Bargaining with Bryce

Pov

Cora

Bryce continued to invade my thoughts. And not just because he was hot as hell.

I had made a fool of myself, and he had been more than gallant. The man caught me in the act of theft. Of all things! But he had been nothing but a knight in shining armor about it. It made me melt all over again as I replayed the scene in my mind while driving home.

I parked in front of the modest house I shared with my mom and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. I was a mess of emotions—embarrassed he caught me, yet relieved to have electricity and food for the month.

I didn't want my mom to see me like this. I had to be strong so she could focus on getting better.

When she was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer two years ago, my world shattered.

She meant everything to me. My dad had abandoned her before I was born. He'd been a non-entity in my life. No birthday cards or calls—let alone seeing him every other weekend like other kids did with their dads. Child support or any financial help for me or my mom all these years? Forget it!

It was just me and mom against the world.

For years, she worked three jobs to keep us afloat. After her diagnosis, I abandoned all my plans to do the same for her.

I had just graduated from college with great job prospects in advertising. But mom's surgery and other treatments left her weak as a kitten. There was no one else to help, no other family or friends who could provide the round-the-clock care she needed. So I stepped up. I turned down job offers to take care of her. And I never thought twice about it.

By some miracle, she was now in remission. But she was still too weak to work. She was getting better each day, but had a long way to go.

Until she could stand on her own two feet and work full days again, I'd fight as hard as I needed to. It was time to repay her for everything she'd done for me.

She deserved it more than anyone I knew.

And she didn't need to witness my emotional rollercoaster on top of it all. I didn't want to burden her.

That's why I hadn't told her how bad our finances had gotten. I had taken odd jobs over the past two years whenever I could—dog walking and babysitting. It helped a little. But without a steady income for two years, we'd blown through our small savings and maxed out our credit cards.

I didn't tell her we were in a hole. I'd get us out of it, so the worry would be unnecessary, and the stress would only hinder her recovery.

Unfortunately, those great job offers had dried up. After two years out of school and the job market, the internship at Hollis Marketing was the best I could find. The upside was the company paid its full-time employees well. If I could last long enough to be hired permanently, I'd be able to keep us afloat.

My only concern was running out of money before that happened.

When the front door opened—she probably heard my car—I put on a smile and hopped out.

"I have a surprise," I said and popped the trunk.

Mom came slowly toward the car.

She peeked into the trunk, eyeing the glorious sight of several shopping bags filled with groceries and household items. I hadn't been able to do a big grocery shopping like this in ages, and the trunk full of food was a relief for both of us. Her eyes widened, and she brought her hands to her face.

"Where did you get all this?" she asked.

"At the grocery store, mom," I said, rolling my eyes in mock sarcasm. But I was smiling. I kissed her cheek. "Why don't you go inside while I put this away? I'll make dinner."

"Oh, honey," Mom said. Her eyes welled up. "I thought we were struggling more than you were letting on, but this..." Her voice trailed off. I patted her shoulder.

"I told you, I've got everything under control."

A pang of guilt washed over me for lying to her. But right now, that didn't matter. I had to keep Mom out of the loop for her own good.

We enjoyed the first decent meal we'd shared in weeks, and she laughed as I recounted the highlights of my day. I didn't mention my two encounters with Bryce Hollis.

After we ate, Mom seemed to have used up all her energy. She started dozing off on the couch. I gently nudged her, and she blinked her eyes open.

"Let's get you to bed, Mom," I said.

After making sure Mom had taken her meds and was in bed, I returned to the living room and started cleaning up. As I put away some stray items that were lying around, I came across a stack of envelopes I had received some time ago and forgotten about.

Some of them had angry red stamps on them. I swallowed hard, my stomach churning as I sat down on the couch.

I opened the envelopes one by one. As I read the words, my stomach sank, and I felt sick.

I could pay the gas and water bills with the remaining money Bryce gave me, and I could manage the minimum payments on the medical bills and car insurance, but the mortgage...

My hand clutched my stomach as it churned with anxiety.

I hadn't realized how far behind I'd gotten. I had a notice of foreclosure, and they were much less forgiving than some of the other services I occasionally risked.

I pressed my hand against my forehead.

It'll be okay, I tried to convince myself.

Until I opened the last letter.

An eviction notice for the house. Proceedings would begin next week.

The blood drained from my face. The world around me tilted slightly before righting itself. I knew I was behind on the mortgage, but I hadn't realized it was this serious.

We couldn't lose the house—where would we go? We had no other family to turn to. Mom was an only child, like me, and her parents had passed away years ago. I had no contact with my dad's side of the family. Hell, I wouldn't even know where to start looking if relying on them were an option.

I covered my face with my hands and tried to hold back the tears. I needed a miracle. If we lost the house, everything I was fighting for would crumble. I couldn't let Mom down. I was working my ass off. Failure wasn't an option.

Something had to give.

