Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
“Do you always just speak your mind?” I questioned, wanting to know if I’m going to have to punish her. Instantly the thought of bending her over my desk and flipping up her skirt while my hand makes contact with her ass comes to mind.
“Yep. My friend and I have a policy to do just that. Now, this orange is too messy, so it will have to be this banana.” She isn’t going to torture me like that so pointedly, is she? Is she aware of the effect she has on me?
Looking me directly in the eye, she bites down on the banana. Fuck, she’s a brat, and I love it. Shaking my head, I can’t hide my amusement and leave the room.
I work in my office until the food comes because I’m not sure I can be around her without slamming her against the table and breeding her. It’s insane how she flipped a switch in me and I have to try to turn it back off. I’m her employer and it would be completely unethical.
We all eat as we discuss the projects. Most of the conversation seems to go over Valentine’s head. In my head she’s Valentine, even though I have to call her by her last name. For my entire career, I’ve always maintained a professional manner, referring to employees by their last name for propriety. First names breeds familiarity and that leads to scandals and potential lawsuits. One of my bosses, when I first started, had that problem, although he was trying to screw his law clerks all the time.
As Ms. Dalton brings up the murder case I’m working on right now, I remember to remind Valentine that everything said in here is confidential. “Everything here is protected speech, Ms. Pernetti.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that. Although, I haven’t been to Human Resources to fill out any paperwork.” I turn pale and then red. It was supposed to be done immediately.
“What the hell? Do I have to do everything myself?” I reach over and press the phone on the conference table, dialing HR immediately before they leave for the day.
“Agnes Fletcher speaking.”
“Ms. Fletcher, why hasn’t Ms. Pernetti received her employment documents, including the confidentiality forms?” I snarl into the speakerphone.
“I sent them up this morning to be filled out and submitted to me by the end of the day, Mr. King. They’re on the lobby registration desk.”
I jump out of my seat and head over to the reception desk, and there it is. A packet labeled with Ms. Pernetti’s name on it and a note to be filled out by the end of the day. I storm back into the room and set them down in front of her. As I do, I create a breeze and her scent hits me again, making me hard as fucking stone and doubly angry. With a less than polite tone, I inform her, “If you’d actually made it to your desk today instead of working on this project, you’d have gotten these. I’m sorry. You can’t leave until these are completed.”
“That’s fine.”
Chapter Three
Valentine
Holy shit.
Day one was done, and I’d felt like I’d just been on the most brutal rollercoaster of a lifetime and then had hit a water slide right after. And now I have to go back for a repeat tomorrow.
The icy cold of the dark winter hits me, reminding me that I’m not even home yet. I groan, waiting to get to my apartment so I can relax. The train shows up just as I reach the platform which will make the trip home mercifully fast. I take a seat off in the corner all alone. It’s already six-thirty, and I caught a semi-empty car, which is pretty nice and rare. I suppose leaving later has its perks. Thinking about it, I’d almost worked a twelve-hour day.
The best and worst part of the day and had been the same thing… Mr. King.
How am I supposed to work with a man who makes me want to scream and kiss him simultaneously? I feel like I’m about a step away from getting fired if I open my mouth because he doesn’t take shit from anyone. Yet, he took it from me. In fact, he nearly laughed at my antics.
Tall, dark, and handsome describe my boss. He’s everything I’ve ever read about in books, and I want him. Of course, I know he’s a grumpy ass who doesn’t like people, demands more than most people are capable of handling, but I still wanted to crawl up his robust frame and beg him to possess me.
Ms. Dalton on the other hand bothers me in a different way. She pushes and pulls. One minute she’s super nice and the next she’s insanely bitchy and bossy. I find her to be a perfectionist who makes mistakes constantly. Each one she tried to put on me during our brief time working together today. Tom mentioned it once to her, and she bit his head off. I’m wondering if it wasn’t just the boss that sent the assistant running out the door.