I tried to be the femme fatale, but when push came to steak, I couldn’t take dinner from Roman and sleep with him in the Emperor Suite. Color me shocked. Leaving abruptly after the dessert course wasn’t the plan when I stepped into the room, but it turns out there’s no manual for what to do after your carefully designed femme fatale act actually works.

Out in the courtyard on my lunch break, I sit in the sun and flip between the apps on my phone, my thumbs unsteady on the screen.

Last night revealed something to me, or maybe it was something I knew all along: I can’t do this with Roman. Not under false pretenses. Heat coils between my legs thinking of how utterly forbidden and hot it is to be wanted so badly by my boss, but my conscience is being a real Jiminy Cricket.

He was willing to cross that line for me. When Connor first offered me the job, I was sure I could do it—I could take that dark, evil part of me and get some mild revenge for all the times Roman failed to look past my frankly weird exterior in high school.

But that’s all bullshit, and I can’t deny the truth any longer.

That’s why it’s time to quit being a double agent. Working at the Bliss Resort is what I’ve wanted to be doing since I quit Global. Not exactly what I wanted. I wanted to make it on my own in New York, but if I can’t be doing that....

I shake that thought right out of my head. This is needless stalling. I know what I need to do, and there’s no way I’m ever going to be able to phrase it in a text message. Before I can lose my nerve, I bring up Connor’s number in my contacts and stab at the button to call him.

It rings once, then twice, and hope flares in my heart….

“Jenny!” His voice echoes jovially over the line, and I scowl down at my feet. The tilework underneath the umbrellaed tables out here is nicely detailed, but even good tile can’t make me thrilled that he answered. I was hoping for a voicemail. “Calling in to report good news? I saw the Bliss Instagram feed, by the way. Excellent work. If you keep this up, we’ll be in a great position to discuss regular contracts.”