Page 10 of Never Bed the Boss
“Am I wrong?”
“You’re the first woman I’ve slept with in a decade. The first woman I’ve ever wanted to sleep with in a decade. But as much as I love the sex…” I lower my hands to her neck, feeling the rapidity of her pulse as she looks up at me. “There’s something I love more.”
You.
The word is at the tip of my tongue, but I know I’ve been coming on far too strong. It’s clear I’m scaring her, and I need to pump the brakes as much as it pains me. She’s the only woman I want, and I’ll do whatever it takes to prove it to her.
“And what’s that?” she asks, breathlessly.
I swallow. “Being around you, angel. I’ve never felt so alive. So…” I shake my head. “I can’t explain it. But I need you close. I’ll do whatever it takes. Name a salary. Name any price or demand so long as you stay with me.”
“I…” Lilah hesitates and I can feel her nerves radiating from her body. “I just?—”
My phone vibrates and the intercom blares. Adrian.Again. The meetings.I know.“Tell me what you need, Lilah,” I say, trying to ignore the incessant buzzing.
“See?” she says. “You should be working but you’re focused on me. It’s not going to work. I should start working for Adrian. That was the plan all along. Don’t you already have an assistant anyway?”
Not happening. “She’s moved on to a better place.”
She gapes at me. “Did you have her killed?”
I laugh. “No. God, no. I run an entertainment company, not some mafia empire.”
I reach for her again, stroking her cheek because I can’t help it. But it isn’t helping my cause. She thinks I’m some playboy, throwing my money around and prowling for women when I’m not working but she has no idea how far from the truth she is. There hasn’t been anyone in years. Work always comes first. My singular focus. But that’s going to change. Lilah will always come first.
“She’ll work for Adrian now or be transferred elsewhere if it’s not a good fit.”
“And how do you know I’ll be a good fit?”
I strangle a growl in my throat as I replay our night together.
“I think we’ve established how well we fit together.”
The urge to kiss her rises again, but the incessant noise from the intercom and my phone rips us out of the moment.
“You know nothing about me,” Lilah says, stepping back.
“That’s not true,” I grit out as my mind returns to the folded notes in my suit pocket. I know my girl’s dreams. I know her ambitions and desires. I’ll give all of them to her and more.
“I know you’ve got heart. You’re talented, intelligent, and accomplished because Adrian wouldn’t choose anyone to be his assistant. It’s not easy to impress him.”
A smile begins to form on Lilah’s lips. It’s faint but it’s there, and it’s enough to send a flutter into my heart. Her chin drops but I draw it back up with two fingers. Her eyes are breathtaking, literally stealing the air out of my lungs as I try hard to refocus.
“Or me,” I say finally. “But you’ve left an impression on me that I can’t shake. And I want to know everything about you. I want you…”
The words hang for a moment. I want to end it there but I know it’s too much, too fast.
“…to give me a chance. Give me a week. A test run of sorts. If you still think it won’t work after that, then by all means.” I clear my throat, resisting the urge to say it but I know I have to. “I’ll let you go. Give me your terms by the end of the day and I’ll sign off on it. Anything, Lilah. I’ll give you anything.”
She stares at me, her red lips sealed. I live an entire lifetime in her silence as I wait for her response. “Okay,” she says, finally.
Thank god. Lilah’s staying. I don’t have to get down on my knees and plead my case. Not yet, at least. I’ve never bent a knee to anyone in my life but I’d gladly do it for her.
“I have a few more meetings on my schedule.”
“I could tell,” Lilah says, nodding to the intercom.
“They’ll survive without me for a little while longer.” I grab a keycard from my pocket and hand it to her. “This will get you into my office. It will get you everywhere else in this building, including here.” I make a swiping gesture around me. “Head to my office. HR will swing by with some paperwork. Do not leave until I come back.”
