Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
She shook her head. "I know you'd be joking."
He raised a brow. "How come?"
"Because you don't seem the type," she answered honestly. Despite his rather wickedly offhand attitude to most things, Kady's guts told her that one flaw her boss would never be guilty of was being a fake. He simply didn't strike her as the type to be weak or shallow enough to change himself to suit other people's—-
What was he doing?
Too late she saw the pair of glasses her boss had set next to the tray. Panicking at the thought of having to share even just a drink with him, she blurted out, "I think I should go—-"
"Too late, little chick. Just give in gracefully and have supper with me."
Kady watched her boss take a seat on the couch.
The billionaire's gaze turned thoughtful. "It's your choice," he said pleasantly. "Do you sit next to me—-" He tapped the extra space on the couch. "Or on my lap—-" He had barely finished talking when Kady hastily took her place next to him, and Slade grinned. "Thought so." He gestured to the selection of drinks he had taken out of the minibar. "Pick your poison."
"Just apple juice, if that's okay?"
He glanced at her oddly. "It's your drink."
Kady avoided meeting Slade's curious blue eyes at his words, not wanting to tell him the countless times Margaux's boyfriends had made fun of her every time she refused to drink alcohol with them.
Seeing Slade cut his sandwich into halves and realizing he was going to offer her one, Kady started shaking her head-—
"Your choice again," he reminded her. "Do I feed you or—-"
She practically snatched the halved sandwich from his hands. "Thank you very much," Kady said quickly.
Seeing her hesitate, he said gently, "You can say grace."
A small, shy smile flashed on her lips. "Thanks." As soon as she was done praying, he saw her take a huge bite right after, and the billionaire had to cough to hide his laugher, knowing that it was her way of giving him zero chances to change his mind.
After taking a bite of the sandwich, he remarked casually, "Good, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir."
The billionaire grimaced. "Shouldn't you be calling me Slade by now?"
Kady started squirming. "It's just..."
"You like him more than you like me," he finished for her.
Her eyes widened. "No, of course not—-"
"Then you like me?"
"I don't—-"
His lips tightened. "I knew it. You were just lying earlier. You don't like me."
"But I do—-"
"I thought so, too," her too-handsome boss purred, and Kady, seeing the wolfish gleam in Slade's eyes, almost groaned at the realization that he had set up the whole thing.
"You're impossible," she burst out, sheer exasperation for once winning over the usual nervousness his proximity evoked.
He tsk-tsked. "You mean irresistible."
"No, I do not—-"
"Of course you do," he asserted silkily. "You're just having a hard time admitting the truth to yourself."
Kady could only shake her head. "You're so hard to understand—-"
"That's fine, little chick. I won't hold it against you," he said generously. "As long as you're attracted to me, it's all good—-"
She almost choked. "Mr. Wyndham!"
"Slade," he reminded her.
"If I call you Slade," Kady couldn't help muttering under her breath, "will you at least promise to stop this?"
"This?"
She made a face. "You know what I'm talking about."
"Perhaps you should spell it out," he suggested, "just so I can be certain we're thinking about the same thing."
Squirming once again, Kady found herself practically choking on the word. "F-Flirting."
"Ah." Laughter flashed in his gaze, and Kady realized he had simply once again manipulated her into doing something she didn't want. Aaaaaargh!
"So you think I'm flirting with you," Slade drawled.
The words caught her off guard. "But...I...you..."
"Are correct, of course," he cut in with a grin. “I am flirting with you."
Kady had the craziest urge to slam her head on the coffee table. Repeatedly. "Please stop making fun of me. I really don't get it, especially after..."
Slade's smile disappeared at the way Kady suddenly stopped speaking. "Especially after what?"
"I know what happened to the other waitresses," she revealed in a small voice. "Farica—-"
Should've kept her mouth shut, he thought grimly.
"She told me how all of them had done their best to hook up with you, and that at least one of them had even threatened to sue you for sexual harassment." The only reason the case hadn't even seen the light of day was how every square foot of the cafe was under CCTV surveillance, and the footage had proved very damning...against the women.
"So you see..." Lowering her gaze to her lap, she mumbled, "I just don't get why—-"
"I'm different with you?" Slade asked.
Kady slowly nodded.
"To be honest...I'm not sure myself."
The blunt tone of her boss' voice had Kady looking up, and his lips tilted in a mocking fashion as her gaze tentatively met his.
"I've never been the jealous or possessive type," the billionaire shared pensively, "but there's just something about you that brings out the caveman in me. Having the ability to make you squirm and jump gives me unparalleled pleasure—-"