Page 45 of Deal with Mr. Cruel

“I’m going to head over there to Delvin’s to yell at them.”

“That sounds like agreatidea,” she said sarcastically.

“I need to blow off a little steam.”

“There are other ways to do that,” she said, raising her eyebrows.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “I know, but you made it clear that we could never dothatagain.”

He watched Mae blush as he buzzed Wendy on his desk phone. “Wendy, can you come in here, please.”

A few moments later, Wendy entered the office. Jonas filled her in on their dilemma.

“I’ll head out and start looking for vendors right away,” Wendy assured him.

“I’m sending Mae with you. You two did a great job at the bakery this morning.”

“We make a good team,” said Mae.

“Of course you do. My two best ladies,” said Jonas as he stood from his desk. He walked around and leaned down to kiss Mae. Her eyes widened with surprise, but she closed them as soon as their lips met. When he pulled away, Mae looked up at him with a curious smile. Wendy’s mouth hung wide open as she looked between the two of them slowly.

“Well, we should be going,” said Mae with a laugh of disbelief. She grabbed Wendy’s hand and pulled her out of the office. Jonas smiled after her.

It wasn’t until he was on his way to Delvin’s that he realized what he had done.

“Well, fuck,” said Jonas as he sat in the town car, buildings whirring by.

Kissing Mae had come so naturally, like she was really his wife. Maybe it was that moment with Victoria that put things into perspective. Maybe it was knowing he could count on Mae. Maybe it was because she was so beautiful. Or that she believed in him. He hadn’t kissed her for show, or to prove anything was real. Wendy didn’t even know about them. But she did now. No wonder she looked so caught off guard. They gave her a shock, that was for sure.

This whole charade wasn’t supposed to feel so natural. It wasn’t supposed to be real. He made that pact with himself from the get-go. Obviously, choosing Mae for this arrangement would blur things a little, but he never intended to let real feelings emerge. If sex were a part of it, he wouldn’t complain. In the end, this was supposed to be strictly business. As much as he tried to deny it, he knew this was no longer a business arrangement.

Jonas let out a frustrated sigh. If his father wasn’t laughing before, Jonas was positive he was now. He shook his head. This could only end badly. He couldn’t dwell on it now though. He had just pulled up in front of Delvin’s. He needed his head on straight to sort this out, even though his head was filled with Mae.

Chapter 17

Mae

Wendy and Mae pulled up to Richie’s Gourmet Hotdogs and parked. The restaurant was bustling, which was a good sign that it was well liked in the city. They hoped Richie’s could lock them down for the festival that was just days away. Although they had never worked together in the past, it would be good exposure for the restaurant.

Mae went to open her car door, but Wendy stayed put in the passenger seat.

“Aren’t we heading in?” asked Mae, her hand still on the door handle.

“You’re just going to act like nothing just happened?” asked Wendy, playfully raising her eyebrow.

“What?” Mae shrugged innocently.

Wendy shook her head with a smile. “Fine. Be like that. But I’ll get it out of one of you. Eventually.”

Mae avoided Wendy’s gaze and eyed the restaurant. “We should go in and beat the lunchtime rush.”

The two women walked inside and were hit with the smell of caramelized onions and broiled bacon. There were only a few empty booths, and the patrons were chattily eating. Mae watched as a hot dog wrapped in a fresh croissant, next to a hot dog loaded with melted cheese and jalapenos, passed by on a tray. The walls were filled with photos of celebrities who had dined there, along with sports paraphernalia.

“This place looks well loved.” Mae nudged Wendy and nodded at a picture of the president holding a hot dog.

“I think I saw this place on theFood Network.”

“Can I get you ladies a table?” The hostess smiled as she stacked menus.