Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“She’s gone?” I ask.
Efa nods.
“Have you told anyone?” I ask. It’s a juvenile question. If she has, she’s not going to admit it.
“I want a job,” she replies.
“I’m not going to get you fired,” I say. Is that what she thinks of me? I’m not an asshole, despite what my friends might say.
“Not here,” she says like I’m an idiot. “I want a job at—” She stops and looks over her shoulder, even though we’re the only two people in this suite. “At Fort,” she whispers.
“What kind of job?” I ask.
“I don’t care as long as it’s with you.” She must see my expression of shock when she says the words. “Not you, you. You, because you’re CEO at Fort. Let me sharpen pencils. I don’t care what job. Any job. I want to learn. It’s part of the reason I wanted to come to New York. I wanted to work for you—Fort, I mean.”
“What if I say no?”
A crease appears between her brows. “I won’t give up. I think I’d be an asset.”
“What do you mean you won’t give up?” I ask. Do I believe she’s my stalker? No. Do I believe she’s not told anyone who I am? Maybe. But that doesn’t mean I trust her. Does it? I don’t trust anyone.
“I mean, I’ll do whatever it takes for you to give me a job.”
I was afraid of this. Even if she stumbled onto my identity accidentally, and our meeting wasn’t premeditated, she has all the power now.
“So you’d blackmail me?” I ask.
“What? That’s not what I’m saying. I’m asking you for a job.”
“And if I say no?”
She comes out from behind the bar and heads toward me. On the way, she spots something on the coffee table in front of the sofa. She stops, rubs whatever it is with the blue cloth she’s holding. As she bends, I can see down the front of her uniform, her milky, soft skin that I know tastes delicious, the valley between her breasts that my tongue has traveled. I can’t look away. It’s like I’ve developed a fault and I’ve lost all self-control. I’m Narcissus addicted to his reflection, Icarus flying toward the sun. No matter that the woman in front of me could ruin me, I can’t stop staring.
She bends lower now. She’s discovered something else. Her dress rides up her thighs and I’m practically panting because I want the material to go higher. And even though I’ve seen it all before, I want more.
Abruptly, she stands and resumes her journey toward me.
“If you say no…” She stands before me and puts one hand on a hip. “You can’t say no. Or at least, you shouldn’t. I’m clever. I graduated almost top of my class. I’m discreet, as you know. I’ll be a real asset. Plus, I’m British. Every organization can benefit from someone with a different accent on staff.”
The last thing I need at work is this woman, distracting me just walking across the office. “Discreet?” I ask, intrigued.
“Christ on a bike, you don’t need to act dumb. I know exactly who you are and we banged. I’ve not told a soul about either thing. And believe me, there are plenty of people who would like to know. Focus on the positive: fresh blood, new eyes. I’ll be good for you.”
Her words vibrate in my chest and I take a deep breath, trying to push them aside.
“We have plenty of fresh blood. What will you do if I say no?”
“I’ll convince you.” She glances around the room. “Look how well I clean your room. I’ve only been at the job for two days and look how quickly I’ve picked everything up. I’m the same with coding. Precise. Committed. Detail-orientated. I don’t stop until everything is complete.
“And it’s not just coding I’m good at. Algos are my jam. I did a module on data security too. Best of all, I want to learn. From the best.”
“I don’t sleep with my employees,” I say.
“Okay, well… bummer, but we won’t sleep together.”
“That ship has sailed.” Much to my dick’s disappointment, judging by my current blood flow.
“Clean slate. We can pretend it never happened.”
My eyes widen. “Really?” I ask. It’s teasing. Borderline flirtatious, but I just can’t help it. There’s no way she’s going to forget coming so often in one night. It was more than obvious that it wasn’t a regular occurrence.
“I’m sure the memories will fade with time.” She narrows her eyes slightly. “But if you wanted to relax the rule about not fucking the staff, I’d be happy to… keep those memories sharp.”
A smile curls around her lips, and I shake my head with a small grin.
I stand so we’re facing each other. “Problem is, I can’t hire you, because I still want to fuck you.”
What is the matter with me? I should be doing damage control. This woman should have already had correspondence with my lawyers. I’m setting myself up for a fall—which I never do, both on principle and for practicality.