Page 160 of Savage Bosses

Don’t think about his dick, Maddy!

When he stopped, he was so close his scent wrapped around me; money and sin. “Let’s get some things straight before we do this thing.” He pointed between us. “You’re only here because of Ife. Given the choice, I would have chosen an intern showing up for work on their first day over you.”

I swallowed my response at being upbraided for no reason. “Understood.”

He stared at me, scrutinizing me while I tried to uphold a neutral facade. “Alright then, while you work for me, you’ll abide by my rules.”

“That’s fair.”

His nostrils flared, as if my accommodating response was equal to waving a red flag in front of an enraged bull. “When we’re together, all that should be on your mind is work. Don’t think you can seduce me or expect that one day I’ll see you and become so overwhelmed by need for you I’ll forget everything you did and fuck you. Because I can’t stress enough that you’llneverbe my type.”

I stood in humiliated silence and fought back tears as he rejected me for something I did as a teenager. “What are the other rules?”

“Just those. I’m not a forgiving person and will not tolerate any attempts on your part to sway me.” He pointedly stared at me, his gaze traveling the length of my suit.

Although it wasn’t his intention, I was sure, his eyes stripped me bare. I fought the urge to cover myself for fear of validating his worst impression of me.

“And make sure you wear something more appropriate tomorrow. Follow me.” He strode past me while I remained rooted to the floor.

It was Omar clearing his throat with an understanding smile on his face that got me to move. Since Kent walked so quickly he was no longer in sight, Omar led me to a conference room in the middle of the floor. Similar to Kent’s office, frosted glass enclosed the space.

I entered with no idea what awaited me beyond the doors. Inside, a long mahogany table gleamed with polish. A projector screen with Luxe Locations’ logo dominated the furthest wall. A pile of binders and boxes sat on the corner of the table.

“Although you know Ife, I’m sure you aren’t aware of Luxe Locations’ extensive history here in Douglas and internationally. In those files, you’ll have information on pertinent staff and the history of every building under our management.”

“I’ll read them over to see if there’s any information I haven’t gathered from my research.” I flipped through the files to keep my hands busy or else I wouldn’t be able to face Ife after I choked her father to death.

“You’ve researched me?”

“I don’t know what kind of amateur you think I am, but I assure you I didn’t come here with no knowledge about you or your company. And to be clear, my research on you was because you are the company.”

“Hmph,” he grunted. Without acknowledging my prep work, he said, “In instances like mine, I should probably step back and avoid publicity. If you look at the personnel files in the folder, we can start by finding a new face for the company.”

“I don’t mean to burst your bubble, Mr. Luxe, but that’s not the first order of business. While I understand you’re accustomed to leading, I have ground rules of my own.”

His lips firmed in disapproval. “What are they?” he bit out.

“Don’t micromanage me. You may be my client, but if you undermine my strategy, I will fire you. Consider this your only warning. I don’t mind differences of opinion but state them respectfully and we can discuss the matter before coming to a solution. If you have a problem with my problem-solving, I’ll end our contract and go about my day.”

“You have a lot of escape clauses.”

I responded in kind to his previously demeaning attitude by looking him up and down. I hoped he couldn’t hear the blood pumping in my veins, see the desire I’d been fighting in my stare, or smell my body’s reaction to being alone with him. “These are standard rules for all my clients. And I’d like to clear something up because you seem to be under a misconception. My presence here is as a favor for Ife. She refused my offer to refer you to someone else or hand your account to a junior member of my company. I’m not here because I need your business or because I have a personal agenda.”

“Are you telling me you want to be here as much as I want you here?” he scoffed.

We entered a staring contest in which I refused to budge or respond to his question.

“If things are as you say, can we get started on those prospects?”

“We have something more urgent to discuss.” I sat, opened my leather satchel, and retrieved my laptop and a file.

Once the laptop booted, I opened the folder. A photo of a crime scene sat on top.

“Where did you get this?” Kent asked as he pushed the first picture aside.

More photos lay beneath. He spread them out until he uncovered the police reports.

“I have a guy.”

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