Page 24 of Lahaina Noon

“Mmm,” she hummed. “You are so good at that.”

He gave heranother quick kiss and said “I’ve been wanting to do that since we walked through the front door. I can’t seem to get enough of you.” He let go of her body but retained his grip on her hand as he led her over to his desk and seated her in a guest chair.

He sat next to her in the other chair and smiled. “I have to say, I’m really impressed with the way you handled Siobhan. She’s a real pain in my ass sometimes, but I keep her on as a favor to Liam and his family. I’m their Godfather, their parents are close friends of mine.”

I was right!Bridget thought.She’s Liam’s sister.“But he’s so nice and cheerful,” she said, “And she’s…” she trailed off, not wanting to insult the girl.

“Surly,” said Vaughn.

She nodded and shrugged. “She’s young, she’s got a chip on her shoulder about something, she has time to work that off.”

Vaughn squinted at her. “You’re very perceptive. And you’re good with people. Not to mention your fine attention to business details. I really admired that about you when we were working together these last six months. I knew you were smart. Jack brags about you frequently, you know. You have a great sense of when to push and when to pull back on a project and you really seem to know what a team needs to be motivated. Like back there, I was ready to scold her for the way she spoke to you, but you knew exactly how to handle her. I saw the way your team reacted to you; they wanted to perform well for you. That’s what I need here. I need someone who knows how to corral these various personalities together and help us take this to the next level.” He studied her face to see what she was thinking.

“A farmer,” she mused out loud.

“What?” he asked, surprised by her response.

“You have a group of free-range chickens out there,” she nodded towards the hallway, “You let the chickens wander around the yard, and while they are producing enough eggs, that’s fine. But when you need them to give you a specific egg, you need a farmer to encourage them and feed them the right nutrients without taking away their freedom or making them feel that they are being held back.”

He stared at her and then grabbed her hands. “Exactly!” he said excitedly. “This is why I knew you were what we needed, what I wanted!” His eyes flashed briefly. “I wanted to steal you away months ago but knew I needed to wait until the deal was done. Now I don’t have to wait anymore.”

“Yeah,” she replied drily, “Because I got fired.”

He chuckled, “Side benefit. That means you are available to me, and I don’t have to worry about hard feelings or accusations.”

“Vaughn.” She hesitated. “Look, I really appreciate what you are trying to do here, but I don’t want you to feel you have to give me a job because you feel sorry for me or because we slept together. I can find another job on my own, I’m sure. I have excellent references—” she stopped as he put a finger to her lips.

“Bridget,” he warned, “Stop right there. Do not insult me, because I am not insulting you. This is not a pity offer. Nor is this related to our relationship. Yes!” He growled when he felt her lips move against his skin. “Thisisa relationship. I do not take revealing my other side lightly, and you, my dear, are not going anywhere. So, I repeat. This offer is being made to you because you have the skills and drive to dowhat needs to be done. The fact that you are gorgeous and have the most delightful scream when I—”

This time, Bridget put her hand over his mouth. “Do not say whatever you were about to say,” she warned.

He held his hands up in mock surrender, and she could feel his non-repentant smile curving against her palm.

She slowly lowered her hand and stared at him. “Okay, Drake, what are you offering?”

Vaughn gave a nod and leaned across the desk, grabbing a file folder with her name on the tab. He opened it to reveal some official-looking documents. “If you check the dates on these, you will see they were drafted well before I took you,” he paused, “To dinner.” He grinned a mischievous smile.

She glared at him in pretend fury before taking the papers from him. She read through what seemed to be a standard employment contract, benefits seemed affordable and more than fair. Hours were flexible, with opportunities to work remotely, which would help with Gabriel’s senior year, and she checked the date, noting that it had been drafted almost three weeks ago. He was telling the truth. She glanced up at Vaughn; he was studiously staring out the window as if he wasn’t on pins and needles waiting for her response. She looked back down and continued to read.Travel expenses paid, of course, mmm, vacation time is generous too, my own office, and the salary.Her brain seemed to stutter and restart.

“Vaughn,” she whispered, “This is too much.” Her eyes fixated on the very large number on the second page. She looked up at him and he simply met her gaze, no emotion on his face.

“I don’t believe so,” he replied evenly, “Our new VP of Integration deserves to be paid well for her work. She has a very demanding boss with extreme and unusual needs; she should be compensated for that extra work.”

Bridget was suddenly uneasy. “I’m not a prostitute,” she said with steel in her voice. “You aren’t going to pay me to sleep with you.” She was just petty enough to enjoy the shocked look on his face.

“No!” he said hurriedly, “That’s not what I meant at all! I just mean that I’m splitting my time between multiple businesses, and then there’s the whole dragon thing, you know. Sometimes, I have to take time to fully change, and that can lead to awkward questions about where I am and where’s that smoke coming from. Plus, I can be moody,” he finished lamely.

She stared at him for a moment. “Moody?”

He tapped the date on the documents, “Remember, drafted before we became better acquainted.”

Bridget softened; it made sense. The money was almost three times what she made before. She’d be able to get Gabriel that car without dipping into their settlement savings after all. She quickly read through the rest of the offer and looked up at him, biting her lip to keep from laughing at the hopeful expression on his gorgeous face.

“So boss,” she took a deep breath, “When do I start?”

Chapter 15

Light filtered in throughthe large windows that ran from floor to ceiling in her new office. Bridget hugged herself,hernew office. After she completed the official contracts, Vaughn escorted her across the hall, showing her to a space that overlooked a green wooded area, which provided some shade but still allowed a wonderful amount of sunlight to filter through. The carpet was plush and luxurious. She wanted to throw herself down on it and roll around but remained composed as she was sure it wouldn’t do for the new VP to be seen lolling on the floor like a dog.