Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
“No,” she replied quietly. “The only other shoes I own are a pair of sneakers. That’s all I ever wore at my other job. Oh, and some flip-flops. I realize I’ll need to get other shoes for this job, I just didn’t have a chance today.”
Actually, she’d hit the thrift stores today, but hadn’t found anything in her size. The only shoes she’d seen were for women who had dainty feet.
Not elephant feet like hers.
Grady started tapping on his phone. “Raul, we’re going shopping first. Do you know anywhere that is likely to be open?”
“Yep,” Raul said. “I know someone who will stay open late for us.”
“Won’t we be late for dinner?” she asked.
“No,” Steele replied.
No?
“Um, what are we going shopping for?” she asked.
“Shoes.”
Her eyes widened. “Shoes?”
Grady put up a finger as he spoke quietly into the phone. She glanced over at Steele, who was staring at Grady curiously.
“We can’t go shopping for shoes,” she said desperately. Surely, Steele would be the voice of reason.
“Sure we can,” Steele said. “Raul knows someone. Raul knows everyone.”
She turned back to Grady as he ended his call. “I can’t afford new shoes.”
Grady eyed her calmly.
“I’m paying,” Steele told her.
“No.” She shook her head. “You cannot buy me new shoes.”
“I can.”
“Signing bonus,” Grady said.
“A signing bonus for a personal assistant job? That doesn’t happen.”
“This won’t be the easiest job,” Grady told her. “It will require you to work odd hours. To do a number of different tasks. You’re going to need to be dressed appropriately at all times.”
She felt herself growing red. Grady was dressed as impeccably as he had been yesterday. In clothes that looked expensive. So was Steele. While she was in a ten-year-old coat that had definitely seen better days.
“I don’t need a signing bonus. I’ve already agreed to work for Grady. I think you’ve already figured out that I’m desperate.”
“We need to teach you how to negotiate better,” Steele told her. “Aim high and allow some wriggle room to be negotiated down. But never tell someone you’re desperate.”
She pulled at her earring. They were cute teddy bears. Steele reached over to pull her hand away. Oh Lord, what was happening here? This wasn’t normal boss-employee behavior. And she didn’t know what to say to stop it.
Or if she even wanted to stop it.
“Feet,” Grady commanded, setting his phone down.
“Sorry?”
“Give me your feet.”
She continued to stare at him.
“Now.”
She raised her feet into the air and he grabbed them with his firm, warm fingers.
“Your feet are freezing. You won’t be wearing these again.”
Dear Lord, he was bossy. She turned to look at Steele. “And he said you were the bossy one.”
Steele just nodded. “I am.”
That did not bode well for her. She swallowed heavily. Then Grady drew her heels off.
“Wait, I still need them,” she said as he threw them onto the floor.
“No, you don’t.”
Then how the heck was she going to get from the car to the shoe store?
The car turned and she put her hand on her stomach with a muffled groan.
“Everything okay?” Steele asked.
“Can we crack a window?”
Grady’s gaze shot to hers right as Raul took another turn. He wasn’t driving erratically or anything. But riding backward, combined with the fact that she’d eaten nothing but candy today, was making her stomach turn.
“Raul, pull over,” Steele commanded.
Grady leaned over and undid her seatbelt. She didn’t have it in her to protest as he opened the door and jumped out. Reaching in, he grabbed her. Suddenly, Steele was there, taking hold of her and carrying her over to the side of the road. He put her on her feet and she leaned over, dry-retching.
At least there wasn’t anything in her stomach to come up.
“Here. Sip this,” Grady commanded, coming up next to her.
She turned to see him holding out a bottle of water to her. She reached for it, but he drew it back.
“No. I’ll do it. You just drink.”
This was definitely not boss-employee behavior. But she wasn’t feeling well enough to protest. Steele had his thick arm around her waist, holding her against him. And she knew that if he let go, she’d probably fall to the ground.
Grady tipped the bottle of water up so she could sip at it.
“Slowly,” Grady warned. “You don’t want to throw it back up.”
She took some cautious sips, then attempted to stand, only to realize that Steele held her up in the air so her feet were dangling inches off the ground.
“I can stand now,” she said.
“No, you can’t,” Steele countered.
“Yes, I can. I won’t collapse.”
“You aren’t standing, Spitfire, because you’ve got no shoes on.”
Oh. Right.
She didn’t. Crap.
“Are you still feeling ill?” Grady asked, moving in front of them.
“No, I’m all good.”
Grady’s eyes narrowed. “Another way of saying fine. Which we weren’t going to say anymore.”
Drat. He was right.
“Should have told us you weren’t feeling well, Spitfire,” Steele scolded.