Page 3 of Beauty and the Bosshole

"I'm very familiar with your brand," she says. "But if you're asking me if I use them, that's between me and my nightstand. I won't be answering that question, not even for this job."

"Fair enough." Her response told me everything I need to know anyway. If she owns a vibrator, she doesn't use it often. She's inexperienced in more ways than one.

Why the fuck do I like the thought of that so goddamn much?

"Why should I hire you, Ava?"

"I'd make an excellent assistant, Mr. Donovan," she says. "I'm organized, efficient, and friendly. I know everyone in town and can make your life here a lot easier. Plus, I have a background in marketing, so I'm used to working with an array of different types of people and on different projects. I have an eye for detail and never have to be told to do something more than once. Oh! And I make the best coffee ever."

Come for me. Now.

"The position has been filled," I lie abruptly, trying to end this here and now. Tempt not a desperate man and all that bullshit.

"No, it has not," she says, narrowing her eyes on me. "Olivia just told me that no one wants to work for you because you're cranky."

"Olivia talks too much."

"You don't want to hire me." Ava crosses her arms, which pushes her breasts up and reveals more cleavage. I try like hell not to look, but I can't help but notice. "Why not?"

"You aren't suited to the position."

"You don't even know me."

"You have no experience."

"I learn fast."

"You're argumentative."

"Clearly, someone needs to argue with you. You're a despot," she huffs at me. "This is Texas, Mr. Donovan. In Texas, we treat people with kindness. We don't growl and snap and act rudely. We don't lie, either."

"I'm from Vegas. In Vegas, we don't have time to spare worrying about everyone's delicate feelings. We're busy getting the job done."

"Well, you won't be getting it done here when I tell everyone that you're an even bigger jerk than they already think you are," she snaps at me. "They like me. They don't like you."

"Are you trying to blackmail me into giving you a job, Ava?" If so, she's ballsy. I'll give her that. If anyone else were threatening me, I'd be pissed. But the fact that it's coming from her is just… amusing. She's a kitten hissing at a lion.

"Nope. I'm just telling you that everyone in town knows I'm interviewing for this position. They're going to have questions, and I'm going to answer them truthfully." She bounces up from her chair, her little chin thrust up into the air in a show of superiority. "You may be a liar, but I'm not."

She's cute when she's pissed.

She may also be right. If I don't hire her and people in town really do love her, I may be drawing a line in the sand here. I've already stepped on too many toes just moving the company here and trying to get the damn building approved. The last thing I need to do is piss off everyone else.

I need to win them over. If hiring Ava gives me an opportunity to do that… maybe that's exactly what I need to do.

What's the worst that can happen? I'm smart enough to keep my hands to myself. I don't think that'll be a problem anyway. She clearly doesn't like me much.

And if I have to fire her later? Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

"By the way, your profit margins fell last year because of yourEvery Bodycampaign," she says over her shoulder on the way to the door. "The sizing was off on the lingerie line, and everyone had to size up. No one wants to feel like a company is telling them they're even bigger than they already feel, especially when they're buying pieces meant to make them feel confident and beautiful."

"Stop," I growl before she can slip out the door. "Right now."

"If you want to appeal to every woman, you need to consider every woman's feelings when you're designing lingerie for their bodies."

"Ava, I said stop." I hop up from the desk, circling around to cut her off before she can slip out the door. I slap my hand against the hard wood, slamming it closed before she can slip out. "We're not finished here."

"Yes, we are."

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