Her brow furrows, and I’m ashamed to admit I like the fact that she looks a little scared of me. She should be, I’m her boss, and I hold her future at this company in my hands. “What kind of plans?”
“Starting today, you will no longer be working in the research department.” She opens her mouth to speak, but I don’t let her. “A cavalier attitude like yours deserves some sort of recognition. In fact, I think you’d be great working for me.”
“What?” A tiny laugh escapes her mouth. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Oh no, Miss North.” I shake my head. “Clearly, you’ve got a sharp tongue and a know-it-all state of mind. It’s just the kind of person I want working for me.”
Her jaw hangs slack, and a wave of excitement washes through me, knowing that I’ve taken back the upper hand. “Look, I apologized for what I said this morning.”
“Oh, Miss North, none of that matters now. In fact, it’s water under the bridge. You’ll be making it up to me starting tomorrow.” I can’t help but smile, not only at the idea of punishing her for mouthing off to me but because now I’ll be in close contact with her. Now that I’ve seen her, there’s no way I’m letting her rot in the research department. I want Ainsley North to feel my wrath so that she never acts like that again. I refuse to look like a fool in front of anyone.
“What if I quit?”
“You won’t,” I say. “Evelyn told me all about your new condo. You need this job more than you let on, and you’ll be glad to know that working directly for me comes with a raise.”
“Yay for me.” She says, deadpan. I can’t help but smile, knowing that I’ve got her right where I want her. “Ainsley North, you now belong to me.”
Three
Ainsley
I can’t believethe nerve of that man. CEO or not, he can’t just treat me like this. But he’s right; I can’t just up and quit. I need the money too much. Starting now, I am cutting all unnecessary spending because if I have to work for that pompous asshole for too long, I may just end up losing my mind.
I barely slept last night from stress. I kept replaying the moment over and over again, wondering why I just couldn’t keep my damn mouth shut. It’s not in my DNA, not anymore. When I was in high school, I was bullied mercilessly. Growing up poor, I never had the right clothes or the right friends. I was kind of a lone wolf. Being an adult has been so much better, and after I finally found my footing—friends, a few decent jobs under my belt, and a decent outlook on life—I told myself I would never be pushed around again.
Yet, here I am, and with the biggest bully of them all. Vance Clayton is the kind of man who needs to be put in his place. He needs to learn that the earth doesn’t revolve around him, and unfortunately, I’m not going to be the person to do it; he holds too much power. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to make it easy for him.
The worst part of all? I find him relentlessly attractive. My body responds to his hulking demeanor, making it seem like my panties are melting right off of me. This can’t be healthy.
I arrive at the office a few minutes after nine. I’m not even two steps in the door when Evelyn’s eyes go wide. “Mr. Clayton wants to see you.”
“Are you serious?” I check my phone for the time, almost spilling my cup of coffee in the process. “Did he say what for?”
“No,” she says, “but he’s been calling up front every ten minutes since eight o’clock.”
“Looking for me?”
Evelyn nods. “Looking foryou.”
“Shit,” I mutter and take off down the hall toward his office. I expected him to be a tyrant, but this is bonkers. I haven’t even had my coffee yet, and he’s already demanding my presence. I don’t even know what he wants me to do for him. I doubt his needs are the same as the research team’s.
The worst part of all of this is that my heart still skips a beat thinking of him, and trust me, it’s not his personality. He’s just so darn hot, and if I’ve learned anything from being around bullies my whole life, it’s that they’re always wounded in some way. I wonder who it is that hurt him? The image of me taking him in my arms and rocking the hurt out of him fills my mind. I shake it off as soon as it arrives. What am I, crazy? This man is an asshole, and he needs to be dealt with accordingly. Why should I give him one ounce of my pity?
Because you almost masturbated thinking about him last night.
I grunt the thought away, set my coffee down at my desk, and head straight over to Mr. Clayton’s office. My knuckles don’t even brush the wood when he calls out. “Miss North, get in here.” I roll my eyes and head inside. He doesn’t even give me the chance to speak. “You’re late.”
Again, I look down at my phone. It’s five after nine. “Sorry, traffic was awful.”
“Awful enough to make you an hour late?”
I nearly do a double-take. “An hour?”
“That’s right. When you work for me, you get here when I get here. That’s eight o’clock on the dot.”
I let out a long sigh. This is going to be a long day. “It won’t happen again.”
“You’ll work through lunch to make up for it.”