Page 49 of Billionaire’s Game

Lacey smiled. “You’re twenty-three. You’re young, single, and cute. There’s nothing wrong with doing what you want with whomever you want. There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun.”

Jude had certainly changed her. Lacey hadn’t exactly been the type to throw caution to the wind before she met Jude. I liked this new aspect of my cousin’s personality.

She opened the office door and I walked in. She followed closely behind me and continued talking. “You spent your formative years working your way through a rigorous and challenging program instead of making mistakes and dating losers like the rest of us. Just consider Florida a vacation from your rational self and old life. What happens in Florida, stays in Florida,” she summed up in a stage whisper.

I laughed at her. She was right, but I was still determined to not admit to my little indiscretion with Magnus.

The other half of the guilty party in question was chatting with Maya at the water cooler. She was still on crutches and apparently had solicited Magnus’s help.

“Gosh, this water is cold. It’s just what I need considering how hot it just got in here,” I heard Maya say flirtatiously.

I couldn’t help myself, I laughed out loud and caught Magnus’s attention as a result. We shared a little smile that made my heart seem to skip a beat. I flushed and looked elsewhere, almost running into an open door.

Jude appeared at the door and said, “Careful there, partner. Doors are expensive to replace.”

I groaned and mumbled an apology, saying something about being clumsy.

“Your friend, Violet, I sent her an email. She’s coming in for an interview in a few minutes.”

“That’s great! You’ll like her. She’s pretty cool.”

“She sounded... umm…” He seemed to be pensive as he searched for the right word. “She sounded very enthusiastic, to say the least. Her direct quote was that she would ‘work her ass off for me.’”

“Yikes,” I said.

“She’s a little rough around the edges, I take it?”

“That’s a pretty diplomatic way to put it.”

“Anyway, I’m looking forward to meeting her. I might have to make her memorize the employee handbook though since she’s a little bit much.”

“We have an employee handbook?”

Jude frowned and scratched his chin. “I’ve never actually seen it, but I think we have one of those.” He turned to Lacey. “Babe, we do have an employee handbook, don’t we?”

“No.”

“Oh. I guess I should write one.”

Lacey shook her head. “Pitiful.” They exchanged a little smile with each other and I couldn’t help but notice how much they genuinely liked each other. Their relationship was so easy-going, so natural. Yeah, they teased each other, but it was never nasty or mean-spirited. In the time I’d been living with them, it had become clear how much they enjoyed just being with each other. They were a perfect match and I found myself hoping maybe one day I would have what they had.

And as circumstances would have it, at that very moment my eyes connected with Magnus’s. He was still stuck at the water cooler with a chatty Maya. He didn’t smile. His eyes were hard to read as he studied me silently. I wondered what he was thinking. I was thinking if maybe fate was playing a role and maybe, just maybe, Magnus might be the one for me.

But there’s no way I could be that lucky. A billionaire bachelor wouldn’t be interested in a real relationship with me especially since I’d already slept with him, right? I sincerely doubted he’d ask me out again since he most likely got what he wanted.

I turned away, feeling uneasy under his gaze. I knew eventually I would have to talk to him, but eventually didn’t have to be right now.

I walked into my office, booted up my computer and started working. A few hours passed and I realized I’d been in deep concentration when someone hissed my name.

I turned in the direction of my office door and Violet stood there. I barely recognized her. She had straightened her unruly blonde hair and pulled it back into a very neat bun. She was also wearing a smart, black pantsuit that looked sophisticated and professional. It was like seeing Violet all grown up.

“Hi,” she said, waving at me. “I know you’re working, but I just wanted to say hi.”

“Hi,” I said. “Are you on your way to the interview?”

“Actually, I just finished. I think it went well. Hopefully, I’ll get the job.”

“I’m sure you did great. I hope you get it too.”