Page 9 of Her Billionaire Bossholes

Her expression, previously filled with concern, goes blank. "I see. Let's continue with the tour."

Good going, Jackson, you basically told her you didn't want to hire her.

I curse my stupidity but, at a loss for what to say to fix it, nod and stride forward. I slip into my typical salesperson persona as I explain more of what I do with stem cell research, trying to keep it professional.

But that's going to be a lot harder than I anticipated.

9

CHARLIE

"All right," the secretary, Debbie, says as we reconvene in the meeting room after the last tour. "What did you think, Miss Moore?"

Clasping my fingers in front of me and resting my hands against my legs, I clear my throat. "Well, if I may be frank, your security measures here at the facility seem to be rather average for the degree of work you're doing. There are several blind spots around the building that won't show up on your security footage, and while you have excellent precautions to make sure everyone stays safe in the event of an accident, there aren't nearly enough measures being taken to ensure that someone isn't getting into the building and causing said accident."

Debbie purses her lips. "Yes, well, we can get to that later."

Jackson leans back in his chair, seeming to be amused. "I think Debbie was asking what you thought of the research, not the security."

Oh, shit.

"Right," I clear my throat again. "Yes, it's impressive."

Like the flip of a switch, she smiles. "Wonderful! Now, let's discuss the living arrangements. How soon can you take up the spare room in the residence building?"

Wait. Pause.

"What?" I ask, brows furrowing. "You want me to live in the facility?"

Leo chimes in, nodding his head in agreement, "The three of us live here on the property in the residence building."

"It's the best arrangement for around-the-clock security," Jackson interrupts with an unexpected coolness in his voice.

Theylivehere, too? Oh, I'm definitely taking care of their shabby security. I'll need to see the residence building, talk to their surveillance team...

As Jackson speaks, I try to buy myself some time. I look around the room, my eyes landing on the windows behind them. They're covered in shades, preventing me from seeing out. What could they be hiding? It doesn't matter at this moment, though. I need to focus on the task at hand.

"I'll have to think about it," I finally say. "I don't live very far from here, so I'm not sure if it's necessary for me to live on site."

"But think of the benefits," Caleb pipes up. "You'll be able to respond immediately in case of any emergency. And we can guarantee your safety within our facility."

I hold back a sigh. They have a point, but it's going to be hard to adjust to living with my bosses. But then it hits me. If I lived here, I would be able to work closely with all three CEOs. I could be available at any time for anything they needed. I could easily address any security concerns as they arose.

"Well," I begin, "in emergency situations, it would be much more efficient for me to respond quickly if I'm already here on the property. Plus, if there are any security concerns that need to be addressed, I could be on top of it in no time."

Leo leans forward in his seat, a mischievous glint in his eye. "And what about the added benefit of being able to spend more time with us?"

My cheeks heat up at his comment--particularly because of the truth to it. Despite my frustration with him, despite the fact that these three are now my wards, I've been fighting my attraction to them all morning.

It's almost impossible to deny that the three of them together are captivating. Leo has a chiseled jawline and piercing, intelligent eyes; Jackson's smile is warm and inviting; while Caleb possesses distinct facial features, with sharp angles and a strong jawline that contribute to his allure. All three of them are very fit - leaning slightly more toward muscular than athletic – yet in no way obnoxiously so. The combination is intoxicatingly attractive to me, powerful enough for me not to be able to think properly when they're around…As if things weren't already complicated enough!

My mind races with all the extra responsibilities this new living arrangement will bring, but after a moment of contemplation, I realize that this could be an opportunity to get closer to the CEOs and truly understand the inner workings of their operation. Plus, as much as I hate to admit it, the idea of being in close proximity to Jackson, Caleb, and even Leo is...appealing.

I force myself away from my thoughts before I give anything else away as Debbie signals for us to move on with her agenda.

"So?" she prompts expectantly.

I nod stiffly, staring directly at her instead of the others. "Yes, all right. I should be able to move everything in today."

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