by Leslie North
Grayson called for his driver to pick him up, and five minutes later he was tucked into the backseat of his sedan, watching the business district of San Francisco blur by. The forty-five-minute car ride gave him plenty of time to mull and think back on his night with Mila. His fingers twitched, wanting to send her a text, wanting to ask when he could see her again.
But without a phone number left behind, there was no mistaking that Mila wasn’t overeager to continue what they’d started. She’d executed a perfect wham, bam, thank you, sir.
And he was no stranger to the approach. Hell, he’d practically invented it. He’d never had any trouble walking away from a one-night stand before. But there was something about Mila that had him hooked. Maybe it was her kooky, trendy glasses, which she was always pushing up higher on her nose with her index finger. Maybe it was the way she’d fucking unraveled in his grip, those soft, feminine sounds wafting out of her like she was the kinkiest sort of angel. Or maybe it was the unexpected tenderness they’d found that night in his bedroom. The way she’d felt more like a longtime lover than a stranger.
Once they finally reached the distinctly Californian campus, awash with Romanesque architecture and tons of tucked away fountains, Grayson had his driver drop him off at Knight Management Center, the home of the Graduate School of Business.
He spent an hour or so walking the area, enjoying the rolling hills and the foliage, until a rumbling belly forced him to grab lunch. He headed for a little campus-area pizza joint that hadn’t been there when he was in school. Inside, the air was warm and doughy, and small pockets of people stood around, waiting for pick-up orders.
Grayson didn’t need to study the menu long to know that he wanted the fattest slice of pepperoni pizza available. Once he ordered and sat around a small round table along the wall of windows overlooking the campus, the conversation of a nearby table drifted his way.
“No, no, no,” a male student with a booming voice declared. “I’m not saying that AI is the answer. I’m just saying that it’s inevitable. Like, we’re going to have to be negotiating robot’s rights sooner or later.”
Grayson bit back a grin. This type of university chatter felt like a breath of fresh air. It was easy to get lost in his own world, trapped behind the IPO blinders, buried under practicalities with little space to dream or imagine. Out here, the students hadn’t been ground down by the relentless pace of a professional career. Yet.
“Did you guys hear about that chess match with AI a few years back?” a dark-haired student piped up just before biting into a big, stringy piece of cheese pizza.
“Where the AI went against the champion chess program?” a petite blonde asked.
“Let me guess—the AI won,” the loudmouth said.
“It was a match between AI and the grandmaster chess program. The AI taught itself how to play chess in something like six hours, and demolished the chess program,” the dark-haired student said, chomping on his pizza.
“So it wasn’t even involving humans anymore. See? We’re passé. We’re already fucking passé.”
Grayson’s mind drifted as the trio of friends continued debating the merits and drawbacks of artificial intelligence. Once his number was called from the counter and he collected his two slices of pizza, he returned to his seat with something heavy and important on his mind.
AI versus computer.
Computer versus a human.
What about my app versus a human?
His skin went buzzy as the thought circled through him a few times. It didn’t just feel brilliant—it felt right. As he chewed his pizza and thought over the possibilities, excitement swelled inside him.
This was it. The viral marketing campaign of the year. He could already see it growing to the heights of the quiz show app craze, or the debate on whether the running shoes were gray or pink.
And this? This could be even huger than those trends. Is it human-selected or app-selected? The marketing for the app was inherent in the challenge. People would go wild for voting, for voicing their opinions, for making self-assured statements that would either validate them or fizzle them away.
And after all the fervor, his company would come out triumphant on the other side.
He mulled over the details for a long time, well after he’d inhaled his slices of pizza. As he sat looking out over the beautiful Stanford campus, his mind drifted to Mila again.
There she is. The missing link.
His soon-to-be-viral challenge would be great in theory, but it would be even more irresistible with a woman at the helm. Someone pretty, and quirky, and inherently good at fashion.
That was Mila.
Not only that, but this potential new business venture provided him with the perfect blend of business and personal reasons to bring him back into her orbit. She might not agree to the idea, but he could at least ask.
And god, he hoped she agreed.
5
The following Monday, after he’d wowed his staff with the viral-worthy clothing challenge idea, he decided he needed to go in and pitch the idea to Mila directly. The team he had working on the project had drawn up a comprehensive plan of what the next steps would look like, and how the entire challenge might unfold. And they’d imagined it both with Mila and without her.
Because there was no guarantee she was going to want to do this. Even though he was prepared to offer her a handsome compensation package for roughly twelve hours of work over the following month, with all expenses paid to three classy events, it still didn’t mean that she would have any interest in stepping into the spotlight to offer up her services, time, or image to the entirety of America. She’d gone into business to try to make other people look good. He had no way of knowing if she was comfortable with the idea of being front and center in the public eye herself. Not to mention whether she was willing to throw herself and her business quite so deeply into the wild world of social media.
