Page 10 of Fateful Exposure

I dragged my gaze to Selma. Her plump lips were pursed in a thin line as she stared back at me. Underneath the defiance, an urgency defied self-will, almost like she was…desperate. I bit back a chuckle. Desperation and stubbornness were a terrible combination.

I’ve always been good at reading people. Growing up in the system will do that to you. Moving from home to home was quite an inconvenience, and being able to tell when people didn't want you around saved you from making a fool of yourself.

"Say 'Please help me, Ashton. I can't do this without you.'"

She scoffed. "What?"

"You heard me." I shrugged. The ball was in her court now. "Beg me to help you, or I will walk out that door, and you'll never have to deal with me again."

I chose my words carefully, hoping she could read the meaning behind them.

She seemed to because her jaw clenched, and her mouth set in a hard line. "Screw you."

I grinned. I guess stubbornness won. "Alright then. See you later, Maria."

I heard Maria heave in a deep sigh, as if she would rather be anywhere else doing anything else than dealing with us. How relatable, seeing as I felt the same way.

Just as I was about to turn around and leave, Selma stopped me.

"Wait."

I paused, raising a questioning brow.Hmm. Maybe someone does need me after all.

Selma gritted her teeth before hissing. I could see how hard this was for her. It made me realize how greatly it would please me to see her kneeling in front of me, demure, begging for a touch. I would not acquiesce, at least for the first few minutes. I would relish in her pleading eyes and pouty lips as she looked up at me from under her lashes, and then I would—

Fucking hell.

"Please help me, Ashton. I can't do this without you." The words were rushed, but she forced them out anyway. This confirmed my suspicion; if she had to choose between working with me and bringing her career back from the dead, working with me would be worth it.

I allowed a grin to stretch my lips, basking in the scowl on her face. It was a petty thing to do, backing her into a corner like that, but something told me this was a cow I needed to milk as much as possible.

I walked closer to her, my grin still plastered on my face.Okay, so maybe I’m enjoying this a little too much.

I stretched out my hand when I neared her. "I look forward to working with you for the next few months, Miss Volkov."

She stared at my hand for a few seconds, probably contemplating if she'd made the right choice. Then she reached forward to grip my palm curtly, giving it a brief shake before letting go. One second was enough. I'd already felt her touch, and it was invigorating.

I wondered,what are the chances of having her legs spread out before me again?

Selma cleared her throat. "As do I, Mr. McCall."

five

Selma

There was no pleasure in working with Ashton McCall.

He was an asshole, through and through. And not just because he'd made me beg for his help. The anger I currently felt paled in comparison to that. I swore to God that I was going to kill him, but I was too scared of prison.

"Are you even listening to me?" I asked angrily, glaring at him as he sat lazily opposite me. "This is important."

Since he'd refused to attend meetings in the conference room, I'd had to settle for holding them in my office. It was the only place he'd agreed to go to in the entire building. If I didn't knowthat he was naturally a fucking dickhead, I would've thought he was purposely trying to be annoying.

"I am," Ashton said with a stupid shrug that made me want to scream. “It's just that it's all a little boring. I've heard four-stanza Catholic hymns with more moxie in them."

I pursed my lips to keep the long list of expletives from gushing out. My assistant, Rose, and a few of my designer interns were here. Rose even made it clear that working with Ashton was nothing to be excited about, given his penchant for passiveness.

It made me wonder how he'd become so successful. Surely, no one wanted to work with a photographer who put a dent in everything. How had he gotten Zed to work with him with that attitude?

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