Page 23 of Captivated By You

Her jaw flexed, and then she scissored it from side to side, the faint noise of enamel on enamel filling the silence. “And what do you expect from me in return,Anthony?”

She almost spat my fake name.

This wasn’t going well.

I sat, even though she remained standing. Maybe the height advantage it afforded her would help her feel in control and comfortable in my presence. “I will expect the same from you as I do from all my employees. Hard work, loyalty, flexibility, an ability to learn fast and think on your feet. Honesty and integrity. A passion for the company that rivals my own.”

Her lips thinned. “How’s this for honest? Am I really expected to think on my feet… or on my knees?”

My mouth gaped open, my jaw almost unhinging at her insinuation. “Hang on a second. I—”

“No,youhang on.” She jabbed a finger at me. “You brought me here under false pretenses. You failed to tell me who you were that night, even after you must have guessed that the delightful Handy Andy I was talking about worked for you. If I’d known this was your company, I wouldn’t have accepted the position.”

“Which is why I didn’t tell you. Not until I could get you here and explain in person.”

“Explain what, exactly?”

“Why I didn’t tell the truth about who I was that night.”

“Oh, goodie.” She rubbed her hands together and then sank into the chair. “I like a tall tale told well.”

I tried—and failed—to stop my lips from twitching. “You’re incredible.”

“And you’re an asshole.”

I threw back my head and laughed. “I deserve that.”

There wasn’t a flicker of amusement in her icy gaze. Maybe I had fucked up by not telling her from the start as soon as she’d accepted the position. Or perhaps even before that. Maybe I should have delivered the job offer in person and given her a chance to question me on her own turf.

“I didn’t set out that night intending to deceive you. I’d had a stressful day, and rather than go home, I went to a bar for a drink. And then this beautiful woman sat beside me, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Often, when women discover who I am, they suddenly find me a lot more attractive, and I wanted you to see me. Not the money. Me. When you told me what had happened with Forster, I knew it was too late to come clean.”

A nerve beat in her cheek at the mention of his name. I waited for her to make a comment. She remained silent.

“I made a call that night to my executive assistant. I had her arrange for everything the company had on Forster to be sent to me, along with the CCTV footage on the day of your interview. When I awoke the following morning, both messages were waiting for me. As much as I wanted to stay with you, I had to sort this fucking mess out. I came here, did a little digging. Discovered that you weren’t the first female he’d touched without their consent. Like you, though, each one I spoke to refused to involve the police.”

I shrugged, searching her expression for signs that she was warming to me. She remained stoic, her gaze steady, eyes flat. I sighed. Tough nut to crack, but somehow I had to find a way.

“So I fired him. Under the circumstances, it was the only option available to me other than riding roughshod over the feelings of those women, something I’d never do.”

She chewed the inside of her cheek, her eyes flitting from my face to the window and then back to me. “Did you offer me the job because I slept with you or because your employee assaulted me and you’re eager to avoid a lawsuit?”

I ground my molars. While I didn’t appreciate the allegation, I understood why she’d made it.

“I hired you because you have all the qualities I’m looking for in a future manager of a Kingcaid hotel.”

She snorted, but I pressed on.

“This intern program is important to me. The company is thriving, but we can’t rest on our laurels. Strategy is all about looking to the future. Bright, young talent like yourself is precisely what my hotels require. Within six months, every Kingcaid hotel around the world will have an intern who we will train to grow through our ranks. You are one of the early interns, but you won’t be alone. You will be part of a much bigger program, a network of talented individuals that will support each other.”

I linked my fingers and rested them on my desk. “I should have come clean. I realize that now. But I did not offer you this job because of what happened between us.”

She rubbed her lips together, and I caught what I read as her softening a little. Her eyes weren’t nearly as cold, and she relaxed her spine. “I need time to think. I can’t start this role today.”

My shoulders drooped, and I breathed a heavy sigh. At least it wasn’t a flat no. “I understand.”

She rose from the chair, fixing her purse strap on her shoulder. “I’ll have an answer for you in a day or two.”

I nodded and got to my feet, moving around the desk to open the door. I caught a whiff of her perfume, the scent taking me right back to that night. My cock perked up at the memory. I prayed like hell that she didn’t choose this moment to glance down. A semi wouldn’t help solidify my case that I’d hired her for her potential as a hotelier, even if it happened to be the truth.

---