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Stop this nonsense.
“I needed a change. So, here I am. What’s to lose? I would love to work for your company. You design and build things. I love watching things come alive. I rock at Legos with my five-year-old nephew. Not that that has anything to do with this.” She could feel a blush coming on.Seriously, Gabs.She never mumbled and sounded like an idiot. “The most you can do is say no. I didn’t lose anything. But if you say yes and give me a chance, I win. I gain a job. And you win. What’s not to like about that scenario? You’ll see within an hour what kind of wonderful secretary I would be if you gave me a chance.”
And you better because Mia will cry. I hate it when Mia cries.Then she pasted on the best smile she owned.
“You’re not like any of the other applicants I’ve interviewed. I like your honesty, Ms. Stileano. I’m a busy man—”
“So you said several times. Don’t you take time for yourself at all? Have a little fun and let loose? You can’t always be busy.”
“Don’t interrupt me. Ever.”
She nodded in agreement. “You’re right. That was rude of me. But you shouldn’t interrupt me if you don’t like it. You did earlier if you’re confused about what I’m talking about. Just sayin’…Mr. Holloway.”
A lone brow rose as if he were amazed at her audacity. She liked the look on him. It made him look sexier somehow, his cheekbones rising a little, the ridges on his face contorting into a slight shock that made her want to kiss each spot.
No kissing! Mia. Mia. Mia.If she needed to repeat her friend’s name a billion times in her head, she would.
Why was she having these illicit thoughts about a man who was—in all reality—cheating on her friend?
Because it had been a long while since she had sex. She needed to rectify that problem, especially if she had to work with him for the next week. Hopefully. Not too hopeful, though, because she couldn’t act on her impulses—like vault across his desk and devour him from head to toe. Nope. Just hopeful for Mia’s sake.
“I must be losing my mind,” he muttered, then ran a hand through his hair. Oh, wow. The gesture turned her on further, making her wish she could do the same thing.
No! She did not want to run her hands through his hair.
“I have work to do, and this is wasting my time. You want your hour? Here’s your chance. I need this memo typed up, twenty minutes ago. I need this phone call returned that I can’t make the meeting on Thursday. Reschedule it for Friday at a nice restaurant. I need to impress the client. After twelve but before four o’clock. And not Decello’s. Don’t ask why. I need emails to these people on the change of construction on the new building in Brooklyn. To the contractors, finance department, and investors. I don’t have the time to hold your hand or explain further about what I said. Do it in an hour, or you can leave. That’s my answer.” He held out a stack of papers and sticky notes, his expression indicating he wasn’t messing around.
“A kind ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ would go a long way. Just sayin’.” She grabbed the papers from him and stood up. “Thank you for the opportunity. See how easy that was?”
His face was still void of any emotion, not even a flicker of what he was thinking. “Get to work, Ms. Stileano.” His lip twitched again as if he wanted to smile. “Before I change my mind.”
Duly noted. He was the biggest Scrooge in the office. She walked out of his office, happy to be free and clear of his handsome face. This was going to be the longest week of her life. She hoped he hit on her. And no, not that she could revel in the fact he found her attractive as well and how he wanted to throw her across his desk and have his dirty way with her. Definitely not for that reason, as tempting as it may be. But because she would know he was a lying, cheating, dirty scumbag. She could rid Mia of him and get the hell out of this building away from his enticing, sexy face.
* * *
Dane rubbeda tired hand over his face after his new secretary walked away and closed his office door. What was he getting himself into hiring her? He had to be out of his mind. She swore, she stated her opinion without thinking, and her last job was working at a flower shop five months ago. A flower shop! Here he was hiring her to work as his secretary, where she would be making more money than she ever saw in her life.
Not that he thought about the money he made. He didn’t have time to think about things like that. He worked too much.
But he worked to get that kind of money in his bank account. He liked his job.
No. He loved his job, and he wasn’t in it for the money. He didn’t need to rise to the top likesomepeople without working hard to earn his way there.
Of course, he didn’t want his thoughts to derail there because then he wouldn’t get anything done. He was already behind schedule on his latest project. He needed Ms. Stileano to pull through for him. If she did her job well, she deserved each penny given to her. Because he would work her to the bone. He had with every other secretary.
Not that they stayed long enough for his liking. They always quit within a few weeks, or he fired them. He couldn’t stand incompetence or slacking. He needed his work done, and he needed it done right away.
How long would she last?
He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something about the woman that had him taking a chance for once. He never took chances. He always investigated, analyzed, and scrutinized every tiny detail before making a decision. He didn’t get to where he was without being precise. He always had to work hard to make his way—even in his own father’s company. Yet, here he was, hiring her on the spot.
But her honesty. That had him hooked right away. Honesty was hard to come by. He didn’t see it very often, especially in his own family. Unlike some people, he always tried to be honest. Whether people saw that as a weakness, he didn’t care. Honesty was important—critical in any relationship. He knew where he stood with Ms. Stileano, and that wasn’t something he could ignore. She wouldn’t hold back her opinion. He liked that about her—a lot.
Dane ran another hand through his hair. Damn. Was he making a mistake hiring her? He couldn’t afford to get behind any further in this latest project.
Would she get everything done? Would she screw anything up?
She looked the part, like she knew how to run an office with efficiency and organization. She was dressed very conservatively, very dull that wouldn’t attract too much attention. But she had an elegance that wasn’t hard to miss: long, wavy hair, half pinned to the side, giving a nice view of her cheekbone. For a moment, he had lost his train of thought, wondering what it would be like to kiss her along her jawline to her mouth.
