Page 45 of Runaway Bride for the Boss

All these things are probably in the file in my office, but I want to hear as much as I can directly from her. I can read up on the parts that are difficult for her to talk about.

“I wasn’t doing much. After graduating two years ago, I got a job waitressing to pay off my student loan because it was tough to get a job with my degree, especially because I had no prior experience working in the field. That is really lame, by the way; how could I gain experience if no one hired me?”

“It’s unfair, yeah, but that’s just how it is. No one wants to take a chance on a fresh graduate, who will undoubtedly make mistakes.”

“But people make mistakes in order to learn from them!”

“So, you were a waitress?” I steer the conversation away from that subject since I’m guilty of the offense of making her angry. Why hire a fresh graduate when I can have someone with infinitely more experience?

“For a short while my ex-fiancé, then my boyfriend, didn’t like it because he thought it was beneath me to serve people. He wanted me to quit, but I wouldn't. So, he paid off my debts behind my back and told me that I now owe him instead. His first requirement was for me to quit my job.” She glances down to her plate, the corners of her mouth turning down.

“So you did?”

She nods. “I had been working for just eight months, and Mom said he was right. It was silly but I was twenty-two at the time. It’s not an excuse, but I know the me I am now wouldn’t have just given in like that. It was the beginning of things going downhill between us. He proposed shortly after.”

“How long were you with him?”

“Three years. Can we stop talking about him? It’s ruining my appetite.” She stabs her spoon into the pudding.

“Fine.” I’ll read up about it later anyway. “What about your degree? What did you study?”

She smiles as she scoops up a bit of pudding. I wait for her to finish munching. “Landscaping.”

How odd. “Did you choose it for yourself?”

“Of course. I like art, but I have zero artistic talent. Growing up, I always preferred the outdoors because my home conditions were less than ideal. I noticed things: how the yards of some people’s houses can be so beautiful, with so much care and attention put into them. I dreamed about living in those houses and how the others were drab and neglected. People don’t realize the land surrounding their home is an extension of the rooms within – a direct display of how much pride you take in it.

“That’s the first impression people get. Whether we like it or not, people have and will always judge a book by its cover. I decided I’d help beautify the cover of people’s homes, but it’s not an easy industry to break into when you have debts weighing you down. I couldn’t wait patiently to get a job or branch out on my own like some people had advised. But one day, I swear I’m going to start my own company and bring some of my designs to life!”

Her face lights up as she speaks. I realize that she’s really passionate about it, so I speak without thinking.

“Beaufort Construction works with a number of landscapers for current properties and some we’re contracted to build. I’ve been meaning to look into hiring a long-term landscaper to be exclusively ours. Send me your portfolio and a written proposal, and I’ll consider you for the job.”

She blanches and spine goes ramrod straight. “I told you about it because you asked, not to solicit for a job,” she saysstiffly as she rises to her feet. “Thanks for the dessert. It was delicious.”

A jolt of panic hits me as she starts walking away. I shoot to my feet and grab her arm for the second time tonight, stopping her from leaving, “Autumn.”

She gives me a cool glance. “I might be destitute and without direction right now, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to jump at a chance to displace some local, deserving people from their jobs. Like I said, I have no prior experience in the field, so you clearly have ulterior motives for offering me a job.”

I tighten my grip on her arm. “Listen to me very carefully, Autumn,” I growl. “I want to fuck you, yes. I’m not going to deny it when it’s so blatantly obvious, but that’s not why I told you to apply for the job. If you don’t want to, fine. But you can be rest assured that it would only be an application, and I will be hiring the most suitable person whether it’s you or someone else. You don’t rise to my level of success by handing out charity.”

She glowers at me and takes a step closer until we’re nose to nose, shocking me with her bold standoff. “If you didn’t know me and I submitted an application through your website or whatever, would I even be considered?” I don’t answer, and she scoffs. “That’s what I thought.”

I give her a slight shake. “I’m not denying that you’d have the opportunity because you know me; It’s an ugly reality, but one you better get used to. Don’t be naive, Autumn. It’s how the world works. You either know someone or you know someone who knows someone.”

“Only the extremely lucky get a job in this world with no experience or are willing to work without pay. And I didn’t offer you the job, Autumn. I said I’llconsideryou. The job isn’t automatically yours because I want to fuck you. No pussy is sweet enough for me to hire someone incompetent.”

“Fuck you,” she spits, her eyes flashing.

“Be my guest,” I shoot back, then press my lip to hers.

CHAPTER 26

AUTUMN

The kiss is hard, showing that I pissed him off with my words, but I’m also fuming at him, and I transfer all that rage into my actions. His hands come up to either side of my face, his fingers digging into my flesh as he angles my head and parts my lips with his tongue. I retaliate by biting his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood; in return I get a deep growl as he pushes me back until my thighs hit the table. His large body looms over me, and I claw at his back to keep from falling back onto the table. I won’t give in and lie down like a good little pet.

The feel and taste of him explodes inside my mouth, and I whimper as my core clenches. Damn him. I can’t control the response of my body just from being around him. He’s furiously intoxicatingly, and I can’t seem to get enough. The way he looked at me as I polished off the desserts, combined with the memories of what he did to me last time we let ourselves succumb to our passion, has my body ready to explode. My eyes flutter closed, and my heart starts pounding. I go light headed from the adrenaline coursing through me.

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