Page 60 of My Forbidden Boss

Adeline knows force. Expects it. She deals with it. The door remains locked against intrusion because that’s the way she copes.

She comes undone with a soft word. Gentleness. The gears turn and slots fall into place beneath the impenetrable facade.

I see where I’ve gone wrong. I’m an obsessive asshole. I know what I want and I go after it. I’m also intelligent enough to understand how to adjust my behavior to get them.

I’m not going to break down her barriers.

I’m going to let them fall open for me to pass freely through.

When those barriers are down, she won’t stand a chance. Her secrets will be mine. I’ll tear through her ideas about herself and rebuild her to her true worth. I’ll make her see what I see and I won’t apologize for it.

And then I’ll go after every asshole who has made her feel less than worthy. They’ll pay for making her think she needs to work for affection. That she doesn’t deserve it instead of taking it as her right.

“If you’re okay, please get into the car.” I take her elbow. There’s a moment where she hangs back. Where she wonders if she’s going to trust me. I stop and wait for her. I don’t push and am rewarded when she takes a step towards my still running vehicle.

The driver's side door is open, heat leaching into the cold but that’s alright. It won’t take long to heat once I’m driving. I help her inside and put her muddied case in the trunk next to mine.

She’s jittery, clasping her hands in her lap as I pull into traffic. I keep the conversation light. I talk about Blue Sky, asking her questions about my current projects. Her answers are succinct. Intelligent. Despite her inexperience, she understands the way this business works. She understands people and how they tick. She suggests things that I’d do when I prompt her for her opinion. Listening to her, I’m blown away. In two weeks, she understands more than seasoned employees.

It only makes me want her more.

I give the keys to the valet at JFK and take our suitcases from the trunk, refusing to hand hers over. There’s only so much I’m willing to concede. It doesn't take long to check our cases through at the business class counter and then I’m guiding her to the clothing shops. We have an hour before our flight and I intend to use it.

As predicted, she balks as we enter the women’s apparel shop. “What are we doing here?”

“Getting clothes,” I say.

“But…I…” She swallows hard as she fidgets. “The prices.” Her voice is hoarse, which confirms my suspicions.

Other women I’ve been with would breeze into a shop like this and strip the racks knowing I will pay for anything they want. It’s my pleasure when I’m in a relationship with them of course, but it gets old. Adeline is a breath of fresh air as she freezes in the middle of the doorway, frozen into inaction. I take her hand and refuse to let her go when she tries to pull from my grip.

“Blue Sky will pay,” I say.

“No. I won’t…you can’t…” she says.

I face her and make sure she’s giving me her complete attention before I speak. “They attacked you while you were waiting for me to take you on a business trip. Your clothes will need to be laundered when we get to the hotel, but it’s 76 degrees in Florida and you’re dressed for four degrees. You’ll melt if you have nothing to change into and I don’t want a puddle for an employee. I will replace your clothing. Would you like to choose, or shall I?”

Adeline peers at me and I can see the argument building behind her wide eyes. I cut her off before she voices them. “I’ll pick something out then. Although it may not be to your taste.”

“No! I’ll…” She looks around, gaze bouncing off the racks of designer clothing. “I’ve just…never shopped in a place like this before.” Her body goes stiff. She realizes she’s told me something she didn’t want me to know, and I silently roar in victory. I want to know every small detail about her, but this isn’t small. She’s uncomfortable for a reason and it makes me more determined to get to the bottom of the secrets she’s holding onto.

Soft. Gentle. Bee. Honey. I’ll be a goddamned pink fluffy blanket if it will get Adeline to open up to me.

“You’ve never shopped at an airport?” I say, trying for a joke.

Her eyes flick to me, looking for the punch that will not come. “Not exactly.”

“It’s the same as any other shop. You choose something and then I buy it, so I have a functioning employee when we get to our destination. Easy,” I say.

She doesn’t believe me, but she pulls away and walks to a rack of dresses. She doesn’t look at the dress. Her first glance is the price tag. She drops the tag and moves to the next dress.

“Do you like this dress?” I say.

“It’s…not really,” she says, shaking her head.

“It looks like a perfectly nice dress to me.” She does like it by the way her gaze lingers on the material.

She walks to the next price tag and drops it like it’s hot coal. “There’s nothing here I really like. Maybe another shop.”

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