Hard and Fast: Italian Stallions, Book 2, page 4
“No,” she interjected. “I need…I want to change some things about myself.”
“What things?” Gage asked, even though he was afraid to hear the answer. What if she was serious about taking the job offer from Frost? What if he couldn’t change her mind?
He was ready to match their offer. No. Fuck that. He was ready to beat the other offer. She was amazing at her job, but more than that, he liked being around her and Toby and Rich. They called themselves the nerd circle, but the truth was, they were probably the coolest people Gage knew. Because they were the most real, the most genuine, the most what-you-see-is-what-you-get. On top of that, their interests matched his, and they’d welcomed him into their midst. With them, he could set his gamer, D&D side free, could shed the carefree playboy bachelor billionaire persona, and just be one of the guys.
Once again, she lowered her eyes, embarrassed by whatever she planned to say next. “I saw you with your date the other night and…well…I want you to teach me how to be like her.”
“Like Marjorie?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I don’t really have anyone else to ask.”
“What about Jess? I’m sure she could give you some pointers on…” He stopped, not even certain what Beaumont was asking.
“Oh, Jess is great. And I’m definitely going to ask her for some help with hair and makeup, but she’s really busy with her son and the new relationship with Tony and Rhys and—”
“She really is with both of them?” Gage had heard rumors, but he’d dismissed them as just that. Rumors.
Beaumont looked up again, her eyes narrowed. “Don’t be a prude, Gage.”
“I’m not. Forget I said anything.” He’d have to think about Jess and her guys later. “Spell this thing out for me, Beaumont.”
She started to look down once more, but he wasn’t having that. He stepped forward and tilted her face up with a finger under her chin. “Look at me. Not the floor,” he demanded.
“What I need is the male perspective, and the only other guys I know are Toby and Rich, and they’re not exactly killing it with the ladies. Or at least, they weren’t until…you helped them. So I want you to help me, too. I figure you’re an expert when it comes to women.”
“So if you win, what exactly is it you want from me?” he asked, enthralled by this entire conversation. He was going to be late to his meeting, but he didn’t give a shit. Wild horses couldn’t drag him away from Beaumont right now.
“I want you to teach me how to make myself physically attractive to men. And how to flirt. And how to seduce a guy and how to be good in bed.”
Gage’s jaw dropped as he tried to process her request. “Wait. Are you saying you want to sleep with me?”
Beaumont tilted her head as if confused. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think sex was going to be the hard part of that favor. I mean…I’ve never really noticed you tying any sort of morals or emotions to sex.”
She wasn’t wrong. He didn’t. Sex was an act, not a feeling for him. Something she’d clearly gleaned from his well-earned reputation as a playboy.
Then her eyes widened, as if she’d solved her own puzzle. “Oh no, it’s what I said the other night, isn’t it? The work thing? I didn’t even think about that! I guess I’ve started thinking about you less as a boss and more as a friend. That was dumb of me, because now I’m in exactly the same position as the women I tried to warn you away from.”
So she really did think of him as a friend? Gage wasn’t sure why such a silly, insignificant thing made him happy.
“We are friends, Beaumont. And it isn’t the boss dynamic that has me hesitating.”
“Okay. Well, I mean, if it is, I could sign something that says this was all my idea and you weren’t harassing me or anything.”
He shook his head. “I don’t need you to sign anything. You’ve just caught me by surprise. I’m not sure why you want to change.”
“I…” she started, but then she shook her head. “Can I just ask you to trust me when I say this is what I want? My reasons are sort of personal.”
He wanted to press her on that then decided against it. For one thing, he understood wanting to keep certain aspects of his life private. For another, her reasons didn’t really matter…because he’d just found a way to get what he really wanted from her.
If he lost, he would carry out his part of the deal to an extent, though he had no intention of sleeping with Beaumont. He could teach her the art of seduction without taking her to bed.
For one thing, as she’d just said, they were friends. In fact, she was his first female friend, and he didn’t want to cross that line.
For another, he had no intention of losing.
“Fine. I accept the wager. If you win, I’ll help you reinvent yourself.” He was careful not to mention anything that might make her think he was agreeing to have sex with her.
She smiled. “Awesome. Well, I know you have a meeting, so I’ll let you—”
“Aren’t you going to ask what my favor will be when I win?”
“If,” she corrected. “And it doesn’t matter because I don’t intend to lose.”
“Humor me,” he insisted.
Beaumont pushed up her glasses. “I’m all ears.”
“When I win, you’re going to sign an extended contract agreeing to work here for the next five—no—make it seven years.”
Beaumont’s eyes widened, then she bit her lip guiltily. “How did you know?”
Just like that, she’d confirmed that Matt’s sources were accurate. “I have eyes and ears everywhere.”
“I wasn’t really looking to leave. They approached me.”
“I know.” Sadly, he did. He wasn’t foolish enough to think headhunters wouldn’t seek her out. She was too fucking talented. But he’d be damned if he’d lose her.
“It’s a sweet deal,” she admitted. “Like, really sweet.”
