Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 44746 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44746 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
I actually did it. I didn’t really think I could, but here it is, actually finished. I let out a long breath, more of a sigh of relief, before turning away and stepping out into the main office.
There isn’t a single person left in the room.
I blink and stare around me. I expected to see a few people left. I mean, I know it’s late, but I didn’t realize…
I walk down to the office next to the conference room. It’s dark, but I can see out the window.
It’s pitch-black outside.
“What the hell?” I whisper to myself. I walk quickly to my desk, pick up my phone, and stare at the time.
It’s after eight in the evening.
“Shit,” I say softly.
I hurry to Leon’s office. I lost track of time in my stupid pig-headed desire to get all this finished. I think I was working in there for… god, for hours.
I can hear him still typing at his desk. I halfway expected him to be gone for the night… hoping he’d be gone… but there he is.
I knock on his partially open door and step inside.
He looks up at me and squints slightly in the dim light. “Ah,” he says. “There you are.”
I frown and step into his office. I shut the door behind me. “I lost track of time. But I’m finished.”
He nods once and looks back at his computer. He starts typing again and leaves me standing there like an idiot.
Doesn’t he know that even getting all that done in a single day is a huge accomplishment? I know I’m late, that he probably wanted it done by five, but that was impossible. Getting it done at all is a big deal.
He doesn’t look up. He keeps typing until he’s finished, but by the time he finally does look me in the eye, I want to scream at him.
“You’re finished with it all?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say. “I skipped lunch, skipped dinner, worked late, and I got it done.”
“I wanted it done hours ago.”
That’s it. I can’t take it anymore. “Oh, sorry I didn’t finish your stupid impossible task in your insanely unreasonable timetable. I must be such a bad employee. You’re lucky it’s even done today at all, you asshole.”
He sits there with one eyebrow quirked as I finish. As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I regret them immediately. I wish I could shove them back in, but too late. My temper wins again.
“Anything else you want to say?” he asks.
I could apologize here. Probably should.
“No,” I say stubbornly.
I’m not wrong, after all.
He stands up.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. I got your stupid job done. You should be happy about that.”
He sighs but there’s a little smile on his lips like he expected this and he’s happy I’m giving him what he wants. He comes around the desk and walks toward me.
I feel my knees tremble slightly. He’s giving me that look again, the starving, insanely hungry look. His smile gets slightly bigger as he comes closer to me.
“You can’t help yourself, can you?” he asks softly.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I mean, you can’t watch your mouth.” He stops in front of me and reaches out, taking me by the chin. He stares into my eyes and I almost want to hit him.
But what I see there stops me. It isn’t malice that’s driving this.
It’s pure, intense passion. I can see it all over his face, all over the way he’s standing in front of me, far too close for a professional setting… far too close for any setting, aside from a bedroom.
“I can’t when I’m right,” I whisper.
“But you don’t understand yet, little Paige. I own you right now. I own everything about you. If I tell you to do some bullshit, meaningless task, you’d better do it with a smile.”
“That’s not how I operate. And you don’t own me.”
He chuckles then releases my chin and reaches back to grab my hair. He holds it tight in his hand, pulling my head back. I gasp at the slight pain as it surprises me and sends a thrill down my spine.
“I do,” he whispers, his lips next to my neck, my throat. “I’m paying you far more than you deserve and you know what? I think you’d better earn it.”
“Don’t,” I whisper, half a moan.
“Don’t?” He chuckles. “I’ll stop if you really want me to.” His lips linger inches from mine.
I stare into his eyes and don’t say a word.
His smirk drives me wild.
His kiss makes me lose my mind.
I know I shouldn’t. He doesn’t own me, he won’t own me, but god…
The way he treats me. The way he controls me.
It drives me crazy. It makes me weak, stupid with need for him. I can feel it pooling between my legs as his tongue rolls against mine, his taste flooding my mouth. He floors me, destroys me, and makes me want it all over again.