”
She punctuated that with an adorable little sniff. Damn, even her fucking allergies were cute.
“I’m heading out,” Emma announced, muttering something about all that sweetness making her feel sick.
He thought she was referring to the chocolate at first, but then, he considered the way he’s sat down on the floor, at Alice’s feet, looking up towards her as she gazed down with the smile.
Ok, if he’d been a detached witness to that scene? He’d be throwing up in his mouth a little. They were sweet.
Things got a bit awkward as soon as she left, because now they were alone, which catapulted his brain straight to the gutter.
It was fucked up, she looked quite unwell, sniffing away. There was nothing sexy about the large PJ she’d wrapped herself under, either. But he soon started rubbing her leg, all the way from the feet up to her hips, and back down again, his becoming hungrier each time he reached the waistband.
He’d managed to hold a conversation through this ordeal. Alice talked about the movie premiere she’d attended before meeting him the previous night; On Top was still small, so she wrote one or two articles per edition, in addition to her usual page.
Coming up with that article had been a pain, because the movie had been crap. She’d had to turn the piece on the premiere itself, to ensure she wasn’t pissing off anyone she might need later on.
“It’s strange; our jobs couldn’t be more different, but I have to think about the exact same thing everyday,” he confessed.
Colburn Global wasn’t focused on one aspect, unlike Colburn Finance, ran by Kane. Kane specialized in helping out start up companies; he had his plate full, as he took them all the way, assisting their marketing, their product manufacturing and everything else in between, but Colt’s job was harder yet. He oversaw it all: Kane’s side of things, but also Xander’s – he’d branched out, but his company was
“Ok, if you don’t want him, I’ll marry him,” the woman who’d introduced herself as Emma offered.
There was nothing friendly or joking about the look Alice sent her. It was cautioning, threatening, and it went straight to Colt’s crotch.
God knew why: he hated jealous women. Unfunded jealousy was one of the most selfish emotions, and he’d always thought it denoted a complete lack of trust.
Every pretty speech asides, it was nice to see her giving a damn. He was constantly on his toes with her, because he really couldn’t tell if she gave a fuck. It had never been part of the equation.
“You like?”
“I’ve drooled over that one for weeks. Did anyone tell you?”
He shook his head; if he’d asked someone about her taste, he might not have turned her face red and blotched.
“I just thought it would suit you. So, you’ll accept it?”
He was used to women saying oh no, I couldn’t, it’s too much, without a care about how hurtful it was to spend a lot of time choosing a gift, only to have it thrown at his face because it wasn’t a cheap trinket.
Colt didn’t do cheap; he hadn’t had when he’d been on a budget, either. He’d bought one pair of good quality jeans, rather than five crap ones. He wasn’t about to start changing that policy now.
Besides, he’d learnt that when a three digit price tag was an issue, there was no hope to build any sort of relationship. He needed his partners to wear suitable attires for functions, to be seen giving generously – in tips, to charity. They were reflective on him and he was reflective on Colburn Global. He didn’t expect them to flaunt their money, it wouldn’t be fair: he was more than happy for them to use his. It was entirely for his benefit. But they had to do it, or there was no future.
So, he was paying a lot of attention to her expression over the next few seconds.
Alice shrugged.
“Yeah. I mean, you’ve decided to give it to me, I haven’t forced your hand. So, thank you very much. I appreciate it.”
She punctuated that with an adorable little sniff. Damn, even her fucking allergies were cute.
“I’m heading out,” Emma announced, muttering something about all that sweetness making her feel sick.
He thought she was referring to the chocolate at first, but then, he considered the way he’s sat down on the floor, at Alice’s feet, looking up towards her as she gazed down with the smile.
Ok, if he’d been a detached witness to that scene? He’d be throwing up in his mouth a little. They were sweet.
Things got a bit awkward as soon as she left, because now they were alone, which catapulted his brain straight to the gutter.
It was fucked up, she looked quite unwell, sniffing away. There was nothing sexy about the large PJ she’d wrapped herself under, either. But he soon started rubbing her leg, all the way from the feet up to her hips, and back down again, his becoming hungrier each time he reached the waistband.
He’d managed to hold a conversation through this ordeal. Alice talked about the movie premiere she’d attended before meeting him the previous night; On Top was still small, so she wrote one or two articles per edition, in addition to her usual page.
Coming up with that article had been a pain, because the movie had been crap. She’d had to turn the piece on the premiere itself, to ensure she wasn’t pissing off anyone she might need later on.
“It’s strange; our jobs couldn’t be more different, but I have to think about the exact same thing everyday,” he confessed.
Colburn Global wasn’t focused on one aspect, unlike Colburn Finance, ran by Kane. Kane specialized in helping out start up companies; he had his plate full, as he took them all the way, assisting their marketing, their product manufacturing and everything else in between, but Colt’s job was harder yet. He oversaw it all: Kane’s side of things, but also Xander’s – he’d branched out, but his company was
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