4. Leta

4

LETA

" A nd just one last signature here, Miss Jones."

I've signed my name on these loan papers about a dozen times, but it's this last one that makes me hesitate. As soon as I sign that final line, the loan will officially be mine—and the weight of that is terrifying.

I raise my eyes from the papers to look at the bank officer I'm sitting across from. She's been so patient with me with all the questions I've had, and I hate to take up more of her time. But I can't ignore the tightness in my stomach right now, and I need to be absolutely sure I'm doing the right thing.

"Just to make sure I understand all the paperwork correctly," I say, "a maximum of three missed payments are allowed before the loan defaults, correct?"

She nods. "But an interest rate increase will be instated after one missed payment."

"Right. Okay." I lower my eyes to the last spot I need to sign. As scary as it is to take on this debt, it's my only realistic option if I don't want the tutoring center to be forced out of its current space.

And so I put my pen to the paper, and push the tip across the page, my loopy signature sealing the deal.

"Something's bothering you."

The expression on Jake's face is one I haven't seen before. It almost looks like there's real concern in his eyes.

Tonight—our third time meeting up for a no-strings-attached hookup—we're in the same hotel room as always. But I showed up a little late, and he was the one to let me into the room.

It's been a few days since we've seen each other. I wasn't even sure if I was going to hear from him again, because of his radio silence. And I was fine with that—I never expected this to be more than a one-time thing. But then today he popped up in my notifications, and here we are again, in the same beautiful room in the same beautiful hotel.

I thought I was leaving behind the worries of my life when I walked into this hotel room, but apparently I'm still wearing the stress from the day on my face.

"I'm fine," I say, turning my attention to the long mirror on the wall so I can check my hair.

Jake's frown reflects in the mirror. "Doesn't seem like you are. Are you sure you want to be here right now?"

"I wouldn't have come if I didn't want to be here."

He stares at me for a moment longer, then steps closer, the hard planes of his body settling against my back as he brings us into contact. Dipping his head into the crook of my neck, he plants a heated kiss on my skin as his hands slide around the girth of my hips.

I lean back against him, the sturdiness of his muscular body a much-needed comfort, and watch in the mirror as his hands tug up the hem of my skirt.

When his fingers disappear into my panties, I let out a sigh, desperately trying to surrender myself to the moment.

His fingers feel good on my clit. It's felt good every time he's touched me; he's taught me so much about the ways I like to be touched that I had no idea about. But right now I'm having too hard of a time letting myself relax. Real life is too much in the way.

I close my eyes and try to focus solely on the moment. His kisses. His touch. His hard-on pressing against my ass. These are all very, very good things , I remind myself. You like these things. Don't ruin this moment with him.

But then his hand stops. His lips lift from my neck. And when I open my eyes, I see him watching me in the mirror with that damn frown on his face again.

"You're somewhere else right now."

I shake my head. "I'm here."

"No. You're tense. Your whole damn body is wound tight."

"I told you. I'm fine."

He exhales, looking irritated. "You know what one of my biggest pet peeves is? People insisting on something when it's obvious the opposite is true. What's going on?"

I press my lips together. I really don't want to get into it. My time with him is supposed to be carefree. Even if it would help to talk about it, I know he doesn't want to spend our time that way.

"Does this have to do with your tutoring center?" he asks.

I hesitate, but then nod. "I took out a loan a few days ago to be able to pay the new rent my landlord is demanding. It's a relief to know I won't have to move anytime soon, but now I'm stressed about the loan payments."

His frown turns disapproving. "Interest rates are through the roof right now."

"Yes, they are," I say, annoyed at his choice of response. "I'm well aware."

"I could have found a better arrangement for you."

I stare at him in the mirror. "What?"

"A lower interest rate. Or something with a delayed repayment."

Why is he telling me this? It's not helpful. Taking a steadying breath, I say, "Well, it's already taken care of."

"All right. Anything else?"

"Anything else what?"

"That's bothering you."

What's bothering me more than anything right now is the way he's acting. If he'd even shown the tiniest bit of empathy, it would have gone a long way. Instead, he chose to admonish me about interest rates. Does he really expect me to want to drop my panties after that?

This isn't a relationship, I remind myself. It's just about sex.

True. But I'm even less turned on than I was when I walked into this hotel room. No amount of strong, sexy muscles or dirty talk is going to get me in the right state of mind.

I meet Jake's eyes in the mirror. He's watching me carefully.

"I think we should take a rain check on tonight," I say.

"Yep," he says, pulling away from me. "Agreed."

The next morning, I'm in my back office at the tutoring center, quickly checking my inbox before I move on to setting up the desks, when I see an email that makes me freeze.

"What?" I murmur under my breath. "No. This can't be for real."

I click on the email and stare at its contents in disbelief. A $10,000 donation. We've never received anything so generous. This has to be a fraudulent email, right? Someone must have hacked into the system and sent this as a joke.

But everything about the email looks identical to the ones we usually receive when a donation is made. Nothing about it aside from the absurd dollar amount raises a red flag.

My eyes fall to the name of the donor.

What the hell is Thorne Industries?

A quick internet search brings me to a website that leaves me even more confused. It's impossible to even tell what this business does. The copy on their website is full of vague obscure jargon, like innovative ecosystems and strategic growth initiatives and agile transformation .

Then, like a light switch being flipped, I understand. I still don't understand why , but I understand who. I click on the Leadership tab in the navigation and, sure, enough, there's his name.

Jake Magnuson, CEO.