Page 5 of Dominion

She opened the car door and got in, holding her satchel primly in front of her. She suddenly wished she owned a nicer briefcase, not this old leather schoolbag that made her look young and immature.

“How’s your head?”

“Better,” she said, forcing a bright smile.

He scanned her face. “Not quite,” he said.

Her smile dimmed. “Mostly,” she said, oddly defensive.

The corner of his mouth twitched.

Her heart picked up speed. Did the man who never smiled find her amusing? She hoped, rather desperately, that he did.

“So… I, uh, wanted to apologize for that secretary comment I made yesterday. I didn’t mean to sound like a spoiled brat.”

Again, the twitch of his mouth as his eyes slid sideways to meet hers.

She caught her breath when their gazes locked and held, his dark-lashed green eyes melting her with each suspended moment. He looked back to the road and the spell broke.

She exhaled and tried again. “I hope you’ll still consider me for the position. I mean, I’d like to interview for it, or submit my application or whatever the process is…” She trailed off. She wasn’t usually this tongue-tied, but she found the gruff CEO more than a little intimidating. Which was half of the appeal. The other half being his brooding good looks and the power of his position.

“Three o’clock, my office.”

“Really? For an interview?”

He didn’t answer that question, as if he only had a certain allotment of words each day and he didn’t want to hit his limit answering stupid questions from her. She sat back in the seat and watched the skillful way he navigated traffic.

“Thank you for picking me up today.”Lame, Ashley. Very lame.

He didn’t even look at her this time.

Right.Keep your mouth shut, Ash.

When they reached the building, he pulled into his reserved spot, right by the elevators.

“Thanks again,” she said as they stepped into the elevator together.

He didn’t answer, but his eyes were on her face again, studying her. Her cheeks grew warm. His mouth twitched. “Where are you from?”

“Oh,” she said, drawing a breath to recover from the scrutiny of his gaze. “Here. Lakewood,” she said, naming the suburb of Denver where she’d grown up.

He nodded.

“Sports? Activities?”

“I took State in swimming in high school,” she offered hopefully.

This won an almost smile.

The elevator arrived on her floor. “Well, um, thanks again. I’ll see you at three. I mean, I’m looking forward to our meeting,” she said, backing out of the elevator.

Only his eyebrow moved in acknowledgment. The doors slid shut and she exhaled, smiling as she walked to her cubicle. She had landed the interview. Now she just had to figure out how to impress him. What did Mr. Stone like in an employee? She feared there was no one at Stone Technologies who knew the answer to that question.

Ben didn’t havea clue what he would do with a personal assistant. He didn’t like anyone in his business or his space. He didn’t want to hear their whispers or smell their smells. He didn’t want to have to talk to them. What had possessed him to invent a personal assistant job? Ashley Bell, obviously. For whatever reason, he wanted to keep her close at hand.

Her scent still lingered, filling his mind with images of stripping her naked. He wanted to sink his teeth into her shoulder while he plowed into her from behind, hard and fast. But she was human. Hell, even if she was a shifter, with Carlos Sandoval out to kill him, he was not mate material.

He sighed and picked up his phone, asking Karen, his secretary, to make the arrangements to add a workstation to the office next to his.

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