Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 65489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
2
MILES
From the moment Ben had entered my office, displaying a confusing mix of confidence and uncertainty, I’d known I wanted him to be more than my assistant.
His voice was as soothing and as soft as his blond hair looked, and I could easily imagine gazing into his bright blue eyes all night as I pumped into him. He was young and had an air of innocence that called to me. Hiring him was a terrible idea for so many reasons, but before I’d asked him my next question, I knew he was the one I wanted. And I always got my way.
“Do you always direct your interviews?”
“No, sir. I do, however, know how to show off my assets to their best advantage.” His eyes widened as he seemed to realize how that sounded. He immediately looked away, gazing out the windows at my view of the city.
I wanted to reach out and touch him, to push his legs apart, settle between them and see how quickly I could get him off, but I wasn’t going to do any of those things. Not today. Not for a while. I did have the presence of mind to remember his loyalty was very much in question.
I never brought anyone in for an interview without a thorough background check. When my people looked into someone’s past, they looked deep, pushing away all the layers to find the juicy details. Ben’s father had been arrested more than once for various kinds of theft, but he’d always managed to escape charges. I knew the man was guilty as hell. He’d approached me once, years ago, thinking I would want to buy information about a competitor. He made a mistake questioning my honor, and I’d let him know it. What’s this an attempt at revenge?
Ben’s brother was deeply involved criminal activities as well, and greatly in need of cash. It was hardly a stretch assume they’d sent him here.
I didn’t like to think the tempting man in front of me wanted to sell me out, but I wasn’t naïve. Most people who wanted to work for me had ulterior motives, and I had plenty of my own. I wanted to hire Ben, but I wanted him in my bed even more.
“All right, I’ll humor you. Let’s say I’ve told you I don’t want to be disturbed by anyone, but my CFO insists that he needs to see me immediately. How do you handle the situation?”
“I would tell him you were unavailable and let him know when you could meet with him. If he persisted, I would offer to rearrange any less urgent appointments on your schedule to allow him to see you sooner.”
“And when he still wouldn’t back down?”
“I’d ask if the building was on fire or if anyone’s life was at stake. When he told me no, I’d reiterate what time he could come back and ask him if I should put him on your calendar.”
I smiled. My CFO was an arrogant asshole who retained his job solely because he was so skilled at it. “I can’t wait for you to meet him.”
“Will he be part of the interview process?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
Ben frowned at me, but he didn’t ask anything else.
“Let’s say one of the directors comes to see me, but I’m not in. She asks you for some information about a project we’re working on. I’ve told you that information is confidential, to be seen only by me and the rest of C-suite. What do you say?”
“I explain that I’m not authorized to distribute that information, and she’ll need to schedule an appointment with you or one of the other executives.”
“And when she insists that I’ve told her to come get this information and that it’s already approved. What do you say?”
“I tell her I haven’t been informed of that and until I am, I will not be distributing the information.”
I nodded. “Excellent. And when she gets angry and starts yelling and threatening you?”
“I’ll call security to have her removed.”
I smiled. I liked Ben more and more every minute. He might seem shy and almost criminally innocent, but he had all the right answers, and I had every confidence he would stand up to anyone at the company. He’d had to stand up for himself a lot in his life based on what I’d learned.
“Mr. Montgomery, I’m not going to let anyone have access to you unless you want them to, and I won’t let you miss any appointments or forget any commitments. I will do whatever you ask.”
Those words—and the full potential of their meaning—hung between us, but this time, he didn’t look away.
3
BEN
The room seemed to spin around us, but Mr. Montgomery stayed in perfect focus, every single gorgeous inch of him. As he stared at me, thinking about what I’d said, I realized I was absolutely serious. I would do anything he asked. I almost wished he’d asked me to do something completely inappropriate, like kneeling between his legs or lying over his desk. I would do it. He had me thoroughly under his spell.