Viral territory had its positives and negatives. Grayson already had a foot in both ends of the spectrum, with both fan and hate mail hitting his inbox on the regular. But Mila was a sweetheart small business owner—any viral negativity could demolish her. And he recognized the enormity of this ask.
But he was determined to ask, all the same. Because he couldn’t imagine anything better than working with Mila to make this app the success he knew it should be.
After a quick morning meeting at Finlay Tech with his small but dedicated staff of developers, he headed straight for Moments with Mila.
He ignored the butterflies that invaded his gut as he parked his car, but he still paused and took a deep breath as he stepped out into the street. As he approached the store, a customer was just leaving.
Roping Mila into the challenge was the perfect excuse to continue getting to know her. But only if she agreed to let Grayson hijack her fashion talent, expose her business to the world at large, and essentially force her into the public eye.
Honestly, she had the best taste of anyone he’d ever met. The outfit she’d worn to dinner the other night about sent him to his knees. She had the grace and poise of someone who had a flawless command of their style, who knew that she was in control. And that confidence was invigorating. It was different from the people he usually surrounded himself with—arrogant tech nerds and other distracted CEO types who couldn’t bother to stop and really look at anyone else.
But Mila, that’s what she did. She looked at the world around her. And saw how each person could fit into it—and how she could help them shine.
He steeled himself before he stepped into the boutique. He was experienced enough to know that even the best ideas sometimes didn’t go over well with intended audiences. That was why he and his marketing team had developed an extensive list of contingency plans. Mila was plan A, but if she didn’t want to be involved, they already knew of five other stylists they could contact. Still, though—Grayson wanted it to be her. The challenge would be fun either way, but with her, it would be even better.
Mila stood behind the counter with wide eyes.
“Grayson!” She sounded bright. A little too bright. Like maybe in a Oh god, why are you here way.
“Hi, Mila.” A set of bells on the door jingled as he shut it, and he shoved his hands into his pockets as he headed her way.
“Did you ruin your clothes again? Need a new set?” She laughed, but it seemed nervous. Maybe she was as unsure as he was about how to proceed. He just hoped that she was at least open to proceeding.
“No, actually, I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d come say hi. And, you know, run an idea by you. I hope this isn’t a bad time. I would have texted you to check your availability, but you didn’t leave your number, hence the personal visit.” Hopefully his tone had stayed as pleasant as he’d intended, and none of the hurt he’d felt over the way she’d left had bled through.
Her eyes went even rounder than before so he hurried to add, “There’s an opportunity I think you might be perfect for. You’re the only person I could think of to invite, actually.”
“What sort of opportunity?
“It’s related to my app.” He scratched at the back of his neck, looking without really seeing the jewelry she’d lined along the front counter. “I told you that I needed to make it go viral, and I think I figured out the way.”
Her brows drew together. “And how does that involve me?”
“I want you to be my counterpart in a clothing challenge. It will involve the fashion community, bloggers, and regular people in society. I plan to set up three challenges, and we’ll involve everyone in voting to see if it was the app who got the most votes to choose the outfit…or you.”
Her face softened slightly, and he could tell she was thinking about it.
“But like I said, I want this effort to be viral. Which means there will be a lot of attention. I want to be clear about that from the start. Because I know that might scare some people off.”
“How long would it all last?”
“We would need to film some promotional spots relatively soon, and then there will be the grand reveals that film once voting is completed for each event. Those will be quick and simple, though. The majority of the work occurs in the exposure and the sharing of the event, which falls on my end. So really, you just need to lend your expertise a handful of times. As well as your pretty face.”
A smile graced her lips but didn’t last long. “Seems too easy.”
“For you, it will be.”
She tipped her head to one side, her gaze bouncing around the boutique. “So that’s it? Just help you out?”
“Well, yes. There will be compensation, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Mila narrowed her eyes. “Yes, that’s sort of what I’m asking, I guess.”
“We’ve budgeted for you to be a consultant in the competition. And I assure you, the amount we’re willing to offer will be more than enough for the roughly twelve hours of work that this challenge will require. You can basically name your price.”
She blinked rapidly, and he could practically see the dollar signs floating in the air between them. “Yes. I’ll need to think about that.”
“But we do plan to start this immediately, so as soon as you make your decision, it’s go-time.”
She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. “I…look, we need to set the record straight on one thing. Our relationship shouldn’t…I mean…” She let out a frustrated sigh. “I’ll just say it. I think that if we’re going to be essentially doing business together, then we shouldn’t, you know…be sleeping together.”
“Oh.” Grayson tipped his head from side to side as he mulled it over. “You’d prefer that?”
“Immensely.” She sliced a hand through the air. “I wasn’t lying when I told you I had an amazing time the other night. But…”
“But what?”
