Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41482 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41482 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
He didn’t speak, didn’t even touch me. He stood just a foot from where I was now, his body heat slamming into me, the sexual chemistry I felt moving between us like a third person in the room.
“You and I both know that’s a fucking lie.” His face was stoic as he said those words.
He took a small step toward me and I held my ground, refused to back down, to look like all I wanted to do was submit to him and give myself over.
Because I did. God, I really did.
“You can say whatever you want, but the way you look at me, your body’s reaction when I’m near, tells me another story about how you feel about me… about what you want between us.” He was calm, collected. And here I was, feeling like I’d just run a marathon.
“It was one blind date,” I said softly.
He looked at me right in the eyes. “Was it?” He lifted an eyebrow, as if daring me to say it had been. “You didn’t feel something? You didn’t sense that connection? You didn’t think it was more than just one blind date?”
I had to act like none of that mattered. I had to act like he didn’t matter, right? I needed this job, probably wouldn’t get offered another one any time soon. Getting involved with Pope would be bad business. I didn’t want to fuck this up.
“I need this job, and… being with you won’t work if I’m your employee, Pope.”
He didn’t say anything in response for long moments, just continued to look at me, continued to invade my personal space. Not that I was complaining. I liked him close, liked that he wanted me this much.
I felt this incredible energy move between us, but I couldn’t submit to it. I couldn’t let myself give in. I’d never had a man desire me so much that he blatantly told me what he wanted. And then he took a step back, and I exhaled, feeling a rush of coldness fill me. It wasn’t the bad kind of frigidness—more like drinking a glass of ice water on a hot day when you were dying of thirst.
“What you probably don’t know about me, Miss Morris, is that I’m extremely ambitious in going after the things I want.” The way he said my name, all formal-like, had those tendrils of desire moving back through me.
“What does that mean?” I asked softly. I had an idea of what he was getting at, and a part of me wanted him to say it. I wanted to see if I could push him, to see how far he’d actually go for me.
I wanted to see if he desired me as much as he said he did.
And then he took a step toward me, and another one, until I swore if I exhaled deeply my chest would brush against his.
I had my head tipped back slightly so I could look into his face, the height and the width of his shoulders blocking everything else out behind him.
“You know what it means.”
I did. But I still wanted him to say it.
“It means that I won’t stop until I get what I want.” He lowered his gaze to my mouth. “And what I want is you.”
CHAPTER TEN
Olive
Iwas pouring my second glass of wine when I heard Michael tap on my front door a second before he pushed it open and entered.
“I come bearing gifts!” he shouted.
“I like gifts.” I leaned against the counter and brought the glass to my mouth, taking a long drink from it. The memories of today moved through my head like a movie reel, settling deep in my chest. I felt giddy and ecstatic, relieved, but most of all aroused.
After I’d left Pope’s office, I headed straight to the human resource department, per his instructions, to get everything started for my employment with the company. Everything started moving quickly then, with my first day being the following week, and the very idea that I would be working for Pope as his personal assistant, secretary, whatever the hell he needed me to do, had this rush of desire and excitement filling me.
Michael walked in with a bag of Chinese takeout in one hand and a brand-new bottle of wine in the other. He held both of them up, and I gave him a grateful smile. “I’m starved, thirsty, and you know I want to hear all about what happened last night and with the interview.”
“Then lead the way,” I said, and gestured to the living area. I grabbed the half-full bottle of wine and my glass, and together we sat down.
I was on one side of the coffee table, and Michael was on the other. As he handed out the cartons of food, the chopsticks, and popped open the other bottle of wine, everything that had happened today continued to play through my mind over and over again like a broken record.