Page 14 of Hold On Me

I’ve already been replaced and none of the parents have batted an eye.

The coffee churns in my stomach at the thought of working for Mr. Elias everyday. I know I could do this job and do it well. My dad’s lived and breathed his job for most of my life. He’s shared so much about it with me it’s like I’ve been by his side doing it right along with him. I’m not worried about being able to handle the position. The big question is whether I can put up withhimas my boss?

Once Jenson was done texting me with his new found emotional depth, and my dad had checked in to make sure I really was okay, it wasAngie’s turn to have a go at me.

She kept finding the perfect teaching placements for me, but I couldn’t tell her the real reason I couldn’t apply. That if I did, Director Allen would tell everyone what I’d ‘done’ and have me blacklisted.

Once I convinced her nothing bad had happened that put me off teaching, that I’d simply had enough of it, we decided this was my best option. That I needed to put my pride to one side and attack this interview the way I would any other. Show him that I’d be vital in his corporation. Don’t give him the option of turning me away. And if he starts in with his typical pretentious attitude, remember why I’m doing this. And that it won’t be forever. Time to suck it up, Buttercup.

But to be honest, I don’t know how I’ll be able to do that. My usual method of dealing with the conflicting feelings he causes in me is to ignore him. But that won’t work here. Maybe I need to adopt a new strategy. Maybe treating him the same way I do the Brady brothers would make it more bearable.

But when I spotthemin a white shirt stretched over their biceps, I don’t start to drool and picture myself running my hands and tongue all over said muscles. Nope. Treating him like one of the brothers won’t do. I see him in a whole different way. And I hate that.

While I’ve been having dirty thoughts and lust filled dreams about this dude, he’s ignored me and irritated me all these years. What is my problem? Is this some sort of kink I had and didn’t even know about? The ‘I want him because he doesn’t want me’ type of stuff you find in books?

I shake my head and mentally scold myself for letting my thoughts get away from me. And what’s with all the flirting recently? He spent years looking through me as if I were made of glass and all of a sudden he’s making innuendos and looking at me like he wants to run his tongue over every inch of my body.

Okay, maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part.

A smirk settles on my face as the door swings open and I rise to stand a little too quickly for my head's liking. I start to spin and reach out to grab the closest thing to steady myself. Instead of the soft material of the chair or the cool wood of the desk under my fingers, I find a crisp white shirt and those bulging biceps I was thinking about licking earlier. Shit. He moves quicker than a cheetah chasing a gazelle.

“Are you okay?”

His voice is low and gravelly, and I suck in a breath, which is the worst thing I could’ve done. Because now not only am I touching him, but I have his voice on replay and his scent engulfing me. God he smells good. Clean, crisp and minty.

I lift my head slightly, lock onto his worried gaze and. His eyes scan my own and I feel my face blush. I bite my bottom lip in embarrassment, and as he tracks the movement, his eyes turn from worried to something else.

The shock is enough to break whatever spell I’m under and I clear my throat and step backward.

“Um, yeah, I’m fine. Just a little dizzy from standing too quickly.” I take another step back but my escape is thwarted when the backs of my legs brush against the chair I was sitting in.

“Okay… If you’re ready?”

His demeanour is back to normal and the relief I feel is immeasurable. I can deal with the arrogant Mr. Elias. The one who had a hold on me? Maybe not so much.

As he motions with his hand for me to enter his office, I take the seconds to focus my breathing and listen to the pounding of my heart and the voice in my head.Calm the fuck down, Penny. This is just a job interview. We don’t care what this douche thinks of us. And we certainly aren’t gonna focus on how hard his biceps were or how we felt tingles ALL over when he showed us the least bit of care. Nope. We aren’t mentioning that at all. Let’s just focus on getting this part of the process over with.

I clear my throat and straighten my spine, brushing imaginary lint from my black pencil skirt and white blouse, and standing taller in my heels, as I wait for his direction. He smirks and motions with his hand for me to take a seat.

He strides around the desk and sits down opposite me, the glint in his eyes making me squirm a little. “So what interested you in working for The Spartans, Miss Richards?” I can’t keep the eyeroll in check. It prompts a grin from him and I raise my brow in question. “Fine. We both know you’re here because of Jenson and your dad. They told me you needed a change fromteaching. Care to elaborate?” His grin transforms into a smile and I’m dazzled by those white teeth again.

“I’ve worked there a long time and I just felt like this was the time to move on.”

His smile gets bigger and I avoid his gaze. Seeing him look happy like that rather than the usual grumpy asshole I’m used to is doing things to me I don’t like.

“Perfect timing, wouldn’t you say? You suddenly hate teaching and I need an assistant. Kismet at its finest.”

I suck a deep breath in through my nose to hold back the anger that surges through me. “I don’t hate teaching.” I love it and would gladly do it for the rest of my damn life, but I can’t tell him that. And before he can question me more about it, I continue. “And I didn’t think someone like you would believe in fate.” That wipes the smile from his face.

“Someone like me?” He tilts his head to the side in thought and continues to stare at me.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound like that. I just meant someone who’s so… professional and…”

“And arrogant and egotistical.” His stare penetrates me and I know my cheeks are heating up.

“I suppose I should apologise for what I said the other day too.”

This causes a shift in his demeanour. The arrogant smirk comes out in full force as he watches me. “Ah, so you’ve decided I’m not arrogant, egotistical, and care only about myself?”

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