She took the card from him.
Was this really happening?
“Yes, of course, sir.”
“Do it this afternoon. I don’t want you to leave anything to the last minute. You may leave.”
She left his office, bending over her desk to grab her backpack. When she saw the notes he’d need, she turned to find him watching her.
There was no way she could have caught him admiring her ass, was there?
No, it had to be in her head.
“You’ll need these. Philips doesn’t like sharing credit and any negotiation you enter into will require delicate handling.”
“I’ve been doing my job for a long time now, Bunny. Go and make sure you buy something pretty for yourself.”
She wasn’t prone to blushing, but the way he was looking at her, she couldn’t help but feel exposed.
“Yes, of course.”
She rushed toward the elevator, wondering what had gotten into her boss. It wasn’t like Brice to be this demanding over something like an outfit.
Staring at the card he’d given her, his name printed across it, she ran her thumb over the words.
He had such a regal sounding name.
“Get your head out of the clouds, Bunny. It’s not going to happen, not in a million years will he ever chase after you.”
2
Brice had wanted to fire Bunny, not because she wasn’t a good PA, not because he had any problems with her. But because he desired her like crazy.
He wanted her in every way possible.
For the past two years he’d watched her, lusted after her. But he kept his distance, knowing that being with her was against the rules. His rules.
He didn’t get involved with his employees, least of all his personal assistant. But there was something about Bunny, something that drew him in like a moth to a flame.
She was his undeniable death, that bright light and heat that drew him in so close he’d burn alive. But what a way to go.
He wanted to get lost in her.
But being cold and distant, being a bastard, was what he was good at.
Two years he’d wanted no one but her. She was quirky and funny. She was smart and witty. Even though he knew he could be a tyrant, she stayed.
Here he sat, staring at the elevator. The doors had shut ten minutes ago, the company credit card in her hand as he’d ordered her to go. He had wanted to be gentlemanly with her, ask her on a date and make it all official. Fuck his own rules.
But, in true fucking Brice fashion, he’d demanded her attendance. He’d all but shoved the card in her face and told her to pick something out to wear tonight.
He had better intentions, wanted to lose the cold, unforgiving persona he’d always held with her, but he didn’t know if he ever would. Sure, he wanted to blame his strict family upbringing, but the truth was, his frustration about not being able to have Bunny ate at him even more than anything else.
There was no way she would be with him in any capacity, though. He could see she tolerated him, that this was a job and she wouldn’t risk anything about it.
But fuck, he wanted Bunny. And it seemed like he was willing to do just about anything to make that happen, even force her to go to a charity event with him.
He pushed away from his desk instead, standing by the window and looking out at the cityscape.
For the past decade, he’d worked his ass off building this company, an advertising agency that worked with nonprofit and low-budget businesses. His family had made sure to tell him their displeasure with the type of business he conducted, but he didn’t fucking care. Brice did what he wanted even if his family wanted to fucking complain about it.
But it was those companies that had attracted the higher ups, the moneymakers. It was those corporations that allowed him to work on passion projects, like doing pro bono work when needed.
He did have a bastardly attitude most days, but he liked to think of himself as being an overall good guy, of wanting to do good in the world.
His phone rang and he pulled his thoughts off the one woman he wanted, the one woman he probably shouldn’t desire the way he did. Brice picked up his phone and barked into it. “Yeah?”
“Brice, darling,” his mother’s saccharine voice seeped through the receiver.
“Mother.”
“I’ve been trying your cellular phone all day. You really are going to make your mother call your office line?”
He exhaled and sat behind his desk. “I’ve been busy and half the time don’t even check my cell.” She tsked and he already felt a headache coming on. Brice loved his mother, but she was old school aristocratic, did the whole garden party thing, had even been Miss Cambridge back in the day. She came from old money, which meant that was all she knew. She didn’t work for what she had, but instead had everything handed to her. Clarice Chambers didn’t have to worry about anything, and so she didn’t understand when her eldest child wanted nothing to do with the family law firm and instead decided to work with charities.