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“Clearly. I’ve spent half of my first day cleaning toilets.”
“Someone has to do it.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, and something about the tension between us was turning me on—fuck. “I thought you hired me because I was a good fit for your business. I’ve worked on a lot of projects—”
“And you also got kicked off the set of a movie out in Los Angeles, and your name basically burned out there.” I knew I was being a little harsh, but if I wasn’t a little standoffish I might just end up taking her fucking clothes off right here.
And that would not be good for business.
Olivia went quiet though, and inwardly I cringed. I had probably gone too far, and beyond just making her feel bad, Owen would probably kill me too. Her eyes darted to the massive windows overlooking New York City.
“Listen, everyone has to earn their place here. You really needed a job and I gave you one at a rate that means you can still afford your own apartment and shit.”
“Are you kidding me?” Her eyes snapped back to me. “You act like I’m a charity case.”
“I never said that.”
She shook her head, letting out a sharp breath. “You know what? Fine. But if I’m going to be spending my time cleaning and doing menial tasks, I’m not wearing heels to work every day.” Olivia had this cute little pouty look on her face, her eyes daring me.
I chuckled—like what she was saying was actually some sort of threat. “You can wear whatever you want to work. There’s no dress code here. I don’t require anyone to wear heels.”
She stared at me for a few moments longer. “I’ll wear sweats to the party tonight.”
“Okay, if that’s what suits you.”
I could see the frustration building on her face, and it took everything I had not to erupt in howling laughter. She was acting beyond absurd, and it was the most amusing thing I had witnessed in some time—she was definitely Owen’s sister.
She let out a sigh. “I’ll probably actually just bring a change of clothes for the cleanup if that’s okay. I don’t like cleaning up in semiformal wear, it’s just asking for stains—not that they’re a bad thing, coffee stains happen all the time to everyone.” Her voice sounded a little rushed and breathy, and I could already tell she was heading into an awkward rant, just like what had happened in the lobby. “You know, the cleaning lady was really nice and said that—”
I cut her off. “Why are you telling me this? I just said you can wear whatever the hell you want. I don’t care, Olivia, and the stain will come out of my suit.”
“Sorry, I lack a filter sometimes.” She shrugged, her cheeks flushing with a hue of crimson. “I’ll see you at the party.”
“See you then.” I shook my head, bursting into laughter as soon as the door shut behind her. Olivia Gray was a beautiful, eccentric woman...
And she was going to be hard to resist.
“It’s not good for business,” I reminded myself, picking up my phone from my desk. My billionaire father had beat it into my brain at an early age that women could prevent a man from reaching his career goals—and not to settle down until then. So I had a pact to keep things simple with women: sleep with them but never anything more than that. No labels, no feelings. It had worked out too. If I was around a woman who made me feel anything more than just a hint of physical attraction, I got the hell away from her.
However, Olivia was going to be a challenge—I could already fucking tell.
Just keep your distance. Maybe she’ll quit.
My pep talk to myself in my head was less than successful as I glanced down, seeing her social media page in front of my eyes. It was locked down, and I was unable to see anything other than the cute little selfie she had for her profile photo. She only had a couple hundred followers, which was surprising to me for some reason.
Does she follow me?
I went to my own list of followers, typing in her name. Sure enough, there it was. Pursing my lips, I went back to her page, my finger hovering over the follow button...
Is this unprofessional?
I never followed any of my employees unless we were close and saw each other outside of work—and I never followed the women in the office unless I was certain they were not interested in me. It was just asking for trouble...
But Olivia is Owen’s sister.
And Owen was like family to me. He was my fourth brother, and all my brothers saw him like that too. I took a deep breath, looking at her captivating blue eyes staring back at me through the screen.
She won’t think anything of it.
