Page 5 of Hawke

No, you don’t.

I mentally tried convincing myself, but even I couldn’t deny that something about this man mesmerized me.

Still.

“No, you’re not,” he told me, his voice breaking up my inner thoughts.

“I don’t want to stay,” I murmured. It sounded like I was pouting, but my next words, however, wouldn’t. “Unless you plan to throw me out again. If so, I’ll do us both a favor and leave on my own. Now, let me go.”

I pushed him again, this time with all the force I could garner from my current position, and even it did no good. Nathaniel Hawkins was an impenetrable force. As I raised my gaze from the spot where my hands were, to his face, I realized it was true in multiple ways.

He said nothing, instead looking down at me with an intensity that made me shiver. He wasn’t just staring at me, but rather studying me as if he was trying to save every inch of my face to memory.

I had no idea why he’d even bother. It wasn’t as if he’d wanted to see it before. I’d been blindfolded the moment I’d been led into his chambers, and stayed that way until a club employee released me from those cuffs.

Even now, my cheeks turned a crimson shade as mortification filled me once again. Last time, he’d not stuck around to see my embarrassment, but now that the memory of that night had returned, I couldn’t hide my reaction, even if I tried.

I raised my hands, intending to see if I’d fare better by pushing at his shoulders, but I no sooner lifted them both when his hands wrapped around my wrists, then pinned them against the wall on each side of me “Let me leave!”

Nathaniel smirked at me in the same arrogant way he had the day before, and I almost closed my eyes. I might’ve tried, but as additional memories from that night returned, my eyes were glued to his mouth. I couldn’t help but think about what his lips would’ve felt like when pressed against mine.

Would you have kissed me softly, and with a leisure that would’ve frustrated and aroused me? Or would you have kissed me with a savageness that would’ve sent me hurtling to the edge?

“I don’t think you mean that, Miss Maxwell,” he said aloud, jolting me back to the present.

“You don’t know anything about me. So why don’t you—” I was cut off mid-sentence when his head lowered and his lips brushed against mine.

My body tingled, and before I could even think of countering his attack with some action of my own, he slanted his lips more fully over mine, this time using his tongue to part them.

My body betrayed me completely as I allowed him to thrust his tongue into my mouth. When the last thread of restraint snapped, I returned his kiss wholeheartedly.

A low groan was felt against my lips, the slight vibration almost enough to cause me to sway. And I might have had Nathaniel not pinned my body against the wall with his own. Despite the faintness I felt, I closed my eyes, allowing the small amount of fight I still possessed to dissipate under the sinfulness of his mouth.

Suddenly, the kiss ended and I was left standing there bereft. He turned and walked back to his desk while I gaped at him in disbelief. Feeling the earlier mortification return, I straightened to full height and squared my shoulders.

“I don’t know what kind of fucking head games you’re playing, Mr. Hawkins, but I—”

“Hawke,” he interjected.

“Hawke. I—”

He cleared his throat before interrupting me. “You’re hired.”

The room began to spin, and when his words sunk in, I glared incredulously at him. “W-what?”

“You heard me, Miss Maxwell,” he said in a low voice. “I’ve hired you, and now you’re dismissed.”

He’s throwing me out again.

I could hardly believe I’d once more put myself in this position. My cheeks burned with heat while he sat smugly behind his desk. Hawke knew the effect he had on me, and I despised him for exploiting it. I also hated that instead of leaving with my dignity intact, I just stood there, allowing my eyes to fill with tears.

There was no way in hell I’d let him see exactly how affected I was by him. After taking a deep breath, I forced my voice to remain calm. “I don’t want the job any longer.”

This time, Hawke chuckled. I almost asked him what the fuck he found so amusing. “You and I both know that’s a lie. Unless you want me to bend you over this desk and spank your ass, I suggest you thank me, then leave as asked.”

The audacity of this man had my head spinning, and my panties growing damp, especially when I thought about him spanking me. Refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing how aroused that simple suggestion alone made me, I huffed and walked to the door.

I grabbed the handle with shaky hands and opened it. Before leaving, however, I turned and looked straight at him. “I’ll take the assignment, but if you ever dare to lay your hands, or anything else of yours, on me again, I’ll make you regret it.”

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