A sigh escaped her, and her shoulders sagged. “It would be unprofessional. Especially if, as you say, this is going to a viral level. Pictures of us will be everywhere, right? I mean, isn’t that the whole point? So people will recognize us if they see us out together, outside of the scheduled events. And it stands to reason that people might poke into our personal lives, as well, and, well, I’d just rather avoid the speculation. Not to mention, I can’t afford to get mixed up in any drama, of any kind, but especially personal. My business needs my full attention, now more than ever.”
Grayson creased a brow. “Is everything okay?”
“Sure, of course,” she answered automatically, then paused and frowned. “No, you should know where things stand. It’s just that…” She sighed again, rubbing at her face. “My rent is poised to double by the start of next year, and I don’t know what to do.”
“Double your sales?” Grayson offered.
Her frown deepened. “Not helpful.”
“I wasn’t really joking. You might be able to double your sales, because this challenge will bring you tremendous exposure. It’ll put you on the map, get everyone talking about you and your style.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. Because like I told you—this app needs to go viral. Which means all mentions of your business are going to go viral too. You’re going to reach untold numbers of new clients—not to mention influencers who will see what you have to offer and might end up directing even more people to your shop; people with no connection to the app. Which, by the way, if you don’t have an online ordering system, you’re going to want to have that set up by next week. Get your entire catalog online and prep yourself for serious sales. Because they’ll be coming.”
That seemed to clinch the deal for her. She got a dreamy look on her face, as if allowing herself to get lost in the fantasy of that concept.
“Do you know—”
“Yes, I know exactly who you should talk to about that.” Grayson flashed a smile. “I do own a tech company, after all. So what do you say?”
“I’ll agree, but only if you’re serious about what I said before.”
Dammit. So she really did want to cut off the physical aspect. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He’d respect her wishes, of course…but it was a damn shame. Chemistry like that didn’t come along every day. He couldn’t help asking, “So it wasn’t that good for you, huh? With all those times I had you screaming my name?”
She lowered her head, sending him a stern look over top of the blush staining her cheeks. “I’ll have you know it was excellent. But I already told you why it’s a bad idea for me right now. Besides, after the other night?” A humorless laugh escaped her as she shook her head. “There’s no way we wouldn’t take things way too far.”
He had to admit, she had a point. And if he couldn’t be trusted to think clearly on this, then he should be grateful that she could. Because the last thing he needed was getting tangled up in needless drama right when his business was on the cusp of rising to the next level.
“If the only way to get you to agree is by promising to stay out of your pants, well, then…” He shrugged. “Consider me out of your pants forever.”
A strange pang shuddered through him as he said it, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. Keeping things on a professional level would be no problem. Even though the attraction was still there between them—and probably would be for the duration of this challenge—he knew how to navigate these sticky situations. If there was one thing life had taught him, it was how to set his eye on a target and never, ever look away. For the past few years, he’d chosen to direct that focus onto his business and avoid everything else.
So no problem…right?
He offered his hand and she shook it, the genuine grin on her face sending something warm and fuzzy unfurling through him.
And that’s when he understood the issue.
He’d never had to keep someone like Mila—with this much proven, undeniable chemistry—a professional arm’s length away.
Which meant this challenge was no longer only going to directed at the rest of the
world.
Grayson himself would be at the center of the test.
6
Two weeks later, Grayson waited for his two o’clock appointment, trying and failing to ignore the butterflies swarming his stomach.
Because his appointment was with Mila.
Two weeks was bound to be enough time for an infatuation to fade away. That had to be why he was nervous—to see if things had really settled down to a sterile, platonic level. He sure as hell hoped it had. Yet the closer the clock dragged toward two, the louder the chorus in his head sang the annoying words, Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Well, not in this case. He was determined to prove the clichéd words wrong. His heart didn’t have any room for fondness, because it was completely full with his career. That was the only thing he’d pined for: financial success. And now he had it—with much more to come. The fantasies that filled his dreams of Mila’s velvety pussy wrapped around his cock did not mean anything either.
Grayson was over her.
The knock on his door sent him jolting. Shit. He’d zoned out, and he was half-hard as a result. So thinking about Mila was still slightly dangerous. He cleared his throat, adjusting his pants before calling out a gruff, “Come in.”
The door cracked open and his secretary poked her head in. “Grayson, it’s Mila here to see you.”
He nodded, glancing toward his laptop. The time has finally come. “Send her in.”
Mila came into the office a moment later, her heels clicking on the wooden flooring. She looked gorgeous in high-waisted black pants, topped with suspenders and a ruffly white blouse. The pants were pedal pushers, which she’d paired with skimpy black heels. All in all, she looked both professional and cutting edge.
“Damn, Mila,” he said, unable to keep the awe out of his voice. She was actually more gorgeous than the last time he’d seen her, which he’d been afraid of. “Congratulations on successfully incorporating suspenders.”
She laughed, settling into the chair facing his desk. She set a small briefcase at her side, tilting her head as she took in the office. “I hope that’s a good thing. I tried to dress for the occasion.”