He admired her moxie. “I’m willing to negotiate, discuss salary, benefits, and perks.”
She hesitated. “Seven years?”
It was a long time. Almost unheard of for someone in her position. Regardless, he didn’t waver. “Nonnegotiable.” That was a lie, but he was curious to see how far he could push her, just how serious she was about this wager. Agreeing to it would tell him how much she wanted this favor she’d asked of him.
“Fine. You’re on.”
“Excellent. As you said, I’m late for my meeting. Why don’t I text you later with a place and time for the competition?”
“Sounds good.”
They shook on their agreement, and he watched her leave. Rather than hurry out to his meeting, he dropped down in his office chair and glanced at his computer. He laughed out loud when he realized why it had taken Beaumont so long to print his document. She’d changed his screensaver to a unicorn farting a rainbow as revenge for him making her fix the printer.
“Jesus,” he murmured in amusement as he tried to figure out where the hell he went from here.
Because as much as he did not want Beaumont to go to work for Frost—he really didn’t want that—there was another, larger part of him that wanted to help her reinvent herself, intrigued by the challenge she’d just presented.
Because he was bored with his life. Really fucking bored—and she had offered him a potentially fun distraction.
So for the first time in his competitive life, Gage wasn’t so sure he wanted to win.
Chapter Four
Gage grinned when he heard a knock on the door of what used to be one of the company’s conference rooms. He’d recently begun renovating it for another purpose, and today, he was unveiling it to an audience of one.
He glanced at his phone. Beaumont was right on time.
“Come in,” he called out.
Beaumont stepped inside, and while her eyes widened as she looked around the room, he took a moment—as always—to check out the crazy look she’d managed to pull off. Today, her hair was pinned up in some wild waterfall style on top of her head, her jeans had colorful patches all over them, and she was wearing one of what had to be seventy-two Good Mythical Morning sweatshirts she owned.
As always, her big black-framed glasses were sliding down her nose and she didn’t have a speck of makeup on.
She tossed the backpack she was carrying onto the table in the middle of the room then started walking around the space, her mouth hanging open, no sound coming out.
He’d rendered her speechless.
“Gage,” she said after a few minutes. “Oh my God.”
After the two of them had placed their wager yesterday, he’d known exactly where he wanted them to hold their “battle for favors.” He’d started working on creating this space a few days after his first gaming night with her and Toby. His interests had always drifted toward technology—he’d invested in several tech upstarts—but he’d wanted to expand specifically into gaming tech forever.
“What do you think?”
He had taken over this conference space in order to create a gaming room. Gage had stocked the room with six state-of-the-art computers, fully loaded with two monitors each, gaming chairs with pillows embroidered with Team Russo, several PlayStation 5 systems, and the latest in VR. The fluorescent lighting had been replaced with RGB LED lighting strips and surround sound that would really enhance the game-playing experience.
It was a gamer’s paradise, and he knew it.
Beaumont shook her head in response, clearly still struggling to find her words. “I…oh my God.”
He grinned. It was the highest praise he could have asked for. “I invested in a gaming start-up, Tower Games. They’re based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Was thinking the nerd circle could do some testing on their products, offer insights.”
Beaumont stared at him as if he’d suddenly grown wings and a halo. “Toby and Rich will flip out!”
Gage knew that. “Yeah. I can’t wait to show them.”
“Can I be here when you do?”
“Of course.”
Beaumont spun around one more time. “I can’t believe this room! It’s like you snuck into my dreams and drew up the plans. It’s just…incredible. Actually, you might want to rethink showing this to Toby and Rich, or you’ll never get another second of work out of them.”
Gage laughed. “Matt said the same thing. Said the first time he caught our IT department up here in the middle of the workday, he was putting an alarm on the door. Of course, I’m pretty sure he was talking about me, not you guys. Besides, I know Toby’s dream is to develop his own game. This would give him that chance.”
“Holy shit. This is so freaking awesome! Now I sort of hope I lose, just to ensure I can keep working here.”
Gage rolled his eyes. “The outcome of this wager means nothing in regard to your job. We’re not letting you quit.”
“Did I mention they were offering some pretty amazing perks?” she asked with a shit-eating grin.
“There will be time for negotiations about all of that after I kick your ass.”
Beaumont ran her hand over the expensive gaming chair. “You know…the alarm is probably a good idea because I’m not sure I can resist this place either. Maybe that will help my self-control.”
Gage woke up a couple of the PCs. “I was thinking we could set up gaming nights here. Maybe even enter some e-sports tournaments together a few weekends a year. I’m calling it a team building exercise.”
“I love that idea. Dibs on being team captain,” she said.
Gage scowled. “Hell no. I’m team captain.”
“Well, that hardly seems fair. Shouldn’t we put it to a vote or something?” Beaumont asked.
“This is not a democracy. I’m the one who set all this up, footed the bill.”
“Wow. Okay, Malfoy. Way to buy yourself a spot on the Quidditch team.”
Gage laughed, as Beaumont went to retrieve the backpack she’d brought with her. She pulled out a pair of headphones, a big bag of Doritos, and a twenty-ounce bottle of Mountain Dew.
