An audience. I nearly salivate.

“And you,” he adds, pointing to me. “You’re a determined Padawan. Will you work for me? I have another meeting in a half hour, and it would be awesome if you’d say yes right about now.” He taps his watch.

“What’s the pay?”

He answers, giving a highly reasonable rate.

I don’t know that I like him.

But I don’t really think it matters. I like that he’s so straightforward. I know where I stand with Kermit the Douche. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I hold out my hand.

He shakes.

“I accept.”

36

Sabrina

Flynn opens the door for me. I steel myself, prepared to be dazzled.

When I step into his apartment, my eyes turn into planets. “It’s a palace.”

He laughs, shaking his head. “It’s not. Stop it.”

Gawking at his home, I correct him. “It is. This is the entire floor. Your home is the entire top floor of the building.”

It’s stunning. The living room is the size of a museum gallery, a wide-open space with beautiful wood floors, a navy-blue sectional couch with tons of pillows, and framed photos of cities around the world hanging on the walls.

Floor-to-ceiling windows gaze upon Gramercy Park. I spin around to see his sprawling kitchen. It would be the envy of any chef, with stainless-steel pots hanging from hooks above the counters and a white sink so big I could practically bathe in it. “This is insane.”

“It’s just home.”

For the first time, I’m keenly aware of the differences between us—I live in my cousin’s shoebox on the first floor. He lives in his own castle overlooking the city. Everything I have—memo: nothing—is paltry compared to his digs. But I’m not jealous. I’m simply impressed and amazed at its beauty.

He grabs my wrist and pulls me close. “It doesn’t make you uncomfortable, does it?”

“What? Uncomfortable? No. It’s beautiful and stunning, and I’ve never seen anything like it. Why would it make me uncomfortable?”

He shrugs. “I just picked up on a vibe from you. I want you to like being here.”

I run my fingers up the buttons on his shirt. “Flynn, you’re here. That’s why I’m here. You can show me the rest of the place or you can just kiss me, and I’ll be happy either way.”

He hauls me in close and kisses the breath out of me. I am happy. I’m happy either way with him. Especially because he’s made me dinner, a veggie pasta dish that looks delicious.

I set the white wine I brought on the table, and he brings over the plates. We sit, and he asks how everything went with Kermit as he opens the bottle.

I give him the overview, ending with, “And he’s running the piece.”

“So it wasn’t all for naught?”

“It was definitely not for naught. It was all for naughty if you think about it, since it led me to you,” I say with a wink.