“So, uh, tell me a little about yourself, Lily. Are you married? Children?” I ask casually, trying to ignore the massive boner straining against my pants.
“Not married. No kids,” she replies. “Just me and Groot.”
“Groot?”
“My cat. I named him after the character from Guardians of the Galaxy. I’m a huge Marvel movie geek,” she admits sheepishly.
“Sci-Fi’s not really my thing,” I reply, making a mental note to download every fucking one of those movies the first chance I get. “So, what made you apply for this position? I see from your resume that your previous job was with Miller Corp. in Houston. What brings you to San Antonio?”
Lily looks uncomfortable for a split second before summoning a bright smile. “I, uh, needed a change of scenery. I grew up just outside Houston. My biological father died before I was born, so it was just Mom and me until I was eight, which is when she met Joe. He adopted me when they got married. He’s a good man and the only dad I’ve ever known. When Joe and Mom moved to California with his job, I decided to stay in Houston. I shared an apartment with Daisy, that’s my best friend, but she had to move back to Colorado, so it seemed like a good time to try my luck in San Antonio and—" she stops abruptly. “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry! I’m babbling again. Daisy’s always saying I can talk the legs off a chair,” she grimaces, biting her plump bottom lip.
Fuck! Just when I thought she couldn’t get any more adorable.
“Sounds like your mom found a good man in your stepdad. I lost both my parents eight years ago in a car accident,” I say, the words spilling from my lips before I can stop them.
The fuck? I never talk about my parents. It’s still too painful. This woman is casting some kind of spell on me, one that makes me feel like I can share anything with her.
“I’m sorry. It never leaves you, does it, the grief of losing loved ones? You just make room for it,” she says with wisdom beyond her years. “You were obviously close.”
“We were. They never got to see all this.” I wave a hand around me to encompass the business I’ve built. “They were happily married for thirty years. They only had eyes for each other. Dad treated Mom like a queen, and she thought the sun rose and set on him. They lived their lives by a solid moral compass, and they instilled those values in my brother and me, taught us that success comes with hard work and determination. Which is why I won’t ever forget my roots, where I came from.”
“So you’re not the kind of billionaire who lounges on yachts sipping champagne or dines on caviar in Michelin star restaurants, huh?” she asks playfully.
I grin. “Give me a dirty cheeseburger any day.”
Lily returns my smile. “Man after my own heart.”
Jesus, if only she knew just how close to the mark that statement is—because I think I just might be after her heart. She’s weaving her magic around me, making me all fucking warm and gooey inside.
“So, why did you leave your previous job?” I ask, forcing my attention back to business.
Her smile disappears, and she looks oddly nervous again. “It was a great company to work for, but I felt I wasn’t being utilized to my full potential.”
Her words sound stilted, like she’s been practicing them in front of a mirror.
“You haven’t worked in IT before,” I say, pointing out the obvious.
Lily purses her lips thoughtfully. “That’s true, but my skills are transferable to any type of business. I’ve done my research, Mr. Rog—Callum. I know you’ve built this company from the ground up, that you developed a new type of angular programming with almost zero rework and less code required whenever a new feature is added. You’ve encompassed languages and tools for Ruby, HTML, PHP, Perl, and Pascal as standard in your package. I’m so confident I’ll be an asset to you and your company that I’m prepared to work my first month for free.”
I just stare at her. Fuck, she’s hot when she’s talking about rework and coding. She’s my dream woman. All I can think about is bending her over my desk, fisting my hand in her hair, and sliding into her wet warmth.
“That won’t be necessary,” I say gruffly, glad that the desk hides my massive erection. “When can you start?”
Lily’s mouth drops open. “Huh?”
“The job is yours. When can you start?” I repeat.
“But—you’ve barely asked me any questions! Don’t you want to know about my office skills? Interview the rest of the candidates?”
“I’ve spent the last two days interviewing candidates, Lily. None of them instilled the confidence in me that you just have in less than five minutes. I’m a damned good judge of character. I’ve had to be to get where I am. I’m a workaholic. I don’t expect the same level of dedication from my employees because that would involve living, eating, and sleeping the job, but I do expect hard work, loyalty, and dedication. The job is demanding, and as my assistant, there will be the occasional business trip, which you’ll be required to accompany me on, and for which you will be well reimbursed. So if this all sounds like something you can handle, the job is yours.”
“Yes, I can handle you!” she says enthusiastically. “I mean, the job. I can handle the job,” she amends quickly, her cheeks turning pink.
I bite back a smile. “Good. Can you start next Monday?”
She bobs her head in a vigorous nod, causing a few more tendrils of silky hair to break loose from her bun to frame her lovely face. “I don’t know what to say! Thank you so much. You won’t regret it, I promise.”
She’s right. I won’t regret it. The only thing I’d regret is letting her walk out of my office and never seeing her again. Lily doesn’t know it yet, but she’s just been claimed. Not for one night. Not for a few weeks. I’m claiming her for life.