Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
As much as I’d love to take a match to Aiden’s reputation the way he took a match to Nora’s, I don’t want to devote any more of our time to that piece of shit. He doesn’t deserve it.
“Done,” Nora and I say in unison.
And then it’s over—the most important meeting of my life. I follow Nora out of the office feeling like I’m walking on air. Did that just really happen? Did Nora just try to take a knee so I could get MD? And did the head of freaking sales and trading just offer us both promotions for being the awesome employees we are?
I have nothing to say except: Holy. Shit.
That, and, “Why the cheetah heels?”
Nora smiles at me over her shoulder as we make our way off the trading floor. “They’re my lucky pumps.”
“Really?” I hold the door open for her. “You wore them that first day because you thought you were getting promoted, but that didn’t happen. Wouldn’t make them your unlucky pumps?”
She pushes the button for the elevator. I refrain from sniffing her neck as she looks up at me and says, “They’re lucky because I wore them the day I met you.”
Not gonna lie, my heart skips a beat. I kiss her forehead. “And now you get lucky every night.”
“These are definitely the luckiest shoes ever.”
“Definitely the sexiest. Mind wearing them tonight? And nothing else?”
“That sounds fun,” Nora says, lips twitching. “How about a drink first? Martinis at Cap Grille?”
I pull back. “Cap Grille? But people will see us.”
“I know.” She hooks a finger in the top button of my shirt. “That’s why I picked it.”
“Can I flirt with you there?”
“You’d better.”
“Touch you?’
“Obviously.”
“Buy you dinner and eat it with you at the bar?”
“Only if you eat me afterward.”
“Such a pervert.” I hold out my hand as the doors slide open. “You have a deal, Nora.”
She takes my hand and gives it a firm shake before pulling me in for a kiss. “Spoiler alert, but I was the dealmaker all along.”
She’s right.
She’s perfect.
And now she’s mine. Best deal I’ve ever made, hands down.
THE END
Epilogue
@WSBathroom 5/10
March’s major leadership shakeup at A&T left us happily shocked. We believe Aiden Hempstead got what he deserved. Word around the campfire is he’s made calls to other investment banks, but no one will touch him with a ten-foot pole.
* * *
@WSBathroom 5/10
Also, the portfolio manager’s wife apparently left Aiden high and dry after a few weeks. She went back to her husband, and Aiden went back to whatever hole he lives in #karma
* * *
@WSBathroom 5/10
We also hear Nora Frasier is already making waves after taking over Aiden’s job as head of High-Grade Sales & Trading. She’s hired two female traders & is working on a leadership program that focuses on promoting minority candidates #TheFutureIsFemale #HellYeah
* * *
@WSBathroom 5/10
Theo Morgan, A&T’s newest managing director on the High-Yield desk, is said to be working on a ‘Banking Board of Ethics’ that aims to hold employees accountable for toxic behavior. Check out the Charlotte Observer’s take on the proposed board’s structure here: https://w83w.com
* * *
@WSBathroom 5/10
And now for some really juicy stuff: A&T’s quantitative genius Brooks Huntley was spotted inhaling a certain baker’s muffin. Pun 100% intended.
* * *
@WSBathroom 5/10
It gets even better: said baker is George Fieldstone’s sister. That’s right, Brooks may or may not be buttering up his colleague—and best friend’s—baby sibling. We wonder what George thinks of this exchange of baked goods.
* * *
@WSBathroom 5/10
We invite you to send us any and all dirty baking puns. The filthier, the better #ButterMyBiscuit
Nora
If I’d known what a smokeshow Theo is when he’s rowing, I would’ve come to watch him a hell of a lot sooner.
It’s a glorious May afternoon, the kind of day that makes you glad to be alive: seventy and sunny, with a nice breeze blowing off the Catawba River. I’ve got an ice-cold beer in my hand—Tennessee Brunette, a pilsner crafted by a female brewer in Nashville—and a crowd of friends around me. We’re gathered on the shady bank of the river at the National Whitewater Center, where Theo and his Duke buddies row on the weekends. I knew crew was a great workout.
I did not know Theo rows shirtless sometimes. Sweat coats his bare shoulders and chest, his tanned skin glinting in the sun as his muscles bunch and release with every stroke of his oar. George is in the boat with him, along with Brooks, Nicky, and Ian. But it’s obvious Theo steals the show. I’m already fantasizing about the hot shower sex we’ll have later when we get home.
“Good for you,” Keira murmurs over the rim of her solo cup beside me.
I grin. “I think I’ll keep him.”
“You two are freaking adorable together,” Greer says with a sigh. “Seriously, y’all, when am I going to stop being so awkward around guys that I finally find a shirtless stud of my own?”