“Sir?”Samuel asks.
“She is being promoted to my personal assistant.”
“Understood.”His efficiency is one of the things I value the most.I know he will get the job done.
I sit back in my chair and smile to myself.She’s going to fight it.She’s going to squirm.But in the end, she’ll take the job.Because she won’t be able to stay away from me either.
****
She shows up at 9:23AM.She’s late and I find that very interesting.She clearly has some bratty tendencies, and I can’t wait to help her move on from her bad habits.
I watch her through the glass of my office wall as she steps off the elevator.She’s wearing the same oversized hoodie and leggings she was wearing last night, but now she also has a mask of neutrality that’s already cracking at the edges.Her scent betrays her.
She’s anxious.Confused.She doesn’t know why she’s here.
Perfect.
I open the door myself before she can knock.Her eyes widen when she sees me.She doesn’t step back, but she doesn’t step forward either.
“Come in.”I smile, stepping aside and allowing her just enough space to enter.
She enters slowly, her body brushing against mine, and looking around like she expects to be ambushed.Her body is mere inches from mine, and I can’t help but breathe in her scent.For the first time since she walked out last night, my dragon calms down.
“You wanted to see me?”Her voice is quiet, hoarse from what I assume is lack of sleep.I can smell exhaustion clinging to her skin.And something else—barely restrained arousal.
“Yes,” I say, returning to my chair.“Sit.”
She sits on the very edge of the couch, the furthest seat from me, her hands folded in her lap like a child in the principal’s office.I study her for a long time before she meets my gaze, barely.
“Do you know why you’re here?”
She shakes her head.“No.”
“I’ve reassigned Greta.”Her brows draw together.“I need a new personal assistant.”
Silence, long and tense.“Why me?”
“Because I want you here.”My reply is the most honest I have ever given to anyone in my entire life.I want her here, near me, so I made it happen.
She flinches.It’s a small movement and not enough for someone else to notice.But I see everything.
“You don’t have to accept,” I add, watching the war play out behind her eyes.I can’t force her to do this, to be near me.It’s a decision she needs to make for herself.“But it’s a significant raise.Office-level benefits.Security access.And you’d be off the janitorial roster so no more nights.”
She swallows, staring at me with wide eyes.
“And I’ll be able to keep an eye on you,” I say softly, like it’s some kind of afterthought when in reality it is the only thing on my mind.
Her breath catches.She knows I mean more than professionally.She knows exactly what this is, even if she’s not ready to say it out loud.
“Why?”she asks again, but this time her voice cracks.“Why are you doing this?”
I lean back and let the truth hang between us.“Because you’re mine, Zahara.Whether you admit it or not.I’ll give you some time, not much mind you, but then I am coming for what rightfully belongs to me.You.”
She stands so quickly the couch jerks.“You can’t say things like that.”Her voice has risen an octave, but I remain calm.
“But it’s true and I will always, always be honest with you, my omega.”
“You don’t even know me,” she argues but her tone has fallen flat