Instead of allowing myself to collapse, I got up and did what I could. I paid the gas bill, the minimum amount on the medical bills, and the car insurance. I sat at the table with a calculator, trying to figure out how I could pay the mortgage.

I just didn't make enough money. Maybe I could take on more babysitting jobs. I could work three jobs at once.

Or should I focus my efforts on applying for a new marketing job and hope it pays more?

But there was no good solution. Every employer wanted someone with experience, which I didn't have much of. And even if I worked day and night doing odd jobs, I still couldn't cover the mounting bills.

Defeated, I dragged myself to bed. I closed my eyes tightly, praying it would all go away.

Mom was still asleep when I left the house the next morning. I was relieved I didn't have to put on a brave face in front of her when I felt like crying. I was sick with worry. If I broke down in front of Mom, she'd know something was seriously wrong. I couldn't do that to her.

It was easier to pretend at the office where almost no one knew me well. Even Avery, who knew most of what I was going through, didn't know how bad things had gotten.

When I got to my desk, Avery was already there. She looked excited.

"So, Bryce Hollis was here, looking for you," she said immediately.

"What?" My stomach churned again. Had he changed his mind about the theft? About the money? Surely he didn't want me to pay him back. "What did he want?"

"Why the hell would he tell me that?" Avery asked. "He just said you should go to his office when you get in."

"Ah," I said. I wiped my sweaty palms on my skirt.

"What do you think it's about?" Avery asked excitedly. She couldn't see how this could be a bad thing. Oh, if she only knew.

"I don't know," I lied. Because I was pretty sure I knew what it was about. I was sure he had changed his mind.

"Go!" Avery said. "Don't keep the man waiting. It's Bryce Hollis, for crying out loud!"

I shook my head, swallowed hard, and tried to offer Avery a smile that failed miserably before walking over to the elevator and riding it up to the top floor.

When the doors opened, I looked around. The top floor was nothing like the rest of the building—not that I was much taller than my own floor. The carpet under my feet was plush, my heels sinking into it as I walked to the reception desk. The waiting area had large leather sofas, a fern that looked happier than any houseplant I'd ever seen, and a coffee station complete with a barista.

"May I help you?" the receptionist asked with a polite smile. She had immaculate blonde hair, and her lips were a deep red. Even the top-floor employees were chic.

"I'm Cora Rhodes," I said. "I think Mr. Hollis asked for me."

"You can go in, Miss Rhodes," she said with a smile that seemed genuine and warm. "He's expecting you."

When she said that, my throat closed up, and a wave of nausea washed over me. As I walked to his office, passing what looked like a living room with a bar and a conference room with plush chairs and a large screen, I tried to rehearse what I would say to him.

I'd pay back the money as soon as I could. I'd replace the toilet paper. I'd beg him not to fire me because my mom was sick.

I just needed more time.

When I stepped into Bryce's office, my steps faltered. It was even more luxurious than the rest of the floor, with expansive windows overlooking Los Angeles—there was even a glimpse of the ocean in the distance—and large bookshelves filled with serious-looking books and leather-bound journals.

Bryce leaned against a large mahogany desk, arms crossed over his chest as he looked out at the city. His sleeves were rolled up, and his biceps bulged. I forced myself not to look and cleared my throat.

When he saw me, he stepped away from the desk and smiled.

"Cora," he said. His voice caressed my skin, and I tried to gauge his mood. He didn't seem upset. That was a good start, right? "You can close the door."

I turned and did as he asked.

"Is this serious?" I blurted out when he didn't say anything.

He laughed. "What?"

"I've never been called up here before. Am I in trouble? Is this about yesterday? I promise that—"

"It's not about yesterday, Cora," he interrupted. "I need to talk to you."

"Okay," I said.

"Sit down," he said, pointing to one of the two leather chairs facing his desk.

I sat, perched on the edge of the expensive seat. He leaned against his desk again, gripping the edge. My eyes passed over his hands. They were huge. I quickly averted my gaze, determined to look only at his face. But I couldn't help noticing his broad shoulders and sculpted physique. That button-down shirt did little to hide his strong, dominant body.

I cleared my throat. A line of sweat appeared on my scalp as I shifted in the chair.

Great. Now I'm sweating in front of Bryce Hollis.

He studied my face for a long moment, and I fought back a blush. Was he just messing with me, enjoying seeing me squirm?

I couldn't take it anymore. "Why am I here?" I finally asked.

"I helped you out yesterday," he said.

I nodded slowly. "And I'm completely grateful for that."

God, was he going to hold that against me? I should have known. I hadn't thought there would be strings attached. But with a man like Bryce—a man who probably had more women on his resume, literally, than there were employees in his company—of course, he'd want something from me.

"Well, I need you to return the favor," he said.

I was afraid to ask, but I had to know.

"What do you want?"

Sex? Probably sex. Oh God. And I was a virgin. How the hell was I going to get out of this?

"Marry me," he said.