Chapter 60: I Need Your Advice
Winn stood frozen for a breath, his chest heavy. So they fixed things, huh? he thought bitterly.
He stalked into his office, the door shutting behind him with a hiss. He threw himself into the chair, trying to shake her out of his head.
Thirty minutes later, the door creaked open and Joey slipped inside, his expression guarded. "Ivy said you wanted to see me," he said.
"Yeah." Winn leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. His eyes narrowed with an intensity that made Joey shift. "I need your advice. I’ll do whatever you tell me to. Joey. Matters like these are not my strong suit."
Joey’s brow lifted in surprise. "I thought you’d still be mad at me. You know, with the whole sleeping with Sylvia and all."
"It’s as much her fault as it is yours."
Joey took a seat, slouching comfortably into the chair across Winn’s desk. He kicked one ankle over his knee. "Alright, hit me."
"I am caught between two women. Ivy and Sharona."
"Why is Sharona a candidate?" he asked slowly, as if Winn had just suggested marrying a brick wall.
"She cares for my sister. She already understands her needs. She knows Sylvia needs constant attention, especially with the fright she just gave us."
Joey leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, eyes narrowing. "I don’t understand. All the things you listed about Sharona have to do with Sylvia. What do you want?"
"I want Ivy."
Joey sat back, a smile tugging at his mouth. "Then marry Ivy."
"How about Sylvia?"
Joey groaned, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling. "Sylvia isn’t a child. Stop treating her like one."
"She’s fragile," Winn shot back, leaning forward, his eyes fierce. "And then have her attempt to kill herself again? Is that what you want? I cannot lose her. She has always been in my corner."
Joey sighed in resignation, raking a hand through his hair.
"Listen. Think. Think about what will make you... you... happy. You don’t have time, Winn. The investors expect you to be legally married in two months. If you don’t tie the knot, they’ll pull out of the project faster than a bad one-night stand. But you can save the project and be happy at the same time."
He nodded at last. "Alright."
*****
That night, Winn lingered long after the office floor had gone quiet.
He stood behind his desk, staring at the intercom button, his thumb hovering.
When he was sure it was only the two of them left on the admin floor, he pressed the buzzer. The faint crackle of the line filled the silence.
A few minutes later, Ivy stepped into his office. The door closed with a soft thunk behind her.
Winn pushed back from behind his desk. He rose to his full height, shoulders broad. His eyes found hers and held them as if they were the only anchor he had. He moved toward her, and Ivy’s body reacted before her mind could stop her.
She stepped back, almost stumbling into the door, wanting—needing—to create as much space as possible. Because she feared herself. Because one wrong look, one wrong breath, and she’d melt into him.
"What’s the deal with you and Steve?" Winn asked at last. He shoved his hands into his pockets as if he didn’t trust them not to reach for her. "I need the truth."
She straightened her shoulders, grasping at her composure. "Why? Why do I have to give you details about my relationships?" She wanted to add when you have your steady piece on the side—Sharona’s smug threat still fresh in her memory—but she bit her tongue.
"Because I thought you were into me," Winn said simply. "I thought you wanted me as much as I wanted you."
How dare he make it sound so easy, so simple, when everything between them was chaos. "Mr. Kane," she said finally. "I cannot do this."
His brow furrowed at her words. "I need to know what we are supposed to be. Are you just my boss?" Her chest heaved. "Are we dating? Are we just fooling around? I need to know."
He closed the gap between them just enough for her to feel the heat rolling off him.
"Why can’t it be all of the above?" Winn asked. He wanted her in his office, under him in bed, next to him at dinner, in his shadow and in his light.
Ivy’s heart thundered against her ribs, because his words were temptation itself. Because part of her wanted to say yes, to surrender to being everything to him.
"Because I saw you with that woman at the hospital, and clearly, you seem to be more interested in her."
Winn exhaled, running a hand through his hair. He knew instantly what she was referring to. That hug—so brief, so meaningless to him—had apparently become a wall between them. "Ivy..." he said. "You’ve read too much into that. It wasn’t what you think."
He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, fighting the urge to grab her and shake the jealousy out of her. That explained why she had iced over, why she’d treated him with clipped professionalism these past few days.
His next words, however, startled her. "If... if I asked you to marry me, what would you say?"
"Excuse me?" Her heart stuttered in her chest, beating wildly from shock. Marriage? That was not a word she expected to hear from him.
"Like I said, if," Winn repeated with a shrug that tried to look casual.
Her eyes narrowed. "Does this have anything to do with the investors?" The sharpness in her tone could have cut glass. She knew him well enough now to recognize the timing wasn’t coincidental.
"You’re too smart for your own good." He gave a humorless laugh. "But yes. They gave me a deadline. Two months. If I’m not married by then, they pull out."
Ivy folded her arms across her chest, creating a barrier between them. "Mr. Kane, I..."