Instead of taking the leather armchair in front of my desk, she remained standing with her arms crossed by the door she had just walked through. I sat back and watched her with amusement as she looked anywhere but me.
This whole thing was amusing. The fact that she was assigned to be my “handler” when there was no one in the fucking planet who could handle me. It was something I internally scoffed at when Mr. Harold had suggested it, but who was I to push the buttons of the man who had just handed his entire company overto me?Especiallywhen it came to his daughter, who he seemed to put a lot of faith into for thinkingshecould teachmeanything. It was almost laughable.
The only thing this woman could do for me was probably give me really great head with that pretty mouth of hers. It was pinched into an irritated line right now, but I’d seen its potential when she talked or when she smiled at everyone but me. I looked at it now. Her rosy lips slick with gloss, making them even more lush. Making me want to take a bite out of them like a juicy, honey crisp apple.
“What are you looking at?” she asked sharply, bringing my eyes back up to hers.
I chuckled. She was so defensive with her fists curled into little balls at her sides, as if she was willing herself not to pummel me. I would gladly welcome it.
“Nothing. You know, I always imagined the boss’s daughter would be afundynamic. But you? You’re anything but fun.”
“I take that as a compliment.” She smiled smugly, bringing her arms up and crossing them across her chest with pride. My eyes skimmed the low neckline of her top to where her breasts pushed together just so. Their fullness complemented her small waist that was cinched by a cream pencil skirt cut to fit her like skin. She was a tease. Eye candy. Too bad she was painfully irritating.
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
“And I’m not just the boss’s daughter,” she said with a bite. I had clearly struck a nerve. She finally took the seat in front of me, crossing her smooth legs one over the other.
“Are you doing all of this on purpose?” she asked, throwing her hands up exasperatedly as she sunk back into the chair.
“Doing what?” I asked curiously.
“Being impossible.”
“Isthatwhat I am?” I asked, wanting to know more about what she thought about me.
“Among other things.”
“What exactly is your problem with me?” I asked, leaning forward and placing my elbows on the wooden surface of my desk. I looked at her skeptically.
She seemed to stiffen slightly in her chair, as if she wanted the distance between us to remain at least five feet. I wondered if I had the same effect on her as she had on me. Like the walls were closing in on me and the outside of this office didn’t exist, making me hyperaware of every breath she took and every slow blink she cast in my direction. Every little twitch of her lips making my cock do the same.
“Come on…” I pried. “This can’t just be about the coffee.”
Her gaze narrowed and it looked like she was in some internal debate with herself before she spoke, her voice pointed. “My problem with you is that you are an ass. My first impression of you was seeing you cut an entire line of people who you deemedlessthan you. My second impression of you was how you left me on a sidewalk covered in coffee after telling me I couldn’t afford your dry cleaning.”
I grimaced slightly. Hearing it back sounded pretty bad, I would give her that. Maybe anI’m sorrywould fix this little thing between us, but it wasn’t a word I said often and it seemed to catch in my throat. She continued on anyway, taking the moment with her.
“It’s your first day here and you’re acting like you own the place.”
“I do.” I tilted my head slightly.
“But you don’t have to treat everyone like shit,” she said frustratedly. “I haven’t seen you be kind to one single person here.”
“It’s not my job to be kind to them. My job is to lead them.”
“With fear and intimidation and…and…”
She struggled to find the word, her brows furrowing.
“Asshole-ness,” she managed to get out.
“Is that a word?” I asked sarcastically, placing my fingers under my chin as if I were deep in thought.
“The point is, my father would never have hired you if he knew what you were really like. He would never have given you the job that I’ve so clearly earned over the years.”
And there it was. The real reason behind her hatred of me. It wasn’t the coffee. Or how I treated others. It was because I took her job. Unknowingly, of course. I didn’t even know Mr. Harold had a daughter, let alone that she worked for him. Her demeanor in the boardroom after her father made his big announcement made sense now. The look of someone dropkicking her right in the stomach was evident.
“All my hard work. My dedication. My loyalty. And this is the thanks I get?” she asked, more to herself than me. “Not to mention, the promise he made me when I was a child.”
