Page 48 of By His Rule

It’s not even lunchtime yet.

How the hell am I going to endure endless days of this?

Of him.

“Maybe. Let’s see how the rest of the day goes.”

I hang up after quickly saying goodbye before setting about and attempting to get myself ready to face my boss again.

With my curls tamed and my lips freshly stained in a bright fiery red, I stride out of the bathroom with my head held high and my purple heels tapping loudly against the tiled floor.

Remember who you are, Lorelei.

You laugh in the faces of men like Kian Callahan.

12

KIAN

Like a creeper, I stare at the closed ladies’ bathroom door, waiting for my moment.

The previous two hours have passed slower than any I’ve ever known.

I wasn’t lying, I had back-to-back meetings that would have been too much for her to keep up with on her first morning.

She might have been trying to put on a brave face earlier, but I could see the turmoil bubbling behind her eyes.

I’d thrown her for a loop by having Rebecca escort her up here and announce that she was to be my assistant and not Martin’s.

Fuck Martin.

She’s way too good to be hanging out on his floor.

Something unfamiliar stirs in my stomach as I think about her following him around, about the way I know the younger men down on the finance floor would watch her in turn.

Not fucking happening.

Glancing at the clock, I note that there are only five minutes left of the two hours of freedom I gave her.

Smoothing my tie down, I turn my monitor off and push to stand. Pocketing my cell, I throw my jacket over my arm and march from my office, aware that she’s still hiding in the bathroom.

She’s been in there for so long that there can’t be any other explanation. A smirk pulls at my lips as I think about her in there, psyching herself up for facing me again.

Melissa looks up from her desk as I approach with her usual soft smile playing on her lips.

“How is she getting on?” I ask before she gets a chance to say anything.

Melissa nods, her smile widening.

I trust her judgment. Always have. She’s steered both King and me in the right direction more than a few times over the years.

“Yeah, she’s great. Different,” she adds.

“What makes you say that?” I ask, thinking of those who’ve come before her.

My assistants have come in all shapes and sizes over the years in the hope of finding one that fits.

Young, old, male, female, experienced, fresh out of college.

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