Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 78249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
I swallowed. God dammit. What the hell was she trying to do?
“Do you take anything seriously?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said, her small hands idly coming up to straighten my already-straight tie and lapels. “And I don’t really hide my feelings, so I’m going to come out and say this.”
“Don’t,” I said.
“I find you frustrating but incredibly interesting,” she said, ignoring my request for her to stop. “You act like you’re mad at the world, but you obviously care. About your company, your sister, maybe even your employees. You could probably just hire a bodyguard to keep the hate notes employees from harrassing you each morning, but you suffer through the notes every single day. And why? It makes me curious about you. The real you. The one you hide under all the grumpy gruffness.”
“This is the real me,” I said, taking a step back. “And I deal with the notes because I enjoy bleeding Patricia Rosh dry. Bribing her employees so she constantly has to fire and hire new ones is incredibly expensive for a small, upstart company like hers. It’s a business move. Nothing more.”
She tilted her head, studying me. “You’re really good at being angry, you know that? It’s kind of impressive.”
“I’m not angry.”
“Oh, come on. You’ve been glaring at me all night. Admit it—you’re annoyed that I’m here, talking to your clients, wearing this dress...” She gestured vaguely at herself, a knowing smile tugging at her lips.
My eyes flicked over her before I could stop myself. The dress wasn’t the problem. It was the woman beneath it I was having trouble with. “I’m annoyed because you showed up here and threatened everything I’ve worked so hard for.”
“Really?” she said, laughing slightly. “By talking to a client of yours who had no idea we’re connected at all? Or do you mean by… tempting you.”
The last two words came from her full lips in such a sultry purr that I felt a deep, not entirely unpleasant stir between my legs. Fucking hell…
“I have a reputation to protect,” I said, holding my ground as she seemed to continue drifting closer to me.
“And you think I’m a threat to that?”
“I think you’re a distraction,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
Her eyes widened slightly, and for once, she seemed at a loss for words.
The tension between us grew, thick and heavy. I could feel the heat of her body, the faint scent of something floral lingering in the air. I could almost imagine how it would feel to run my hands down her body, drinking in every last curve as I pulled her against myself.
“Orion,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Before I knew what I was doing, I reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She didn’t pull away. If anything, she leaned closer.
“I should fire you,” I murmured, my voice low and rough.
“Fire me?” she breathed. “You never hired me. Remember?” Her lips curved into a faint smile.
Her words hit me like a spark, igniting something I’d been trying to suppress all night. I closed the distance between us.
My lips pressed against hers in something that was tender and hungry. The first kiss lingered for several seconds, then her tongue slipped into my mouth and my hand cupped the back of her neck, pulling her closer.
For a moment, everything else fell away.
Her lips were full, soft, and perfectly warm against mine. Her tongue timidly lapped out again, touching my lower lip in a soft, exploratory swipe as her hand curved inside my suit jacket and around my back.
I felt her chest pressing into me and the bulge of pressure between my legs hard against her body as she breathed out, the tension in her body melting against my touch.
Then, with a sharp breath, I pulled back, reality crashing down like a tidal wave.
“We can’t,” I said, my voice firm.
Her brow furrowed. “Why not?”
“Because I’m your boss now,” I said, stepping back. “And I don’t kiss employees.”
“Who says I accept your job offer?” She asked. The way she was already breathless after only a few moments of kissing made me want to cup her face and kiss her again. It made me want more. I wanted all of her, and I knew I couldn’t go down that rabbit hole if I wanted to keep focused on what was most important.
“I’m offering you a great position, and you would be a fool to refuse it. You’ll work under Moira in client relations. You can use the skills you demonstrated tonight to help us secure contracts. In fact, we have the perfect opportunity for you—one that could land Foster Real Estate the biggest contract in our eight-year history. One that could firmly put us at the head of the real estate companies in all of Manhattan.”