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Oh crap. If I could’ve reached out and grabbed the last word straight back into my mouth, I would’ve. How embarrassing. Why would I confess my singledom to my middle-aged boss?
“I’m surprised,” he murmured, leaning towards the screen, “You’re beautiful.”
“Please don’t patronise me.” My sharp response shocked even myself.
What was wrong with me? What the hell was this guy doing to me?
Holding up his hands, he sat back. I noted his smart white shirt, rolled up to the elbows. There was just a white wall behind his head and nothing else. Did he work in a nice house that he’d designed?
“Listen,” he said, his tone turning serious and his stare hard. “I can make your position more interesting. Give me a chance. A week?”
“How, exactly, will you make it more interesting?” Something fizzled inside me when his gaze smouldered.
Shrugging, he smiled. “How about I come by the office to introduce myself? I’d like to get to know you better.”
His intense gaze intrigued me. I’d worked for the man for three months and not once had he shown his face. It was about time I knew who Joseph was.
“Okay,” I said, suddenly afraid of what he’d think of my little space, “but you better hurry up, I’m a very busy lady.”
A deep dark chuckle vibrated from his chest. “Oh yeah, I saw that. I’ll be there soon.”
My cheeks burned as he disappeared from the screen. Wait, what did he say? He saw… what? No. He must’ve meant that I was very busy talking to him. Yeah, that was it. The other option… that he saw me with my vibrator… wasn’t an option. Was it?
Chapter Two
My fingers shook as I flicked my pen against my notepad. Joseph was due any minute, and for some bizarre reason, I was nervous as hell. I’d spoken to my boss on the phone about work almost every day in the last three months, there was no reason for my hands to be shaking.
“Lola.” His deep voice made me jump and I spun around in my chair before gliding into a stand.
He’d somehow appeared without me knowing, he must have been some type of ninja. There he stood, taller than I’d imagined, beside the door. I gulped as I admired his thick-set muscular frame and strong square jaw. The dappled grey and black of his short beard drew my attention. Something about his age made him super-hot.
“Joseph,” I squeaked, almost tempted to bow.
A smile pulled at my lips as I resisted. Stupid woman, he was just a man. My boss. He wasn’t a king or knight of the realm. He wore dark green cargo trousers and a long-sleeved shirt, the sleeves still rolled up to his elbows. He dressed perfectly for a creative designer who didn’t actually go to any of our clients’ homes.
“It’s good to meet you.” His drawl echoed into my ears as he wandered around the small office, not coming near me until he’d circled once. There wasn’t much to see in the small room, but it seemed as if he were looking everywhere else but at me.
“It’s about time.” I laughed, coughing when his gaze snapped to me.
The narrowing of his bright blue eyes made me freeze to the spot. My sarcasm wasn’t appreciated by the older man. Maybe I should reign it in a bit, he was still technically my employer and I’d need a good reference going forward, even if it had been a strange job.
“Remind me how old you are, again?” he said.
Flutters danced in my stomach, and I shrunk under his heated gaze, swallowing the nerves that surged. “Twenty One.”
He nodded a couple of times before gesturing for me to sit. I did as he said, instantly lowering myself to the chair and crossing my legs. His gaze followed the movement, his eyes flaring when my skirt slipped to reveal my thighs. Heat warmed my skin and my throat went dry.
“Show me your work,” he said, sitting on the only spare chair in the god-forsaken place.
“Oh.” Turning to my desk, I took out his drawings and my digital copies.
His heavy hand fell over mine and I glanced up, my eyes wide. The slow shake of his head made my mouth open slightly.
“No,” he murmured, his bright eyes delving into mine. “Your papers. I’m sure you’ve been working on something.”
A frown pulled my eyebrows as I licked my lips and nodded. How did he know I’d been working on my own designs?
Cocking his head, he raised his eyebrows. “Most people who come straight out of university are wannabe designers, are they not?”
