Page 37 of Vows In Corruption

“How old is your sister?”

“Sixteen.”

“I have a niece and nephew around that same age at Saint Christopher. Maybe they will meet and become friends.”

He sounds optimistic.

“Maybe.”

I don’t have the balls to tell him that I doubt it will ever happen. We are talking about two kids that are related to him, they are probably just as rich as he is, they probably don’t want to hang out with a girl that lives in the Southside.

For a long minute, we leave the conversation at that. Neither one of us continues to talk about the kids in our lives or even change the subject. We just sit in our respective chairs, looking at each other as if we are both trying to figure the each other out and failing.

Without wanting to, I get lost in his blue green eyes. The sun isn’t shine directly in them like it was earlier, so they don’t sparkle as much, but the color of them is still very much breath taking. If this was anybody else, I would sit here and get lost in that color for as long as I could.

But I can’t. Because the owner of those gorgeous blue green eyes is my boss and nothing can happen between us.

My crush on Bennett may only a few hours old, but it needs to get squashed immediately. I can’t be the assistant that has a thing for her boss.

The silence is eventually broken by Bennett.

“Look, Ms. Vincent-”

“Please call me, Ella.”

He pauses for a second as if he really has to think about calling me by first name.

“Or Elizabeth is fine. Anything but Ms. Vincent.” I add quickly, not wanting to make him uncomfortable if he wants to stay professional.

A curt nod comes my way. “Elizabeth.” They was he says my name not only has butterflies forming in my stomach but also liking my name a lot more than I did when I woke up this morning. “You’re not going to get fired, but I wouldn’t blame you if there comes a time when you’d want to quit.”

“Why would I quit? You told me downstairs that the person that I will be working with may be an asshole at time but will actually make me like coming into work. Does that not apply anymore?”

A smirk forms on his lips and I have to kick myself for liking it.

“It still applies.” My eyes may be deceiving me because I swear I heard him let out a little chuckle before he composes himself. “But not every day is going to be easy. There’s going to be days that you won’t get to leave this building until well after midnight. Days where I say something and you are going to wring my neck out. Days that will make you cry. Things are going to be shifting in the next couple of weeks and I want to make sure that you are prepared for everything that is going to come and if you aren’t then like I said, I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to quit.”

Does he see me as naive? Does he think that I see this job as the easiest thing in the world and that I don’t know that there are going to be days that I don’t even want to step foot into this building?

I know it’s going to be hard.

I know there is going to a handful of days where I won’t want to talk to him or anyone else that works for this company. I know that with a company of this magnitude I’m going to be working longer days that I did waiting tables or delivering food. I know all of that and even knowing that, I will try my hardest to make this job work.

Because I need it.

For me.

For Charlie.

I need this job and not even my boss is going to keep me from at least trying.

My shoulders square themselves. “I promise you, Mr. Lane. I can handle anything that comes my way. Like I said, I need this job and I will do anything to keep it.”

Long nights. Tears. Anger.

I will take it all, as long I’m getting paid and giving Charlie the life that she deserves.

Besides that, nothing else matter.

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