Read Online The Millionaire Tempted Fate (A Novella) (Sweet and Savory Romances) by Shirley Jump - Free Book Online
Authors: Shirley Jump
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After his run, he spent a half hour wandering around his apartment, aimless, before he realized he had no idea what to do with his Friday nights when he wasn’t with Angie. Usually, he’d be grabbing some takeout and a few movies to watch with her. Becky had reserved Friday nights for girls’ night, which left that one night as Max and Angie night, a tradition that he’d held for so long, Max stood at a loss with the empty hours ahead of him.
Finally, he gave up and did what he always did when he was at loose ends—he headed back into the office. At least there, he could spend some productive hours. Friday would blur into Saturday before Max even noticed. He told himself that if he could just get from here to Valentine’s Day, to the day he proposed to Becky, then his world would be set to rights again, and he wouldn’t feel this…
Need.
No, not need, a craving . It went beyond sex, and into a part of Max that was deep inside his brain and heart, the part that had been touched by Angie’s friendship, yet still cried out for more.
Insane thoughts. He was just nervous about proposing, that was all.
The light in the office across the hall was still on, and Max beelined for that space first. "I see I’m not the only one working after hours."
Todd Hawking, Max’s partner, looked up from the pile of papers on his desk. Todd was tall and lean, with dark hair and a ready smile. "It’s the only time I can get anything done. No phone ringing, no one stopping in my office to ask me a question, no meetings. Just me and all this fun."
Max settled into the dark brown leather chair across from Todd’s desk. "Working Friday nights is counterproductive to having a life, you know. And didn’t you say that having more free time was your New Year’s resolution?"
Todd took off his glasses, leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. "Did I say that at the company Christmas party again? You gotta stop serving bourbon, Max. It makes me maudlin."
"Yup. Just like you said it last year, too. And I think the year before."
"If I remember right, we both made that promise. Last year. And the year before."
"I’m the one with an engagement ring already bought."
"Bought, not given yet." Todd arched a brow. "Waiting to be sure?"
"Becky’s out of town. She’ll be home on Valentine’s Day. I’ve got a whole romantic evening planned."
"You’re really going to do it? Propose to someone you’ve only known for three months?"
"She fits all the parameters of the right woman for me—"
"There’s a romantic statement if I ever heard one." Todd chuckled. "God, you sound like an accountant."
"Or a financial advisor?" Max grinned.
"Takes one to know one."
"True." Max had known Todd for ten years. They’d met in college, joined the same study group, and found that their personalities and approach to investing meshed. When they graduated and Max threw out the idea of going into business together, Todd jumped at the idea. Within a year, the pair had taken the company from a drafty two-room office in Southie to their present location a block from Government Center. A staff of forty managed the day-to-day in the Boston office, and plans were in place to open a second location in Manhattan next year. The business had surpassed all their expectations and made both of them very, very rich men. But at a cost, they both knew. A cost of having a wife, children, a life outside the demands of entrepreneurship.
"You know what we’d say to a client that did that?" Todd asked, pushing his work to one side. "Someone who made a checklist of pros and cons and tried to make a financial decision based solely on a spreadsheet?"
"We’d tell them to trust their gut, to go with what they felt deep inside was the right choice."
Todd steepled his fingers and leaned forward. "And why would picking a wife be any different?"
"Are you comparing investing to getting married?" Max snorted. "They’re not even close to the same
After his run, he spent a half hour wandering around his apartment, aimless, before he realized he had no idea what to do with his Friday nights when he wasn’t with Angie. Usually, he’d be grabbing some takeout and a few movies to watch with her. Becky had reserved Friday nights for girls’ night, which left that one night as Max and Angie night, a tradition that he’d held for so long, Max stood at a loss with the empty hours ahead of him.
Finally, he gave up and did what he always did when he was at loose ends—he headed back into the office. At least there, he could spend some productive hours. Friday would blur into Saturday before Max even noticed. He told himself that if he could just get from here to Valentine’s Day, to the day he proposed to Becky, then his world would be set to rights again, and he wouldn’t feel this…
Need.
No, not need, a craving . It went beyond sex, and into a part of Max that was deep inside his brain and heart, the part that had been touched by Angie’s friendship, yet still cried out for more.
Insane thoughts. He was just nervous about proposing, that was all.
The light in the office across the hall was still on, and Max beelined for that space first. "I see I’m not the only one working after hours."
Todd Hawking, Max’s partner, looked up from the pile of papers on his desk. Todd was tall and lean, with dark hair and a ready smile. "It’s the only time I can get anything done. No phone ringing, no one stopping in my office to ask me a question, no meetings. Just me and all this fun."
Max settled into the dark brown leather chair across from Todd’s desk. "Working Friday nights is counterproductive to having a life, you know. And didn’t you say that having more free time was your New Year’s resolution?"
Todd took off his glasses, leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. "Did I say that at the company Christmas party again? You gotta stop serving bourbon, Max. It makes me maudlin."
"Yup. Just like you said it last year, too. And I think the year before."
"If I remember right, we both made that promise. Last year. And the year before."
"I’m the one with an engagement ring already bought."
"Bought, not given yet." Todd arched a brow. "Waiting to be sure?"
"Becky’s out of town. She’ll be home on Valentine’s Day. I’ve got a whole romantic evening planned."
"You’re really going to do it? Propose to someone you’ve only known for three months?"
"She fits all the parameters of the right woman for me—"
"There’s a romantic statement if I ever heard one." Todd chuckled. "God, you sound like an accountant."
"Or a financial advisor?" Max grinned.
"Takes one to know one."
"True." Max had known Todd for ten years. They’d met in college, joined the same study group, and found that their personalities and approach to investing meshed. When they graduated and Max threw out the idea of going into business together, Todd jumped at the idea. Within a year, the pair had taken the company from a drafty two-room office in Southie to their present location a block from Government Center. A staff of forty managed the day-to-day in the Boston office, and plans were in place to open a second location in Manhattan next year. The business had surpassed all their expectations and made both of them very, very rich men. But at a cost, they both knew. A cost of having a wife, children, a life outside the demands of entrepreneurship.
"You know what we’d say to a client that did that?" Todd asked, pushing his work to one side. "Someone who made a checklist of pros and cons and tried to make a financial decision based solely on a spreadsheet?"
"We’d tell them to trust their gut, to go with what they felt deep inside was the right choice."
Todd steepled his fingers and leaned forward. "And why would picking a wife be any different?"
"Are you comparing investing to getting married?" Max snorted. "They’re not even close to the same
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