Page 3 of Deal with Mr. Cruel

“For jumping from three stories up? How much champagne have you had?”

She gave him a playful shove. “No! Don’t ever do that again. I meanthis.”She motioned toward the party with her hands. “You made it,” she said.

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” he said softly.

“They’d be proud of you too.”

“You think?” he asked, a hint of sadness in his voice.

“I know,” she said reassuringly.

“You’re a pretty good date, sis.”

“Best one you’ve had in years,” she said with a wink.

“I’m going to go grab some hors d’oeuvres. Do you want anything?” Nico asked, pointing his thumb at the buffet table.

“Grab me some of those cheese ball things,” she said. “I’ll get us some more champagne.”

The one good thing about this party was the food. The free booze wasn’t too bad either. Wendy always chose the best caterers for their events. She had also spared no expense with this party.

Mae made her way to the bar and ordered two glasses of champagne. She chatted with a few of the players at the bar. They had all come to be like brothers to her. There was a time they may have flirted with her, but Nico put an end to that quickly. Now they were just one big family. The previous owner had loved Nico, almost to a fault by being too lenient with him. Now that Jonas was in charge, that all changed. Honestly, everything had changed.

Mae thought back to the night when Jonas had ended things between them. They lay in his bed, tangled in the sheets with a bucket of champagne between them, sipping straight from the bottle. Jonas had just received a promotion that he’d been working hard toward. He worked harder than anyone she knew. Most fathers would go a little easy on their children. Maybe show some favoritism. But not Jonas’s. If anything, he made it harder.

Mae knew how important it was for Jonas to prove himself to his father. His father was hated in the office. He was a scrooge, but she had a soft spot for him because of how supportive he was of Nico. She often wondered if Jonas was jealous of their relationship.

“I finally did it,” Jonas had said in disbelief. He ran his fingers softly through her hair. She loved when he played with her hair. It was one of the things that comforted her the most.

Mae nuzzled against his chest. “I knew you’d get it. All those hours you’ve put in and the new clients you’ve won over. You deserve it. Now give me some of that champagne.”

He let out a little laugh and handed her the bottle. She propped herself up on her elbow to take a swig. She looked up at him as the bubbles ran down her throat.

“What’s next, Mr. Vice President?” she said playfully, running her finger up his chest.

He looked at her and smiled. She’d never forget how sad a smile could look.

“What is it?” she asked, concerned.

“We can’t keep seeing each other, Mae,” he said, putting his hand gently against her face. “You know that, right?”

She remained silent. Stunned.

This thing between them was only a few months in, but it had hit her hard and fast. Deep down, she knew an office romance would complicate things, which was why they kept it a secret. Eventually, if things became serious enough, she’d thought they could go public. Mae wanted nothing more than to be on his arm, not cooped up inside his place. She thought Jonas felt the same or would in time.

Jonas continued, “This new position is huge. I need to take it seriously. If my father found out I was having a fling with an employee…”

“A fling?” she said, pulling back. Mae’s eyes stung with tears, but she blinked them back.

“You know what I mean.”

“Actually, I don’t.”

He was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry, Mae.”

Her sadness suddenly turned to anger. She wrapped herself in sheets and stood up from the bed.

“So, you invited me over for—whateverthiswas, just to break things off?” she asked, gesturing to the bed and feeling her cheeks flush.