“What are you? A fifteen-year-old boy?” he teased.
She looked around the room and smirked. “Seems to me, a good captain would have put a snack machine in here.”
“Shut up and give me some Doritos.” He grabbed the bag, ripping it open and snagging a big handful.
“Hey!” she protested.
Then he added more fuel to the fire by walking over to the water cooler, grabbing a paper cup, and helping himself to half of her Mountain Dew.
The two of them got settled in front of their PCs. When he texted her the place and time last night, they’d spent a few minutes discussing which game they should play for their competition.
Gage typically came out ahead on Grand Theft Auto, while Beaumont consistently edged him out on Fortnite. So they’d agreed on Call of Duty, since they were most evenly matched there, with their wins and losses against each other almost fifty-fifty. They’d also decided to play the best of two out of three games.
“You ready?” Gage asked after they’d both taken some time to login to their accounts and set up their characters.
She nodded. “I’m ready.”
An hour later, they were two games in and tied, one win each. Beaumont was a fierce competitor.
They stood up and stretched for a few minutes before starting the final match.
“Feel like conceding now, Beaumont? Save face?”
She tilted her head. “Never.”
“Want to change the wager? Because I’m holding you to those seven years. There will be a contract, and you will sign it.”
“You act like that’s a threat. If you were hoping to scare me away, you shouldn’t have shown me this room.”
Gage chuckled. “Good point. You still plan to ask for the makeover favor?”
She nodded. “Absolutely.”
He’d thought about her request a lot last night, trying to figure out why it bothered him. Then he’d finally landed on it. “You sure you want to trick a guy into falling for you?”
“What do you mean, trick him?” she asked.
“You’re planning to change everything about yourself just to catch a guy’s eye. Wouldn’t it be better to find a man who likes you exactly as you are?”
Beaumont sighed, not meeting his gaze. “That man doesn’t exist.”
“Bullshit,” Gage countered. “There’s a key for every lock.”
“I don’t really view what I’m doing as trickery, or even changing. There are parts of myself I’ve never figured out how to showcase. I mean…wearing my hair in a different style doesn’t mean it’s not still my hair. And people change their wardrobes all the time—hence the reason every decade has ‘a look.’” She fingered quoted the last two words. “Bell bottoms in the sixties, popped collars and Izod in the eighties, acid-wash jeans and flannel shirts in the nineties. How many people lived through those decades and changed their style with the times?”
“Those are broad fashion trends. I’m talking about you abandoning your unique style and adopting something that’s not really you.”
“They’re just clothes, Gage. I don’t put that much stock in them. I should think that would be pretty obvious.”
“Then what about the rest?” he asked, wondering why he felt the need to push the issue. If this was what she thought she needed to do to find a boyfriend, he should just let her roll with it. His problem was…he wasn’t sure he liked the idea of her changing.
“The rest of what?”
“Your hair and clothes are one thing, but you also want lessons in flirting. In seduction.” He still couldn’t believe she’d asked him to teach her how to be a better lover in bed. Although, of all the things she’d listed as part of her favor, that one bothered him the least. Because he didn’t intend to follow through on it. At least not the way she expected.
He didn’t doubt for a moment he could mold Beaumont into a genuine sex goddess if he set his mind to it. She was a blank canvas, and it was tempting to accept her challenge, to create the type of woman who would drive men crazy with lust and desire. He was certain he could accomplish that without actually doing the deed. He’d just have to be creative.
“I’m socially awkward, Gage. You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”
He didn’t outwardly agree, though she’d hit the nail on the head. Russo Enterprises held an annual holiday party in December, one that Beaumont had never missed, though he wasn’t entirely sure why she bothered to attend.
For six years straight, she’d parked herself at a corner table with Toby and Rich, the three of them scarfing down food, chair dancing whenever they liked a song, staring at their phones, and basically ignoring everyone else at the party.
Last year, the three of them had left the grand ballroom and spent the better part of the evening searching for Pokémon in and around the hotel.
“Your reason for wanting this still personal?” he asked, not wanting to admit how curious he was.
She nodded.
“So the wager stands?” he said at last, convinced he wouldn’t win this argument and starting to think he didn’t want to.
“It stands.”
“Then to the victor go the spoils.” He gestured to their chairs, and they started up the third and final game.
“Fuck,” Gage said half an hour later, tossing down his controller.
Beaumont stood up, looking far too fucking smug. Gage hated to lose, regardless of the fact he didn’t hate the wager. But the truth of the matter was…it was impossible for him to set his competitiveness aside, so he had been playing to win.
And he hadn’t.
He grumbled another curse word.
“Don’t be a sore loser,” she said when he crossed his arms, scowling. “I beat you fair and square.”
She had, but that knowledge didn’t help.
“You’re still not leaving Russo Enterprises,” he grumbled.
Beaumont pushed her glasses up. “I never said I was. I just said I got an offer. A good offer.”
“Your annual evaluation is next month. Tell me what Frost is offering and we’ll match their offer. Fuck that, we’ll beat it.”
