Page 33 of Begin Again, Part 2

She paused and stared at them, her eyes narrowed. "Why?"

Before they could answer, Liam poked his head around the door. They reluctantly moved along when he checked his watch and glared at her. "You have one minute left!"

Eden made a face at him and went through the motions one more time. She still had fifteen seconds left when she returned to his office.

"Mr Anderson, your tie," she said, placing it on the table.

Liam held it up to inspect it, smiling his approval as he got up and sat on the edge of his desk. With her first task complete, Eden turned to leave, but he stopped her in her tracks with his request. "Put it on me."

Eden spun around so fast she thought she'd get whiplash. "Excuse me?"

"Put it on me," Liam repeated.

"What's wrong with your hands?" she demanded, convinced he was messing with her.

"Leave the sass at home!" he growled, startling her with his tone.

"What sass?" she asked, not understanding how he could misinterpret her question. She wasn't being sassy at all. She just wanted to understand why he couldn't put the tie on himself.

"And the backchat has to stop!" Liam said, irritation flickering in his eyes. "If you think I'm enjoying this, I can assure you I'm not! But my time is limited, and I must use the little I have to lead this company that's so generously paying your high salary."

"I–Uh," Eden began, but he cut her off.

"When I ask you to put on a damn tie, you do it, no questions asked. As my work wife, it's your job to make my life easy, whatever that entails!"

"I am not your only work wife," she reminded him as she turned to walk away. But Liam grabbed her waist and spun her around, catching her off guard with the motion.

She wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself, and once again, she was drowning in a pool of desire as she remembered their passionate night, their bodies sleek with sweat, their limbs entwined on his sheets, their laboured breathing and her earth-shattering orgasms. At that moment, Eden wanted him with such hunger, if they were the only people in the room, she would have begged him to take her right there on his desk.

"Clara is also your work wife," she said, just to kill the raw tension between them. "Why don't you ask her?"

"It can only be you," he whispered, his eyes scanning her mouth, and Eden thought she'd die from wanting him. There were two other people in the room, but she was aware of only him. Desired only him. Needed only him. She thought she had her fill last night, but she knew now she'd never have enough of him.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I said so." Liam drawled, his eyes never straying too far from her mouth.

Did he want to kiss her? Would he try to with his cousins right here?

"From now on, you'll handle my wardrobe," he continued, shattering her crazy fantasies.

"What happens if I'm sick or can't come to work?" Eden asked crossly, as she gently pulled his head down and fastened the tie around his shirt's collar.

"With your salary, you are not allowed to be sick or even skip work," Liam replied as he gently pushed her away and returned to his seat. "Send me the link to Lydia Edwards' vlog."

Back at her desk, Eden quickly checked her friend's page, making sure all traces of Aiden were gone. There was no way she'd let Liam find out about his son during a board meeting.

Eden had to find creative ways to keep herself awake during the three-hour board meeting.

While Liam took the board through the company's overall strategy for the coming year, she doodled in her sketchbook. By the time Julian ran through the impressive quarterly earnings and projected revenue once LUSSO got on board, she'd completed a rough portrait of Liam. And when Matthew outlined the marketing plan and upcoming promotions and campaigns, she was on her second sketch. She forced herself to pay attention when Lydia's name popped up, along with a list of other influencers the company was hoping to approach.

They spent a few minutes on Lydia's page watching recent vlogs while Eden fidgeted in her seat. She'd never get used to seeing herself onscreen.

"Wait, isn't that you in the video?" One of the board members asked.

"It is." Eden smiled shyly. The minute she fessed up, she had to field numerous questions about her friend. By the time the impromptu fan briefing ended, her cheeks hurt so much from smiling, and she was convinced she'd need a facial. She had never sold anyone as much as she had Lydia, and she unknowingly dug her own grave.

"Ms McBride will be in charge of signing Lydia Edwards!" Liam's announcement was met by excited chatter from the crowd and a death glare from Eden. She was so furious with him for blindsiding her, if they were not in a board meeting, she would have gone off on him.

---