He smoothed his hand down his jaw considering her for long seconds. “I’ve come to a final decision. You’ll need to collect your things, Ms. Carmichael.”
Great. She’d gone too far. Pushed too fast in her hunt for answers. “Sir. Sevastyan” Her heart kicked into high gear and hammered steadily between her eyes as blood rushed in her ears. She stood with a burst of energy and crossed to stand in front of him. They’d been in a similar position before with her begging for her job. Even with her in stilettos, he stood a good three inches taller, but she didn’t back down. “I need this job.” She reached out and placed over his.
He slowly stepped from her reach, a whisper of something in his gaze she couldn’t be sure she saw. He’d turned away too quickly. “I know, moya kroshka. Still, collect your personal belongings.”
“Wait. Please?”
He was toying with her. She knew it. What did he want? Her to fall to her knees and beg?
She prepared to do just that, every cell in her body ready to weep and curse, but her phone gave a low trill.
She locked her knees, going the exact opposite of what she intended.
“Do you need to take that? I can wait.” His stance radiated arrogance. He pointed to the flashing device in her hand.
“I didn’t mean to bring it. I was getting ready for the evening and when your thug—” Both his brows shot up at her description of the stone-cold security guard he’d sent to collect her.
Her shoulders slumped in half defeat and the other half in frustration. “I mean when your guard came to the dressing room. I grabbed it.”
“I see.”
The phone went off again, and she ate the curses that slipped off her tongue. With a couple of flicks, she put the phone on mute where it would stay forever, damn it.
“After you collect your belongings from the main floor, return and I’ll personally walk you through your new tasks as my assistant, Ms. Carmichael.”
He kept repeating her name, like a tease of something to come.
Her brows knitted in puzzlement. Wait. What did she just hear? What the hell kind of game was this man playing at? She gave herself a mental shake.
“If you agree to your new position and pay raise, you’ll work alongside me and be accompanied by one of us at all times. That shouldn’t be too hard, right, kroshka?”
Now she knew he taunted her.
“Who knows, maybe you’ll put that business degree to work after all.”
“I won’t be alone?”
He shook his head.
“You don’t trust easily, do you? You like to play mind games and keep everyone guessing after you. Never let anyone know what you’re really thinking.” She didn’t intend to throw her last words out like an accusation, but there it was.
She chewed at her lower lip and swore under her breath at her impulsive nature. Her father warned her she’d step into the deep end sooner or later with her inability to squelch her impulsiveness.
He considered her with a dark expression for long seconds before he spoke in a soft, gruff voice thick with his rolling Russian accent. “Trust is earned. I’d like to work on that. We would like to work on that. With you.”
She held her breath, processing his words.
In his world trust built the very foundation this place was built on. Every sexual exchange of pleasure, every woman who submitted to a DOM, every sigh and moan all came from a place of trust. So what did he mean by wanting to build trust with her?
“When would you need me, Vastyan?” She heard the husk in her words and let him pick them up as he wished. Because in that second, every ounce of doubt washed away to reveal a naked truth she was hiding from herself.
She realized she’d do anything to find the truth, even if it meant sleeping with the enemy.
Slow and steady, Rhia inhaled deeply, letting the cool air of the room fill every pore of her body. His attention locked on her and when his gaze captured hers she knew every word that came out of her mouth needed measured, every movement calculated because he would hold her to each one. This was a man that didn’t miss a detail or a meaning and she needed to remember that.
“Immediately.” He drew out the single word as he reached across his desk for the phone.
She held a hand up. The golden ticket was in front of her. All she had to do was reach out and take it. This was the in she needed. “I’m sorry, I can’t. Not like this.”