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As if she had appeared in my bowl of stew, the idea hit me in an instant.
I knew the perfect woman for the job.
Chapter 6
Lottie
My overall buckles clinked as my leg bounced against the hardwood floor of Hunter’s office. I clutched my folder to my chest, anxiety swelling with every passing minute that he didn’t show his face.
He was five minutes late.
I’d only brought with me what I believed was necessary—my resume, a copy of my degree, and a small portfolio I’d put together showcasing my experience and past dissertations on breeding I’d done while at university. I felt it didn’t warrant going into the nitty-gritty, and I hoped he wouldn’t ask about the blank spaces of time.
“That’s not exactly office-appropriate attire, Charlotte.”
I whipped my head in the direction of the door, braid flying back over one shoulder, and stared at the man who had been haunting my thoughts.
He stood against the door frame, a half-eaten apple in his hand, clad in a stupid fucking suit that screamed corporate. The only unprofessional part of him was the wide-as-hell, cocky ass smirk that split his face.
“I dressed for the stables,” I said dryly.
“Would’ve preferred you in something black and satin.” He took a bite of his apple, the crunch making me squirm as he stepped around my chair and crossed the room to his desk.
My cheeks heated at thoughts from that night. I wasn’t going to let it get to me though, not here, not now.
“What’s that?” he asked, motioning toward my file while he slowly sunk into his chair. His jaw twitched as he chewed, eyes locked on the folder I held against my stomach. Or maybe he was staring at my breasts.
“My resume, my degree, a compilation of my experience… don’t you need that?”
He shrugged and tossed the core of the apple in the trash can behind him. “To be honest, I have no clue. I don’t tend to handle the hiring process.”
Somehow I knew exactly why he was handling it this time. “Then shouldn’t I be speaking with someone else?”
“Nah, I’d prefer you all to myself,” he teased, leaning forward onto his desk with one hand extended toward the folder. I glared at him as I placed it into his waiting palm.
He flipped it open, scanning over papers as if they were the least interesting thing he had ever seen. However, each one was important to me, holding a little sliver of my life, and when he finally landed on my dissertations, only then did he look at me like I was made of gold.
“You didn’t mention you’d done papers on breeding.”
“It wasn’t tangible experience so I didn’t think it was overtly relevant during our so-called interview.”
I knew damn well that the smirk that spread across his face had absolutely nothing to do with my stellar dissertation. “That was the best interview I’ve ever conducted,” he chuckled, his eyes flitting up to meet mine occasionally between reading. “You were an incredibly enticing candidate?—”
“Can you be professional for five minutes?” I didn’t have the patience to deal with this. There must have been a reason he was being so forward. Either he truly thought he had another chance of fucking me or he acted this way with all of his female employees. Both possibilities made my stomach twist.
He cleared his throat and lifted his eyes to meet mine. “Sure. Are you happy with the proposed hours and salary?”
I nodded.
“And you’re happy to train under the current manager until he retires?”
I nodded.
“Perfect. Then we should discuss the direction we should be taking the breeding business,” he said dryly. He shut my folder with a slap and slid it back across his desk. “For the upcoming season, I’d like to focus on thoroughbreds and quarter horses. The foals will need to go to auction well in advance of the race season the following year.”
It took a moment for me to understand the drastic shift in behavior from him. “Thoroughbreds are riddled with health issues.”
“True, but they’re highly sought after. They’re a staple and they’re guaranteed to sell.”
